Starting Friday, UF students will no longer be able to pay for classes and other university expenses with cash or debit cards or make over-the-counter payments to the University Cashier at Criser Hall.
UF expects to save $85,000 a year by eliminating the over-the-counter option, UF spokesman Steve Orlando wrote in an e-mail.
Other payment options, like online credit card transactions and e-checks, will remain available.
Payments can also be made by dropping checks in a 24-hour drop box outside the University Cashier's office or by mailing checks to UF.
The change won't affect most students, as about 73 percent of payments are handled electronically, Orlando said. The most popular payment method is the online e-check, which is free, he said.
UF will still charge a fee for online credit card transactions, and Visa cards will still not be accepted because the company charges a flat rate for transactions, as opposed to a percentage, he said.
UF prefers to pay a percentage fee because of the variety in payment sizes, Orlando said. Most of the remaining 27 percent of students who pay through the University Cashier use checks.
University departments that send their deposits to the cashier will not be affected by the new policy, according to a memo sent to administrators Tuesday.
