Paying for college with a credit card may be convenient for University of Pittsburgh students and their parents. But the school says the practice has become increasingly expensive because of the credit card processing fees.

So Pitt says it intends to join a number of other campuses that now pass that cost on to students.

Beginning July 1, the region's largest campus no longer will accept credit card payments directly. Instead, those choosing to pay with plastic will be directed to an outside company that handles those payments online -- and charges a 2.75 percent service fee.

That means a Pitt undergraduate who pays the full-year, in-state tuition of $8,615 by credit card would be billed an extra $237. Those who pay $888 for three credits would be billed an extra $24 fee for using a credit card.

Nearly 12,000 students at Pitt used credit cards to pay their bills between July and December, according to Pitt spokesman Robert Hill. Their ranks have been growing, and with them, the amount of money that credit card companies charge the school.

Those firms charged Pitt more than $1.2 million during the 2002-03 academic year. This year, the cost is already close to $1.5 million.

"This expense is paid out of tuition revenues and therefore reduces the tuition dollars available for programs and services for all students, regardless of whether or not they use a credit card for tuition payments," Pitt said in a statement.

A number of other campuses across the country have adopted similar policies, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Some of them are in Pennsylvania.

Starting Aug. 1, Temple University will charge a 2.75 percent fee to credit card users, spokeswoman Harriet Goodheart said. That would mean a $224 fee for someone paying the school's $8,134 annual tuition by credit card.

Penn State University charges a fee equal to 2 percent of a student's bill, spokesman Tysen Kendig said.

Fewer than 3 percent of Penn State's student population pay with credit cards, which have been accepted online at Penn State since 2001.

To process credit card payments, Pitt has retained Chicago-based InfiNET Solutions. Under the new policy, the vendor will accept American Express, Discover Card or MasterCard online, but will no longer accept Visa cards. Pitt will continue to accept eCheck payments directly without a fee.

Scott Swayne, a 22-year-old Pitt senior who will graduate next year, said he has paid tuition by credit card but now usually pays by check. He'd rather use money he actually has, he said.

But if finances get tight next year -- especially with tuition going up -- he might need to go back to his credit card and pay the new fees to avoid having to drop out, Swayne said.

Even if the fees only cost a few hundred dollars, however, that money could have gone to other essentials, he said.

"To a college student, $200 goes a long way," Swayne said. "That's food for a month."