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KU CARD: Home of the KU ID Card and Bear Bucks!

One Card: 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.

  • It is used in dining halls to use meal plans and declining balances attached to the card.
  • It is used to get into the residence halls and other necessary buildings.
  • It is swiped at student activities to verify that the student is active and has paid an activities fee.
  • It is swiped by administrative offices to help staff look up records more quickly.
  • It is used to gain access to the Recreation Center and Keystone Pool.
  • It can be used to make purchases on- and off-campus using Bear Bucks.
  • It can be used 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 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. See our home page for our hours and location.

Q. My parents/sister/brother/uncle/cousin-in-law wants to give my student a graduation/birthday/Christmas/Chanukah 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 (a link is also provided in the right sidebar of this page). Electronic can be any whole dollar amount over $10 using credit or debit. The family member must know the student's ID number, name and birthdate.

Family members can also mail checks in to the Bursar's Office designated for the student's Bear Bucks account. We have a deposit form to help clarify, but it is not required. 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:

Bursar's Office
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 using the link in the right sidebar of any KU Card Office page. 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 One 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.

Q. What is the Golden Bear Debit Card and how is it related to Bear Bucks?

A. The Golden Bear Debit Card has nothing to do with Bear Bucks or the other things the KU ID card can do. It is not a replacement for the KU ID card.

The Golden Bear Debit Card is a separate card issued by the Bursar's Office. Sometimes a student is entitled to a refund due to dropping a class, overpaying fees, or changing housing or meal plan assignments, among other reasons. Rather than issue paper checks as they used to do, the Bursar's Office has contracted with HigherOne to distribute their refunds, and the Golden Bear Debit Card is part of that arrangement. Every student receives a GBDC a week or two before the semester starts, but how they use it is up to them. Please see the Bursar's Office's information page regarding the GBDC for further details.

The KU ID card is all you need on campus.

Q. Meal plans, Dining Flex, Bear Bucks, PSECU, Golden Bear Debit Card! What's it all mean? Which ones does my student need?

A. Students can do a lot with the KU ID card, which can get confusing. We have a handy-dandy chart to help you make sense of things.

Still confused? Give us a call at 610-683-4825 or email us at kucard@kutztown.edu.