Charging tuition gets costlier p1 - Military - College News and Information - Military Times EDGE

Starting this year, students at the University of Southern Maine who pay tuition using plastic will face a 2.75 percent processing fee. And across the nation, a growing number of universities are making it harder — and costlier — for student to use credit cards to pay for tuition. Other schools that have adopted, or are adopting, similar policies include George Mason University, Northwestern University, Wichita State University and the University of Virginia.

The movement comes as colleges face budget shortfalls and look to trim costs wherever they can. In 2007, 26 percent of colleges charged a credit card payment fee, either directly or through a third party, up from 14 percent in 2003, according to surveys by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. At George Mason, 50 percent of students typically pay tuition via credit card, controller Elizabeth Brock said. George Mason senior Steven Smith, 21, believes the new charge is unfair. “A lot of students think it’s outrageous,” said Smith, a member of the student government.