As Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw near, MET urges families to give the gift that lasts — college tuition




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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
**November 24, 2025*

*Contact: Ron Leix <[email protected]>, Treasury, 517-335-2167*

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday Draw Near, MET Urges Families [ [link removed] ]
to Give the Gift that [ [link removed] ]
Lasts — College Tuition [ [link removed] ]

"Delta Township grandmother’s MET gifting tradition shows how small contributions, and this year’s bonus offer, can grow into a college future"

*LANSING *— Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday shoppers looking for meaningful gifts will find more than discounts at the *Michigan Education Trust (MET) *with *seasonal bonuses *added to a present that never goes out of style — prepaid college tuition.

For a limited time, MET is offering a *special holiday bonus *to encourage families to open or contribute to a prepaid tuition account, making this season the perfect time of year to give the gift of a college education.

With MET’s minimum contribution recently lowered to *just $25*, families can start a child’s college savings journey for less than many holiday stocking stuffers, while getting extra value in return with *seasonal bonuses.*

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all about finding value,” said *Diane Brewer, executive director of MET*. “There’s simply no better long-term value than helping a child pay for college. MET gives families a way to start small and build a meaningful foundation for the future.”

For *Sue Stock*, a mom and grandmother from Delta Township, that small start more than 35 years ago turned into a family tradition and a life-changing investment.

Stock first purchased MET accounts for her sons, *Jon and Chris*, in 1988 after reading about the then-new program in the "Lansing State Journal". Her mother encouraged her to open an account for each boy and Sue quickly embraced the idea. Soon, she began asking her parents, relatives and close friends to contribute to the boys’ MET accounts *instead of traditional gifts* for holidays and birthdays.

“MET became our version of holiday giving,” Stock said. “The boys didn’t need more toys. I wanted to give them something that would matter long after the wrapping paper was gone.”

Those early gifts paid off.

Chris used *every dollar* of his MET savings to earn his degree from *Michigan State University*, graduating in 2003. Free from significant student debt, he landed a job with *NASA* before moving into the supply chain marketing field.

*“He got a degree with little or no debt,” Stock said. “That is truly a gift that keeps on giving.”*

Jon’s path took another turn. He earned an accounting degree at *Lansing Community College*, where his tuition was covered because Sue was working at LCC at the time. Since Jon didn’t need to use his MET benefits, the account remained intact and is now helping fund the MET account of *Jon’s daughter*, Sue’s granddaughter.

“That’s the beauty of MET,” Stock said. “Even when life takes a different direction, nothing is lost. It still becomes part of the future.”

MET is putting a bow on it this holiday season to encourage families to follow Stock’s lead. With just a $25 minimum to open an account and digital gifting tools that allow grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to contribute directly, MET offers a way to replace short-lived presents with something that grows in value over time.

*MET makes holiday gifting easy*

* *Start an account for just $25.*
* *Online gifting portal* for fast contributions from anywhere.
* *Prepaid tuition* that locks in today’s rates.
* *Flexible use* for Michigan public universities, community colleges and even private or out-of-state schools.
* *A gift that lasts a lifetime*, not a single season.

Families can learn more or open a MET online. [ [link removed] ]

From *Nov. 29-Dec. 2*, families who start or grow their college savings with MET prepaid tuition contract can receive a *$50 Black Friday Bonus* when they contribute *at least $250*.

*And as an added bonus during the season of giving*, the offer applies to both newly opened MET contracts and qualifying contributions made to existing MET contracts, making it an easy way for parents, grandparents and loved ones to turn a holiday gift into long-term opportunity. New purchasers must enter the coupon code *BLKFRI25* at checkout to qualify. All contributions must be made in a single transaction through MET’s online payment system.

The bonus is limited to one $50 award per beneficiary. Funds will be deposited into qualifying MET contracts within eight to 10 weeks following verification.

Complete details and full eligibility requirements are available on MET’s website [ [link removed] ].

*About MET*

MET is Michigan’s Section 529 prepaid tuition program, allowing parents, grandparents and others to purchase undergraduate tuition credits at today’s rates. MET is administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury.

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