WEB-BASED STUDENT EXPENSE TRACKING SYSTEM

Abstract

Managing personal finances is a critical skill, particularly for university students who are often financially dependent or managing limited budgets. The Student Expense Tracking System (SETS) aims to provide an intuitive, accessible platform for tracking daily expenses and promoting responsible spending habits. This work involves the development of a monolithic web-based application utilizing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Express.js, backed by MongoDB for secure, cloud-based data storage. The application offers features such as expense categorization, analytics, and budget alerts to aid in financial planning. A hybrid methodology combining software development and user-centered design was applied, including requirement analysis, implementation, and usability testing. Evaluation results indicate that SETS improves users’ financial literacy and daily spending awareness. The paper contributes to the growing intersection of education and FinTech, offering a tool tailored to the financial realities of students. Future work will explore the integration of artificial intelligence for predictive analytics and personalized recommendations.