5 Best Credit Cards for Paying Tuition (April 2024)

You can pony up your tuition in many ways, including a student loan, a 529 plan, even cash. Credit cards may not immediately spring to mind when mulling over how to pay your tuition, but you might be surprised that, under the right conditions, using credit cards can be a savvy move.

In this article, we’ll review the best credit cards for paying tuition, one of which may be the perfect choice to have in your pocket for your appointment with the bursar.

0% Interest | Signup Bonus | Student Offers
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These cards offer new cardmembers a 0% APR for an introductory period following account opening. Using one makes good sense if you can pay most or all of the balance before the period ends.

Any balance remaining after the introductory period expires will incur interest at the card’s regular APR, which is why it’s critical to compare interest rates before applying.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers new cardmembers a promotional APR (0% Intro APR on Purchases 15 months) after opening the account. In addition, you can earn an introductory bonus when you meet the very attainable time frame and purchase requirements.

The card also lets you earn cash back on every purchase. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card has no annual fee, no redemption minimums, and no reward expiration while the account remains open.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ card gives new cardmembers a promotional APR () after opening the account. In addition, you can receive a cash back bonus when you exceed a set spending limit during the first three months. This card has no annual fee.

After opening your account, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers an introductory purchase APR of 0% for 15 months.

The card pays you cash back on all purchases. The card charges no foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, and your cash back rewards don’t expire while the account remains open.

The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card gives new cardmembers a promotional APR — 0% for 15 months — to pay off your tuition over time.

This no-annual-fee card offers benefits such as virtual card numbers, no foreign transaction fees, and special access to events.

The Discover it® Cash Back card offers new cardmembers a promotional APR on purchases. The cash back you earn with the card never expires while the account is open, and you can redeem your rewards at any time, in any amount.

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card offers a promotional 0% APR on purchases after opening the account. Your cash back is worth 25% to 75% more when redeemed through Preferred Rewards.

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers an introductory APR — 0% for 15 months — to new cardmembers. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card charges no annual or foreign transaction fees. You can transfer your miles to 15+ travel partners or use them for travel without any blackout dates.

Signup bonuses incentivize you to obtain a card and then use it right away. You earn the bonus by spending a set amount on purchases during the first three months.

If you’re going to pay some or all of your tuition with a credit card, you may as well use one with a generous signup bonus. These cards all offer large bonuses that can make a substantial dent in your tuition and help ease some of the financial pain.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card rewards you a hefty sum of introductory bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases (including tuition) during the first three months after opening the account. Those points are worth a large chunk of change, especially toward travel when redeemed at Chase Travel, where points are worth 25% more for certain redemptions.

You can transfer your points one for one to Chase’s airline travel and hotel partners. This is a premium card and it charges an annual fee.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card gives you a one-time signup bonus when you meet a purchase threshold in a set time frame from when you first receive your card. These bonus miles add up to serious travel rewards.

You can transfer your miles to more than a dozen travel partners or redeem your miles for travel with no blackout dates. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card gives you a credit to reimburse up to $100 for TSA Preè or Global Entry fees.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® points you earn are worth 50% more when redeemed at Chase for travel and hotel expenses.

Additionally, the card gives you a $300 credit each year to reimburse travel expenses. This premium travel rewards card charges a hefty annual fee.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card points you earn are worth 25% more if you redeem them through Chase Travel℠ for travel-related purchases.

The card provides 3X points on combined purchases, up to $150,000 per year, on selected expenses, including social media advertising, internet, cable, phone, travel, and shipping. All other purchases earn unlimited 1X points. This card has an annual fee.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card gives you a cash back bonus when you meet a set purchase threshold in the first three months of your account opening. This no-annual-fee card gives you 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent each year on purchases at office supply stores and for phone, cable, and internet services.

It’s not unusual for students to have poor or limited credit. Fortunately, these three cards are optimized for students, which comes in handy if your parents aren’t paying all your tuition costs.

These cards offer one or more features that can at least partially offset your tuition and/or interest costs.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back card provides a promotional APR on new accounts. Not only is there no annual fee, but there are also no late fee on your first late payment and no APR change for paying late.

Students will earn cash back rewards with this card that never expire.

The Discover it® Student Chrome offers tiered cash back rewards on gas and restaurant purchases each calendar quarter (up to the quarterly limit).

New cardmembers receive a promotional APR, and like the previously mentioned Discover student card, statement credit is awarded when students refer their friends who get approved for the card.

There is a mixed picture regarding tuition payment via credit card. Most public colleges and community colleges accept credit cards for tuition purposes, but many private colleges do not.

However, some top private schools accept credit cards for tuition, including Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, Rice, and Wellesley. You can use your credit card at virtually all post-secondary schools to pay for other expenses, such as books, supplies, meal plans, fees, and more.

It’s important to carefully consider whether using your credit card for tuition is your best option.

Pros: 

• You can earn a signup bonus potentially worth hundreds of dollars.
• Many cards provide a year or more of 0% APR to new cardmembers, which saves you the cost of interest.
• You can earn rewards in the form of cash back, points, or miles.
• Some cards offer cash back matches or enhanced redemption values.

Cons: 

• Credit card APRs are higher than student loan APRs. According to U.S. News, the average minimum and maximum credit card APRs for consumers with fair credit are 24.96% and 25.81%, respectively. The averages for student credit cards are a minimum of 16.54% and a maximum of 24.25%. Compare that to the APR of 4.53% for undergraduate federal student loans.
• Most colleges will charge a fee, usually 2.5% to 3%, when you use a credit card to pay tuition. You’ll want to compare the fee against the card’s regular and bonus rewards.
• Your credit card spending limit may be too low to cover the cost of tuition.

This last point deserves discussion. If your tuition cost exceeds your card’s spending limit, you may want to consider using multiple cards — if you can qualify for them. If you do use multiple cards, you may want to consolidate the balances afterward.

Several of the cards in this review offer new cardmembers a 0% APR for balance transfers (fees apply, usually around 3%). Balance transfers make monthly payments more convenient and may reduce your minimum payment amount.

Tuition can cost thousands of dollars, so it would be nice to reap some rewards when paying it. The cards in this review offer a variety of rewards for paying tuition.

Our top choice for cards offering an introductory 0% APR on purchases is the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. The current introductory period is 0% Intro APR on Purchases 15 months after opening the account. This gives you some time to pay as much of the card balance as possible without the drag caused by interest.

Another popular reward for new cardmembers is a signup bonus. Our choice in this category is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card. It currently provides bonus points if you spend the required amount on purchases during the first three months that are redeemable for cash. If you redeem these points for travel booked through Chase, the monetary value is even higher.

Naturally, you need to time your application for a bonus reward card so you receive the card just prior to your tuition due date. If you happen to have good to excellent credit, you may consider getting multiple new cards with generous introductory bonuses. This will maximize your total bonus, and you can then choose to consolidate your balances through a 0% APR transfer.

If your credit is thin or poor, your only option may be a student credit card. Our winner in this category is the Discover it® Student Cash Back card.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back provides new cardmembers an introductory APR and bonus cash back on quarterly rotating merchant categories that you activate, up to the quarterly limit.

A tax credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar. Compare this to a less-valuable tax deduction, which reduces your taxable income. You must multiply a tax deduction by your marginal tax rate to compute the tax savings. Clearly, a credit is worth more than an equal-sized deduction.

The federal government offers two tuition tax credit programs. The first is the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). The credit reimburses eligible students for qualified education expenses, up to $2,500 a year.

The credit pays 100% of the first $2,000 in qualified education expenses and 25% of the second $2,000. To qualify, students must:

• Be working toward a degree or other education credential.
• Be enrolled at least half time.
• Not have claimed previous AOTC credits for more than four tax years.
• Have qualified expenses that include tuition, enrollment fees, and required course materials.
• Not have finished four years of higher education.
• Have no convictions for felony drug crimes.
• Not have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) above $90,000 for single filers or $180,000 for joint filers.

Alternatively, eligible students can apply for a Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) to cover tuition and other qualified expenses. The credit is worth up to $2,000 per year.

You can use it if you are an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, or you pay qualified education expenses for a dependent or third party. There is no restriction on the number of years you can apply for this credit.

To receive the LLC, you must:

• Be taking courses at an eligible institution.
• Be taking post-secondary-school courses or courses to gain a job.
• Be enrolled for at least one course per year.
• Have qualified expenses that include tuition and fees.
• Not have a MAGI in 2020 exceeding $68,000 for single filers or $136,000 for joint filers.
• Not have claimed the AOTC for the same year.

To claim either credit, you must file Schedule 3 of Form 1040 and Form 8863, Education Credits.

Our list of the best cards for paying tuition considers various factors that are important when making a large purchase on a credit card, such as a promotional 0% interest rate, signup bonus offered, rewards earning rates, and the ongoing APR of each card. CardRates’ reviews undergo a thorough editorial integrity process to ensure that content is not compromised by advertiser influence.