UNL students will soon have a new option for paying their student bill in MyRed.

The Office of the UNL Bursar, located in 121 Canfield Administration Building, announced this week that they will begin accepting payment in the form of Pocket Points, referring to a popular app that rewards students for not using their phones in class.

When students open their bills on MyRed next months, they will notice that among their bill pay options are credit card, electronic check, and Pocket Point deduction. Students will be able to choose between a 10% discount, which costs fifty points, and a 20% discount, which costs seventy-five points.

The university will also be adding a “pay one bill get one 50% off” deal, tentatively scheduled to be available by the fall 2018 semester.

“We created this option as a reward for the Huskers on this campus that pay attention in class and keep their phones put away during lectures,” explained Brett Wilkins, director of the UNL Bursar’s Office. “We hope this will encourage students to stay engaged in class and ultimately may even cause a spike in our university’s average GPA.

“I’m working with my colleagues in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to expand the offer,” Wilkins continued. “We’re looking at even offering scholarship packages in the form of Pocket Points.”

Wilkins explained that the freshmen coming to campus in 2020 may receive scholarship packages in the form of Pocket Points: for example, the David Distinguished Scholarship will consist of 3,500 pocket points per year.

Regents Scholarship recipients will continue to receive full tuition, however, the students are not allowed to unlock their phones for the duration of their time at UNL.

No word on whether students will be allowed to use Pocket Points to purchase meal plans.