bursar

American  

[bur-ser, -sahr] / ˈbɜr sər, -sɑr /

noun

bursars plural

1. a treasurer or business officer, especially of a college or university.

2. (in the Middle Ages) a university student.

3. Chiefly Scot. a student attending a university on a scholarship.

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bursar British  

/ ˈbɜːsə /

noun

1. an official in charge of the financial management of a school, college, or university

2. a student holding a bursary

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underbursar
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bursars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bursar

1400–50; < Medieval Latin bursārius a purse-keeper, treasurer ( see bursa, -ar ²); replacing late Middle English bouser, variant of bourser < Anglo-French; Old French borsier

Explanation

A bursar is the head of a college's financial office. When you pay your tuition for the semester, you'll send the money to the bursar. Colleges, universities, and private schools have bursars, who are responsible for the finances of the school. The bursar's job might include balancing the books, sending bills to students and their families, and receiving payments. You could also call the bursar the controller or the treasurer. The word comes from the Medieval Latin bursarius, "purse-bearer," from bursa, or "purse."