For students planning to pay off bills at the Office of the Bursar by credit card, there will be changes starting on Friday, July 1.

The Office of Student Affairs sent out an e-mail on Monday, March 7 explaining the changes that are coming. If students pay off any outstanding balances to the Office of the Bursar by credit card after July 1, a 2.75 percent convenience fee will be added to the payment.

Michael Popplewell, informatics and English junior, said he did not like it when people disguise a fee that only exists because of a transaction fee as a convenience fee.

“I do understand where this convenience fee is coming from – though I heavily dislike when companies hide under vague names like ‘convenience,’” Popplewell said. “As for how it will affect me, I do use debit so it hardly will, if any.”

The e-mail also explained that for MasterCard, Discover or American Express card users, the convenience fee will be included within the same transaction. For Visa card users, the fee will be added as a separate transaction, the e-mail said.

Ashley McKay, director of student accounting services at IU Southeast, discussed the changes that are coming to the bursar bills and why the Office of the Bursar decided to charge the convenience fee.

“The credit card payment method has become prohibitively expensive because of the fees associated with credit card transaction processing,” McKay said. “This expense was paid by University tuition revenues, and therefore reduces the tuition dollars available for academic programs and services for all students.”

Students wishing to avoid this convenience fee have several alternatives. Students can still pay using e-checks, checks, cash and GlobalPAY without paying the extra 2.75 percent, as stated in the e-mail. According to GlobalPAY’s website, GlobalPAY is a web-based payment gateway that allows payment of different cards from local and internationally-issued debit cards..

According to the Office of the Bursar’s webpage, students can also use IU Southeast’s four-part deferment plan, which allows students to split up their payments into four installments and be charged an additional $15 fee for each payment.

In addition to a new credit card convenience fee, payment options will also change when paying for school through the Office of the Bursar.

The e-mail explained that starting July 1, students will only be able to use credit cards online through an online service known as CASHNet. The e-mail said this service will be able to be found through one.iu.edu, so students will no longer be able to use credit cards via mail, in person or over the phone for Bursar services.

Questions about the changes can be directed to the Office of the Bursar, located in University Center South, room 103, by calling 812-941-2335 or e-mailing the office at bursar@ius.edu.