'Never paid a cent': Witty student calls the university's bluff, breaking the parking permit system by refusing to pay for tickets

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Apr 17, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Parking permits are a scam in college. Schools know that broke students are barely scraping together enough pocket change to eat instant noodles every night, so why not squeeze out an extra $300 per semester to allow them to park on campus? Clearly, it's a luxury to park your car half a league from your classroom, but not one that every student can afford.

Especially the sophomore in our next story.

After having car troubles and dumping their grocery fund into their fixer-upper vehicle, the last thing on their mind was paying for a parking permit. However, the fear of campus police and another target on their back financially, u/Bwendolyn was in a bind. Should they pay hundreds to register their car for a permit? Or risk a parking ticket?

Eventually, this particularly witty student found a hole in the school's permitting armor when they discovered that once you receive a parking ticket on campus, there's really no accountability to get it paid for unless your car is registered. Curiooous.

Keep scrolling to read the entire story of how a young, broke college student outwitted their university, scoring free parking for 4 years simply by being audacious.