by Andy Williams, Contributing Editor

While some students may complain when they have to fork over money for a replacement student ID card that was originally free, most have little choice if they want to keep availing themselves of the university’s services.

Still, CR80News wondered what was the going rate for lost or stolen cards. We interviewed 20 campus card administrators and discovered that replacement rates vary widely, from as little as $5 a card to $25. Some even had varying rates, depending on whether this was the first, second or third time a student may have lost his card, or whether he was trying to replace a simple mag stripe card or one with more advanced technology on it.

The responses from campus card administrators pretty much track a “Benchmarking Survey” conducted six years ago by the National Association of Campus Card Users, which listed universities charging from $5 to more than $25 for a lost or stolen card. Two thirds of universities responding charged either $10 or $15. Keep in mind these are six-year-old figures.