The Personal Fund Management of College Student in the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA-CALAMBA Campus

This research aimed to explore the factors that affect personal fund management as assessed by college students, specifically within the context of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA - Calamba Campus. This also focused on determining the significant difference in the level of their personal fund management based on the demographics of the college students to provide valuable insights as to how they varied. Hence, it analyzed how demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, academic year level, academic cluster, and socioeconomic status transverse the complex of personal fund management. Utilizing the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework, the research investigated how diverse financial behaviors, such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness, were provided to evaluate how college students comprehend and manage their finances. Employing a Likert Scale survey questionnaire, a total of three hundred (300) surveys from college students, which were equally administered from four different academic clusters, were randomly collected using an adapted instrument, in which the data underwent thorough statistical treatment for analysis and evaluation. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference between the assessment of college students with regard to the level of their personal fund management when respondents were grouped according to their gender and academic cluster. In terms of gender, it has a significant difference when it comes to competence. Moreover, there was an emphasis on a gap between the different academic clusters when it comes to autonomy and competence. These insights ignited the development and implementation of targeted educational endeavors, financial management workshops, opportunities for continuous improvement, and the organization of financial discussion forums. Consequently, the research proposed strategies to enhance the overall personal fund management of the college students in the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA - Calamba Campus.