Extra credit: How to pay college tuition with a credit card

Higher education costs have steadily risen over the past two decades, making tuition a significant expense for many families.While many colleges and universities accept credit cards for these payments, it isn't always free to do so. So if you're responsible for tuition payment, should you use your rewards credit card, pay by check or withdraw from your bank account?Let's help you answer that very question.Can you pay tuition with a credit card?It depends on the school. The first thing to do is search for "pay [insert institution's name here] tuition with a credit card."You'll likely see the applicable page in the first few results. If you can't find that information online, call the finance or registrar's office.NORBERT MICHALKE/GETTY IMAGESGenerally speaking, the college or university in question will fall into one of three categories:Tuition can't be paid with a credit card (such as my undergraduate alma mater, Wake Forest University).Tuition can be paid by credit card with no additional fee (such as at the University of Nevada — Las Vegas, from which I obtained my M.Ed.).Tuition can be paid by credit card, with an additional fee (such as the 2.75% fee charged by the University o...