For Friends & Family
Whether this is your first KU student or your tenth, there are always new things happening at KU, and the KU ID Card is at the center of it all.
We'd like to help make things a little clearer, so here are some of the most-asked questions from families:
Q. What is the KU ID for?
A. The KU ID is used for most things on campus that require some sort of verification.
- In dining halls to use meal plans and declining balances attached to the card.
- To get into the residence halls and other necessary buildings.
- At student activities to verify that the student is active and has paid an activities fee.
- By administrative offices to help staff look up records more quickly.
- To gain access to the Recreation Center and Keystone Pool.
- To make purchases at on and off-campus locations using Bear Bucks.
- As an ATM card if your student chooses to open a PSECU account.
Q. When will my student get his/her card?
A. Students who attend Connections (orientation) at KU have their photos taken and receive their IDs then, if they have a valid government-issued ID with them at the time. If they don't, or if they don't attend Connections, they can stop by the office anytime during the summer or after they arrive on campus for the semester.
Q. My parents/sister/brother/uncle/cousin-in-law wants to give my student a graduation/birthday/Christmas/Hanukkah gift to help them with expenses. Can we do that through your office?
A. Yes. Anyone can deposit Bear Bucks into a student's account using this page. The family member must know the student's username and password. When logging in to the student's MyKU account, click onto the Student Center, scroll down to the Finances section, click on Make a Purchase, then select Bear Bucks and enter the amount, in whole dollars, in the box and proceed using a credit or debit card or e-check.
Family members can also mail checks to the Office of Student Accounts designated for the student's Bear Bucks account. The check should have the student's name and, if known, ID number on it, along with a notation that the funds should go to Bear Bucks. The mailing address is:
Office of Student Accounts
Kutztown University
P.O. Box 730
Kutztown, PA 19530
We also sell gift cards called Paw Passes, which are anonymous cards that carry Bear Bucks. We accept cash only, but we do not currently have a method to sell them long-distance. Please stop by our office if you would like to purchase a Paw Pass.
Q. Does the student use a PIN when making purchases?
A. No. Apart from dining halls, all attended transactions (Bookstore, Dixon Marketplace, off-campus merchants, etc.) require a signature for verification.
Q. What if someone else uses my student's card and spends their Bear Bucks?
A. If your student suspects fraudulent use of his/her card, the first thing s/he should do is suspend the card online. Then s/he must visit the venue where the suspected fraud took place and get a copy of the receipt from the transaction. Bring that receipt to the KU Card Office, along with a valid signed receipt, if one is available. We will investigate the transaction. If we find that it was indeed fraudulent, we will credit the student's account, and the merchant who allowed the transaction will not be reimbursed for it.
We recommend but do not require that the student get a new student ID with a new card number. To be reimbursed for the replacement fee, the student can press charges with Public Safety against the person who perpetrated the fraud, although there is no guarantee of a favorable outcome.