Arizona State University is poised to collect millions of dollars in the next decade as part of an exclusive contract with a bank to provide student ID cards that double as debit cards. The university joins a growing number of colleges using campus debit cards to bring in money at a time when state financing has fallen. The agreements are drawing criticism from a national consumer group questioning whether students are being manipulated into using a bank's services not because it's the best deal but because it benefits the school financially. There are nearly 900 college partnerships with financial institutions. Thirty-two of the 50 largest public universities have contracts with banks to provide debit cards linked to bank accounts or prepaid cards.
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