Higher Ed helps students soar over tuition costs

STORY BY AMANDA SPILKER

There’s a new way for students to pay off their tuition – Areoplan Miles.

A partnership between Sheridan and Higher Ed Points, a Toronto-based startup, now allows students (and even their parents) to convert travel reward points into funds that can go towards school-related fees.

“In a nutshell, students, parents and ‘nice people’ can redeem their Aeroplan Miles for the Higher Ed Points reward at the Aeroplan site,” said Suzanne Tyson, founder of the company.

Higher Points Founder, Suzanne Tyson

For every 35,000 Aeroplan Miles, a $250 credit can be transferred to Sheridan to cover fees, including tuition and is available to all types of students currently enrolled in post secondary.

According to Tyson, any contributor can bring the confirmation code they receive for each transaction back to Higher Ed Points, where they enter the student name and number with code and transfer the funds to Sheridan.

“One of Aeroplan’s corporate social responsibility mandates is education and they felt that students and parents could benefit from adding the Higher Ed Points reward to their redemption options,” said Tyson.

Sheridan College is the latest post secondary institution to join the growing number of schools offering the plan.

Others include University of New Brunswick, P.E.I.’s Holland College, Ambrose University in Alberta and Western University.

“It’s been around for a while at a bunch of other institutions, and Sheridan was approached this summer to become part of the program,” said Elisabeth Connell, Sheridan’s director of Ancillary Services. “It’s another way of contributing to ones education so any opportunity to give back to a student is always welcome.”

The Higher Ed Points reward system is now available to students.

Sheridan’s president, Jeff Zabudsky, hopes the new strategy will ease the financial burden of students.

“It’s a really progressive approach into ensuring that people are getting the post secondary education they’re going to need in today’s world,” he said. “Increasingly, students are baring more of the cost of education then it used to be, so anything that can help reduce the debt that students come out with, I think, is a great program.”