By Ben Suazo, Assistant News Editor

Students who have made tuition payments to The University using a credit card have received notification that Hofstra will no longer be able to accept credit card payments beginning June 1, 2011.

An email sent last week by Director Deborah Mulligan of Student Account Operations explained that PayPath, a third party service and part of TouchNet Information Services, Inc., will withdraw its processing of credit card payments from all universities, including Hofstra. The University will still accept electronic personal checks and mailed-in checks for payments of institutional charges.

“Our third party processor, Paypath, is discontinuing this service for all Universities,” the letter says.

TouchNet’s website offers little hint of the coming change. A page devoted to the PayPath service admits that additional fees tied to credit card payments are large, and offers an alternative service to cover those fees.

“Merchant fees associated with credit card tuition payments are a sizable overhead to most colleges and universities,” the website says. “With PayPath Convenience Fee Service, colleges and universities can continue to offer constituents the option to pay tuition and fees via credit card.”

The website does not make clear how the Convenience Fee Service changes the payment of merchant fees.

Students who have made tuition payments to The University using a credit card have received notification that Hofstra will no longer be able to accept credit card payments beginning June 1, 2011. (Mike Viscardi/The Chronicle)