Students

Students
Manage your Account
Once you’ve enrolled in Bear Bucks, you can view your balance, add funds, and discover new places to use your Bucks with these tools below.
Enroll in Bear Bucks
See How
View your Account or Add funds.
Sign In
See where you can use your Bear Bucks
Explore
Enrolling in Bear Bucks
Open an Account through StarRez
First-Year students can activate their Bear Bucks Account within their StarRez Housing Application.
You will be prompted if you’d like to activate your account and given an option to add an initial balance that will be directly billed to your Student Account without extra fee.
or Activate through WebStac
You can also activate your Bear Bucks account through WebStac
  1. Look under Bear Bucks & Billing
  2. Select Enroll in Bear Bucks
  3. Click Enroll
Allow for Processing Time
Once you complete the above steps, it will take up to 24 hours for your account to be officially opened within the University system. Thank you for your patience.
FAQs
We’ve recieved these queries before from engaged community members.

Bear Bucks are a 1-to-1 exchange for US dollars. Fees may apply if you are loading funds from a credit card. To avoid any extra fee, bill your Student Account.

Add Funds

You can use unlimited funds during your time of affiliation with WashU, either as a student, faculty/staff member, or contractor. Although, your account can only hold $2,000 at once.

You can only Bill your Student Account up to $1,000 per semester.

You can read more in our Terms of Service.

For on-campus purchases, Bear Bucks are non-taxable unlike paying with cash or a credit card. This saves you about 9% per every on-campus transaction.

See Merchants

Unfortunately Bear Bucks, once loaded onto an account, are completely non-transferable and non-refundable.

Take a look…

See Merchants

If you have a favorite business that does not take Bear Bucks, please let us know and we can work with them to add functionality.

Recommend a new Partner
Terms of Service
Maintenance of Account
  • Once an account is established, a patron will continue to have an account as long as the patron remains a student or is employed by the university.
  • Funds placed on an account roll over from semester to semester and year to year.
  • No minimum balance is required to maintain an account.
  • A maximum of $2,000 is allowed on an account at any given time.
Daily spending limits
  • $30 for laundry and vending
  • $50 for the Office for International Students and Scholars and printing in University Libraries and school computing labs
  • $100 for all dining locations and all Congress of the South 40 activities
  • $250 for Paws & Go Market, Ibby’s, all Student Union businesses
  • $300 for Bear Necessities, Edison Theatre, and the 560 Music Center
  • $800 for Wash-U-Wash
  • $2,000 for the Danforth Campus Bookstore
Closing of the Account
  • When a student graduates or permanently separates from the university, the account will be closed, and any remaining balance will be forfeited.
  • If an employee retires, is terminated, or voluntarily separates from the University, the remaining balance in the account will be forfeited.
Extension of student account beyond graduation or separation
  • An extension of a student account beyond enrollment may be requested for students who are transitioning from an undergraduate to a graduate program, stepping out for a semester, completing a postgraduate course, or are involved in an unpaid on-campus internship.
Account deactivation/reactivation
  • The Bear Bucks account may be deactivated or reactivated at any time. The account may also be deactivated by calling 314-935-8800 during Campus Card Services business hours. The university may, at its discretion, deactivate a Bear Bucks account if the university determines that the account holder has violated these Terms & Conditions or has otherwise abused the Bear Bucks program.
privacy_tip

Students

Students can manage their Bear Bucks account through GET.

Students can obtain an ID card from Campus Card Services, located in the Women’s Building, Suite 002. Campus Card Services is open Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Students can bring in a damaged ID card and exchange it for a new card at no cost, but there is a $25 fee to replace a lost student ID card. Another photo ID is required to obtain your first ID card or a replace a lost card.

Activating Your Bear Bucks Account

Follow these steps to activate your Bear Bucks account:

  1. Sign in to WebSTAC
  2. Click “Billing & Bear Bucks”
  3. Click “Enroll in Bear Bucks”
  4. Click “Enroll”
  5. Click “Add BUCKS”
  6. Select the amount to be charged to your student billing account
  7. Click “I Agree”
  8. Click “Purchase BUCKS”

Adding Bear Bucks

Students may deposit money into their Bear Bucks accounts through GET. Students can add a maximum of $1,000 per semester through GET. University College and Inter-University Exchange (IE) students may set up and manage their accounts by visiting Campus Card Services or calling 314-935-8800. A minimum deposit of $1 (cash, check, or credit or debit card) is required to open an account.

Using an ID Card

Students are able to spend Bear Bucks on Residential Life– and Sorority and Fraternity Life–managed laundry services, vending purchases at select locations, and printing services from most University Libraries print stations and school computer labs. Select on-campus and off-campus businesses also accept Bear Bucks. Learn more about how to use Bear Bucks funds on your card.

Undergraduate students may enroll online after July 1 if they have received their student ID number and WUSTL Key password. Online enrollment is not available to students enrolled in University College or the Inter-University Exchange (IE), but those students may make a deposit with cash, check, or a credit or debit card at Campus Card Services. Graduate and professional students may enroll online after they have received their student ID number and WUSTL Key password.

Undergraduate students may use their Bear Bucks at all Danforth Campus dining locations that accept meal points when undergraduate meal plan points have been depleted. Purchases with Bear Bucks at WashU dining locations are tax-exempt.

If an ID card is lost or stolen outside of business hours, please contact the WashU Police Department to deactivate your card. If you need a temporary meal card during this time, please contact your residential advisor (RA).