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Your Cougar Card
Manage My Cougar Card
Protecting Your Card
Where on Campus Can I Use My Card?
Q & A
Plan Definitions
Deactivate Lost or Stolen Card
Replacing Your Cougar Card
Unauthorized Use
Photo Submission Guidelines
Email us (cougarcard@siue.edu)!
Cougar Bucks Deposit Form 
Cougar Commuter Meal Plan Deposit Form
Request for Refund
Your Cougar Card is an all-purpose card that is required for identification, meal plans, debit plans, vending, and admittance to SIUE buildings and events. Every student, faculty member and staff member is eligible to obtain a card with government-issued photo identification and open Cougar Bucks and Bank of Edwardsville debit accounts. Although entrusted to you while you are enrolled at or employed by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Cougar Card remains the property of the University.
You can manage your Cougar Card through the MySIUE portal to see your account balances and spending history, to report a lost card, or to submit your photo online.
Your Cougar Card can access two monetary accounts: a Cougar Bucks account (money that can be spent anywhere the card is accepted on campus) and University meal plans.
To use the Cougar Bucks debit feature, you must deposit money into your Cougar Bucks account before making your first purchase. Deposits by check, cash, or credit card (MasterCard or Discover) into your Cougar Bucks debit account may be made in person at the Service Center, room 1309 Rendleman Hall; at the Bursars main office, room 1101 Rendleman Hall; or online at My Cougar Card through the MySIUE portal.
Cougar Bucks account deposits (cash only) also may be made at any of the CSVT (Card Systems Value Terminals) machines, located in Lovejoy Library. You also may use these machines to check your Cougar Bucks balance.
University Housing meal plans are purchased at the same time as your University Housing accommodations. (Please refer to the University Housing contract or mandatory and voluntary meal plan brochures for details about meal plan requirements.
Decoded or damaged Cougar Cards may be rejected by the card readers.
No. This is the only card you need on the SIUE Campus.
No, not for the first card, but there is a $15 fee for replacement of a lost card.
You may view your account balances or spending history from My Cougar Card at the MySIUE portal.
Your balance will be shown on receipts received after transactions. If you have a meal plan account and a Cougar Bucks account, the balance shown will be only for the account just accessed. Current balances also may be obtained from My Cougar Card at the MySIUE portal.
If you are a student, you may not close your Cougar Bucks account except when you graduate, withdraw from the University, or enter into military service for six months or more. You must go to the Service Center and complete a refund request form. Due to administrative costs, balances of less than $5 will not be refunded. Balances of $5 or more will be refunded via your student account.
As a customer of TheBANK of Edwardsville, you can use your Cougar Card at any ATM and make PIN-based purchases off campus. Your Cougar Card, however, cannot be used for credit-card purchases.
Cougar Bucks — Optional debit account that can be used for meals as well as for vending, laundry, printing, bookstore and other places on campus. See a full list of places you can use your Cougar Card. Funds are added to this account online at MyCougarCard through the MySIUE portal or in person with the Cougar Bucks Deposit Form at the Service Center, room 1309, Rendleman Hall. Unspent money can be refunded if certain criteria are met and a completed refund form is submitted. See Request for Refund for details.
Mandatory Meal Plan – 60/40 Plan or Plan A or B — These meal plans are required and are part of the housing contract for all residents of Woodland, Prairie, or Bluff Hall. No sales tax is charged for mandatory meal plans. Residents of Evergreen Hall or Cougar Village Apartments have the option of purchasing Plan A or B. Funds are added to these plans in University Housing. Plans can be used only for meals at any University food venue. Any unspent money on these plans is refunded automatically at the end of spring semester to the student’s account.
Voluntary Meal Plan – Plans D, E and F — These optional meal plans are available only to students residing in Evergreen Hall or Cougar Village Apartments and are part of the housing contract. No sales tax is charged for these voluntary meal plans. Funds are added to these plans in University Housing. Plans can be used only for meals at any University food venue. A refund can be requested by sending an email to housing@siue.edu.
Cougar Commuter Plan — Optional meal plan available to non-resident students, faculty and staff. This plan is managed by the University Center and can be used only at University food venues and vending. An initial $100 minimum deposit is required. The University provides a 10% incentive for every dollar placed. For example, a $100 deposit will result in $110 available to be spent on food. Funds are added to this account online at MyCougarCard through the MySIUE portal or in person with the Cougar Bucks Deposit Form at the Service Center, room 1309, Rendleman Hall. Unspent money can be refunded if certain criteria are met and a complete refund form is submitted. See Request for Refund for details.
| Spend $ on ... | Tax-Exempt? | Available to ... | Refundable? | |
| Cougar Bucks | Meals and More | No | Students, Faculty, Staff | Yes, if criteria are met |
| Mandatory Meal Plans | Meals Only | Yes | Mandatory for residents of Woodland, Prairie of Bluff Hall. Optional for residents of Evergreen Hall and Cougar Village | Yes. Automatically refunded at end of spring semester to your student account |
A lost/stolen card can be deactivated through My Cougar Card at the MySIUE portal. A fee of $15 may be assessed for a replacement card. If the card has banking functions, you will need to call the Cougar Banking Center at (618) 655-0780 to discontinue the banking functions of the card.
You can reactivate a lost card that has been found. You can reactivate only your most recent card. Old cards cannot be reactivated.
Reactivation can be done from My Cougar Card at the MySIUE portal. The option to report and reactivate a lost card will appear only if you have reported your card lost.
Photo identification (e.g. drivers license or other government-issued photo ID) must be presented at the Service Center Cougar Counter before your Cougar Card will be replaced.
Unauthorized use or use by a party other than the person identified on the Cougar Card, as well as tampering with or altering the card, warrants confiscation and possible disciplinary action by the University.
New incoming students must submit a head shot photo per the photo guidelines for their initial ID card. Photos must be approved before they will be accepted and an ID card printed.
Students who wish to update/change their ID card photo may submit a new photo per the photo guidelines at www.siue.edu/COUGARCARD. Students will need to visit the Service Center in Rendleman Hall to have their new ID card printed with the new photo. The cost is $5 to change a photo.