Due to Serious Budget Cuts, Colorado State Will Discontinue Acceptance of Major Credit Cards for Payment of Tuition and Fees

Colorado State University will no longer accept major credit cards for payment of tuition and fees as a result of serious budget cuts the university has faced this year. Visa and MasterCard will no longer be accepted as of July 1, 2003.

The university has eliminated this convenience because of the high cost of processing fees charged for the use of Visa and MasterCard -the processing fee paid to the banks is costing the university approximately $600,000 a year.

Visa and MasterCard will no longer be accepted for payment of charges on the university billing statements. These charges include tuition, fees, residence hall room/board, special meal plan purchases, apartment rent, study abroad charges and commercial charges.

Students will be able to use Discover Card, electronic check, personal check, cash, wire transfer or cashier’s check to pay for tuition, fees and incidental charges.

Incidental charges included on the university billing statement such as health center charges, recreations sports charges, software purchases and Veterinary Hospital customer charges will no longer be payable by Visa and MasterCard.

Penalty charges included on the university billing statement such as library fines, late registration fees, late payment penalties and charges for lost or damaged equipment, also will no longer be payable by Visa and MasterCard.

Students still will be able to use Visa and MasterCard for payment of items purchased directly from a department, such as the bookstore or athletic ticket office, assuming the department is set up to take credit cards. Credit cards will continue to be accepted by university Web sites that are authorized for payment such as admissions, preview orientation and the Division of Educational Outreach.