The University of Hawai'i at Manoa is one of three recipients of a student loan guarantor's awards for enhancing student financial literacy.

USA Funds said it awarded the school one of its Award of Merit winners in its 2008 Excellence in Debt Management awards for a peer-education program.

The company said 15 students were recruited to use materials, including some of those from USA Funds, to conduct financial literacy sessions reaching 500 students during new-student orientation.

USA Funds said that evaluations show that the attendees had increased awareness of money-management issues compared to nonattendees.

Florida Community College of Jacksonville won USA Funds Award of Excellence while Orange Coast College in California also received an award of merit.