The modern payment solution your university office deserves
Backpack streamlines 529, scholarship, and third-party payments so your staff can focus on what matters most - supporting students.
Trusted by top universities around the country.
Trusted by top universities around the country.
Trusted by top universities around the country.
Trusted by top universities around the country.
Transform your payment operations
Eliminate paper checks and the guesswork
Digital payments include all student data automatically. No more deciphering handwriting or hunting down missing student ID numbers.
Reconciliation that happens while you sleep
Stop manually matching transactions to student accounts. Our dedicated bank account connects every payment to the right student record automatically.
Fewer calls and fewer walk-ins means fewer headaches
Real-time payment tracking means families know exactly where their payment stands. Your office won't miss those 'Did you get my check?' calls.
Backpack is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by OMB Bank, Member FDIC.
One simple solution for all payment types
529 Payments
We aggregate every single 529 payment option, including Backpack's proprietary payment platform, to give you a single payment experience. This means you get 100% 529 coverage without needing to worry about the nuances of each's unique payment process.
Outside Scholarships
Our Scholarship Payment Portal, with customized university branding, standardizes and automates scholarship ingestion and payment. From small, one-time payers, to large multi-national scholarship providers – Backpack works with them all.
Third-Party Payments
Centralize your third-party payments process, including authorization intake, invoicing, payments, and communications.
One simple solution for all payment types
529 Payments
We aggregate every single 529 payment option, including Backpack's proprietary payment platform, to give you a single payment experience. This means you get 100% 529 coverage without needing to worry about the nuances of each's unique payment process.
Outside Scholarships
Our Scholarship Payment Portal, with customized university branding, standardizes and automates scholarship ingestion and payment. From small, one-time payers, to large multi-national scholarship providers – Backpack works with them all.
Third-Party Payments
Centralize your third-party payments process, including authorization intake, invoicing, payments, and communications.
One simple solution for all payment types
529 Payments
We aggregate every single 529 payment option, including Backpack's proprietary payment platform, to give you a single payment experience. This means you get 100% 529 coverage without needing to worry about the nuances of each's unique payment process.
Outside Scholarships
Our Scholarship Payment Portal, with customized university branding, standardizes and automates scholarship ingestion and payment. From small, one-time payers, to large multi-national scholarship providers – Backpack works with them all.
Third-Party Payments
Centralize your third-party payments process, including authorization intake, invoicing, payments, and communications.
One simple solution for all payment types
529 Payments
We aggregate every single 529 payment option, including Backpack's proprietary payment platform, to give you a single payment experience. This means you get 100% 529 coverage without needing to worry about the nuances of each's unique payment process.
Outside Scholarships
Our Scholarship Payment Portal, with customized university branding, standardizes and automates scholarship ingestion and payment. From small, one-time payers, to large multi-national scholarship providers – Backpack works with them all.
Third-Party Payments
Centralize your third-party payments process, including authorization intake, invoicing, payments, and communications.
Supercharge your office with time-saving features
Aggregate external payments
Accept electronic payments from 529 plans, scholarship providers, and third-party sponsors. No more opening envelopes, deciphering handwritten checks, or chasing down missing payment information.
Standardize payment data
Backpack aggregates all of the most complex payment types that span student and non-student payments in one easy-to-use tool.
Automate reconciliation
Skip the manual work of matching bank transactions to student accounts. Our platform automatically reconciles complex third-party payments, eliminating hours of data entry and reducing errors.
Bank powerfully with modern tools
Send money back instantly without lengthy procurement processes or tracking down vendor information. What used to take weeks of phone calls now happens with a couple of clicks.
Supercharge your office with time-saving features
Aggregate external payments
Accept electronic payments from 529 plans, scholarship providers, and third-party sponsors. No more opening envelopes, deciphering handwritten checks, or chasing down missing payment information.
Standardize payment data
Backpack aggregates all of the most complex payment types that span student and non-student payments in one easy-to-use tool.
Automate reconciliation
Skip the manual work of matching bank transactions to student accounts. Our platform automatically reconciles complex third-party payments, eliminating hours of data entry and reducing errors.
Bank powerfully with modern tools
Send money back instantly without lengthy procurement processes or tracking down vendor information. What used to take weeks of phone calls now happens with a couple of clicks.
Supercharge your office with time-saving features
Aggregate external payments
Accept electronic payments from 529 plans, scholarship providers, and third-party sponsors. No more opening envelopes, deciphering handwritten checks, or chasing down missing payment information.
Standardize payment data
Backpack aggregates all of the most complex payment types that span student and non-student payments in one easy-to-use tool.
Automate reconciliation
Skip the manual work of matching bank transactions to student accounts. Our platform automatically reconciles complex third-party payments, eliminating hours of data entry and reducing errors.
Bank powerfully with modern tools
Send money back instantly without lengthy procurement processes or tracking down vendor information. What used to take weeks of phone calls now happens with a couple of clicks.
Supercharge your office with time-saving features
Aggregate external payments
Accept electronic payments from 529 plans, scholarship providers, and third-party sponsors. No more opening envelopes, deciphering handwritten checks, or chasing down missing payment information.
Standardize payment data
Backpack aggregates all of the most complex payment types that span student and non-student payments in one easy-to-use tool.
Automate reconciliation
Skip the manual work of matching bank transactions to student accounts. Our platform automatically reconciles complex third-party payments, eliminating hours of data entry and reducing errors.
Bank powerfully with modern tools
Send money back instantly without lengthy procurement processes or tracking down vendor information. What used to take weeks of phone calls now happens with a couple of clicks.
"Backpack was easy to work with through the implementation process. Standing up the software was a breeze and took less than 15 days after the paperwork was signed. We are excited to partner with Backpack and see how they can help us to improve the student experience."
Cody Willard
Associate Director, Student Account Services
"Backpack has been a game-changer for how we handle complex payments, including 529 plans, third-party authorizations and invoicing, and scholarships. The dramatic reduction in paper checks has been a huge relief, and having everything—external payments, invoicing, and tracking—centralized in one place has streamlined our entire process."
Peter Beilharz
Director of Student Accounts
Used by universities just like yours
"Backpack has been a game-changer for how we handle complex payments, including 529 plans, third-party authorizations and invoicing, and scholarships. The dramatic reduction in paper checks has been a huge relief, and having everything—external payments, invoicing, and tracking—centralized in one place has streamlined our entire process."
Peter Beilharz
Director of Student Accounts
"Backpack was easy to work with through the implementation process. Standing up the software was a breeze and took less than 15 days after the paperwork was signed. We are excited to partner with Backpack and see how they can help us to improve the student experience."
Cody Willard
Associate Director, Student Account Services
Helping throughout the higher education system
Universities
Backpack is the modern payment platform for universities. We digitize 529 plans, scholarships, and third-party payments to make bursars' lives easier.
Scholarship providers
Backpack streamlines scholarship distribution with automated processing, electronic invoicing, and payment tracking – from single awards to bulk distributions.
Student families
Backpack makes it simple to use 529 savings account for multiple students – easily track payments, get receipts, and ensure every purchase is eligible.
You ask. We answer.
What is Backpack?
Backpack is the first digital payments platform built specifically for higher education. We handle 529, scholarship, and third-party payments for universities and families.
How do you help universities?
We eliminate paper checks, automate reconciliation, and reduce support calls. Universities get real-time payment visibility and can go live in less than two weeks.
How do you handle outside scholarship payments?
Each university receives access to a custom-branded scholarship payment portal - the first digital payments checkout experience built specifically for outside scholarships. Thousands of scholarship providers use Backpack to submit and send scholarship funds electronically to universities across the country.
How do you help our student families?
We provide families with the first comprehensive 529 payments platform—one that goes beyond simply moving money. Our platform supports all 100+ 529 plans, offers personalized guidance and resources, and enables additional services like electronic 529 refunds and payments for non-tuition expenses.
You ask. We answer.
What is Backpack?
Backpack is the first digital payments platform built specifically for higher education. We handle 529, scholarship, and third-party payments for universities and families.
How do you help universities?
We eliminate paper checks, automate reconciliation, and reduce support calls. Universities get real-time payment visibility and can go live in less than two weeks.
How do you handle outside scholarship payments?
Each university receives access to a custom-branded scholarship payment portal - the first digital payments checkout experience built specifically for outside scholarships. Thousands of scholarship providers use Backpack to submit and send scholarship funds electronically to universities across the country.
How do you help our student families?
We provide families with the first comprehensive 529 payments platform—one that goes beyond simply moving money. Our platform supports all 100+ 529 plans, offers personalized guidance and resources, and enables additional services like electronic 529 refunds and payments for non-tuition expenses.
You ask. We answer.
What is Backpack?
Backpack is the first digital payments platform built specifically for higher education. We handle 529, scholarship, and third-party payments for universities and families.
How do you help universities?
We eliminate paper checks, automate reconciliation, and reduce support calls. Universities get real-time payment visibility and can go live in less than two weeks.
How do you handle outside scholarship payments?
Each university receives access to a custom-branded scholarship payment portal - the first digital payments checkout experience built specifically for outside scholarships. Thousands of scholarship providers use Backpack to submit and send scholarship funds electronically to universities across the country.
How do you help our student families?
We provide families with the first comprehensive 529 payments platform—one that goes beyond simply moving money. Our platform supports all 100+ 529 plans, offers personalized guidance and resources, and enables additional services like electronic 529 refunds and payments for non-tuition expenses.
You ask. We answer.
What is Backpack?
Backpack is the first digital payments platform built specifically for higher education. We handle 529, scholarship, and third-party payments for universities and families.
How do you help universities?
We eliminate paper checks, automate reconciliation, and reduce support calls. Universities get real-time payment visibility and can go live in less than two weeks.
How do you handle outside scholarship payments?
Each university receives access to a custom-branded scholarship payment portal - the first digital payments checkout experience built specifically for outside scholarships. Thousands of scholarship providers use Backpack to submit and send scholarship funds electronically to universities across the country.
How do you help our student families?
We provide families with the first comprehensive 529 payments platform—one that goes beyond simply moving money. Our platform supports all 100+ 529 plans, offers personalized guidance and resources, and enables additional services like electronic 529 refunds and payments for non-tuition expenses.
1-click refunds
3rd party scholarships
Auto tracking
529 Payments
Students
Compliance
Families
Get started with Backpack
1-click refunds
3rd party scholarships
Auto tracking
529 Payments
Students
Compliance
Families
Get started with Backpack
1-click refunds
3rd party scholarships
Auto tracking
529 Payments
Students
Compliance
Families
Get started with Backpack
1-click refunds
3rd party scholarships
Auto tracking
529 Payments
Students
Compliance
Families