Campus Cards

Issuing refunds from financial aid and tuition overpayments to students used to be a time-consuming and labor-intensive affair at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF), just as it is at many colleges and universities. Inefficiency was only part of the problem.

I want to move as far as possible into this world because it is what students are used to. They know technology. They do not want to go to offices to fill out paper forms.

Electronic payments are certainly not new. In fact, colleges and universities have been using electronic systems for payroll and vendor payments and other purposes for years. But one area that has lagged behind is student refunds.

If you are considering streamlining refund delivery, enhancing student services and reducing expenses, now is the time to act because the U.S. Department of Education has validated and encouraged the use of bank debit cards for refund delivery.

Having grown up in a world of ATMs, debit cards and online banking, students at the University of Louisville wanted a better way to receive financial aid and other types of refunds. Receiving paper checks through the mail was slow, inconvenient and unreliable.