More and more universities across the United States are tightening student credit card policies or raising fees to reduce expenses as much as possible and relieve the pressure of tight budgets.

"USA Today" reported on the 1st that from now on, students at the University of Southern Maine who pay their tuition with credit cards will face a 2.75% handling fee. Schools such as George Mason University, Northwestern University, Wichita State University and the University of Virginia have adopted or will soon implement similar policies.

Nielsen reports that when students use credit cards to pay tuition, schools must bear an average transfer fee of 2%. In the past, schools usually shouldered this expense themselves, but in these difficult times, they have begun to revise their policies to pass on this cost to students.

A survey by the National Association of College Business Officers showed that in 2007, 26% of colleges charged credit card transfer fees directly or through a third party, up from 14% in 2003.

George Mason University Comptroller Brooke said that usually about 50% of students pay their tuition with credit cards. He believes that the 2.75% fee will prompt many students to switch to other forms of payment. The new policy can save the school 1.5 million yuan each year. Students can also pay tuition through TouchNet credit cards, a third-party institution, but the fees are not low.

TouchNet accepts Master Card, American Express and Discover, but does not accept Visa. Tagai, the company's president, said that because Visa credit cards have clear regulations, merchants are not allowed to charge consumers transfer fees.