There are three types of money that are available to students on campus. Flex dollars, Cougar Dollars and Kean Bucks are available for all students to use, but it can be confusing as to what the difference is among the three.
Kean Bucks can be obtained by enrolling in certain Friday classes and Saturday classes. Kean Bucks may only be earned during the fall and spring semesters. Students can receive $50 per credit for Friday classes that start after 3:30 p.m. and for Saturday classes that start before 12 p.m. Anytime after noon, students can earn $100 per credit for Saturday classes.
Each course taken must be at least three credit hours or more and be located on campus. Off-campus, online and distance learning classes are not eligible for earning Kean Bucks.
To see the possible courses that can be taken, go to KeanWISE and search for sections under the spring or fall semester. By specifically checking Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the list of courses that may qualify for Kean Bucks will be shown. Classes that meet twice a week or are listed with "Includes Lab Component" cannot be applied for Kean Bucks. Students who register for a class and later withdraw will be held accountable for any Kean Bucks that have been spent before completing full attendance for the course.
Kean Bucks can be used at the Barnes and Noble bookstore on campus, the Ocean County bookstore and at several food outlets on campus, such as Starbucks, Smashburger and Cougar's Den.
Kean Bucks expire one year after the date they are issued to a student. Kean Bucks also have no cash value and cannot be used towards bills, tuition and/or fees. Kean Bucks can be used through the student's Kean University ID. Also, students who have any form of tuition waivers are not eligible to receive Cougar Bucks.
On the plus side, there are also two other forms of currency at Kean University: flex plan and Cougar Dollars.
The flex plan is available to students, faculty and staff and allows them to add funds to their Kean University ID card. A minimum of $50 can be added via KeanWISE, which turns into flex dollars.
Flex dollars can be spent at any Kean University food service location, including the on-campus marketplace Outtakes and bookstore. Not finished spending flex dollars? At the end of the semester, any unused flex dollars are pushed into the next semester. Refunds will be issued only after all balance dues have been fulfilled.
The second option is Cougar Dollars. This option is mainly for residential students. This currency is obtained through a campus meal plan and can be used by the Kean University ID card. After a meal plan is issued, residential students will have Cougar Dollars on their ID card.
For commuters, Cougar Dollars can also be issued through KeanWISE even if they do not have a meal plan. The process is similar to the flex plan, but Cougar Dollars are mainly used for food on campus and accepting off-campus eateries.
Maybe that Friday night or Saturday class is worth taking after all. Be sure to take the opportunity of the Kean University currencies and use it for advantageous purposes during the time at Kean University.
