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TWO MORE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN FLORIDA EXPAND THEIR SERVICES WITH HIGHER ONE'S ONEDISBURSE Refund Management


CFCC and St. Petersburg add to the Growing Roster of Partners in Florida.

New Haven, CT - November, 2006 - Central Florida Community College and St. Petersburg College in Florida, announced today that they have recently joined eight other Florida area higher education institutions in implementing Higher One's OneDisburse® Refund Management disbursement service. Higher One, the leading provider of customized financial services dedicated exclusively to the higher education market is providing institutions with the ability to achieve more refund choices for students, free up time for faculty during the refund process and reduce administrative costs. With the implementation of Higher One, these institutions are enhancing services for students, faculty and staff to provide an efficient and timely refund process that meets the needs of everyone. CFCC and St. Petersburg also represent two of more than 60 schools to sign on with Higher One.

"We are proud to announce the addition of two new partners in Florida," said Dean Hatton, President & CEO, Higher One. "Higher One continues to see an increasing need among schools to provide effective management of the refund disbursement process and improve the student payment experience and we look forward to continuing to offer these services to our partners."

Higher One continues to experience increasing interest from colleges and universities nationwide as institutions look to improve their student services and decrease administrative costs. As more institutions learn that a solution such as Higher One's OneDisburse exists they are quickly embracing it to better serve their students. Some institutions have also expressed that their interest stemmed from the fact that utilizing Refund Management helps the institution avoid IT and data security risks.

Central Florida Community College Adopts Proven Refund Management

Central Florida Community College (CFCC) has partnered with Higher One, a provider of customized services for the higher education market, to improve financial aid disbursements to students through the company's OneCard program.

Financial aid and tuition refunds will be disbursed via the CFCC OneCard in a manner that the student selects: electronic transfer, ACH transfer or paper check. The MasterCard debit card will help CFCC reduce administrative costs, streamline the refund process and increase student choices.

"CFCC is one of several community colleges that have elected to participate in this new concept," said Dr. James Harvey, CFCC's vice president for Administration and Finance. "We are confident that it will greatly enhance our services to students."

St. Petersburg College Adopts New Refund Management To Better Serve Students

St. Petersburg College, located in St. Petersburg, Florida recently adopted Higher One's program to offer more refund choices to their more than 24,000 students. St. Petersburg College will be using Higher One's OneDisburse® Refund Management.

Prior to Higher One, St. Petersburg College made disbursements by internally produced paper checks and mailed them to students. St. Petersburg College plans to implement Higher One's OneDisburse Non ID Refund Management, which will help the college reduce administrative costs, streamline business processes, increase student choice and improve the student experience. Students will have the opportunity to use the OneAccount, a free FDIC insured checking account linked to their OneCard. If students choose to utilize this option their St. Petersburg College Debit MasterCard can be used worldwide everywhere MasterCard is accepted. Higher One's OneDisburse Refund Management is more than just payments; it offers students more choice and convenience while the school sees a direct cost and time savings.

"I am excited about the partnership with Higher One to provide improved service to the students of St. Petersburg College," said Conferlete Carney, Vice President of Information Systems, Business Services, Budgets, and Planning at St. Petersburg College. "The keys to our success will include service quality, accuracy, effective marketing, communications, and a high level of student acceptance of the OneCards."

About CFCC
CFCC is a fully accredited, two-year college that offers students the valuable learning opportunities of a large university with a warmer and more personal touch. Whether you plan to continue your education at a four-year college or university, gain skills for immediate employment, or expand your knowledge of new subjects, CFCC can help you reach your learning goals.

About St. Petersburg College
St. Petersburg College opened in 1927 and since has helped thousands of students obtain skills and knowledge to pursue their goals. St. Petersburg College was founded as a private, non-profit community college in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Today, this public institution has 10 learning sites throughout Pinellas County. Recently, Florida's governor passed legislation making SPC the first community college in the state to offer four-year degrees. On December 11, 2001 the college received accreditation to offer courses leading to bachelor's degrees in Education, Nursing and Technology Management.

About Higher One

Founded in 2000, Higher One provides higher education institutions and their students with efficient, convenient and easy-to-use solutions to handle financial disbursements. These include: student refunds, on-campus and community purchases, payroll and employee expenses, as well as the collection of payments from students, parents, and sponsors.

Higher One offers a suite of online banking services including the OneAccount, an FDIC-insured checking account, and OneCard, a Debit MasterCard®. To date, Higher One has disbursed over $4 billion dollars in refunds for its clients to more than 1,000,000 students, faculty, and staff at distinguished public and private higher education institutions throughout the country.

Higher One recently ranked # 85 on the 2007 Inc. List of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the United States. Higher One is based in New Haven, CT.

Media Contacts:
Daniel Pepitone
973-984-3000
dpepitone@sherryllc.com

Melissa Keklak
973-984-3000
mkeklak@sherryllc.com

Jen Voss
973-984-3000
jvoss@sherryllc.com

 
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