Flywire Teams With Blackbaud to Enable Cross Border Tuition Payments in the U.S.

Flywire Corp., a specialist in payments for higher education, has partnered with Blackbaud Inc., a provider of fundraising, education, and social impact apps, to enable digital tuition payments in the United States for international students.

The deal covers more than 1,000 K-12 private and independent schools served by Blackbaud and significantly expands Flywire’s presence in the K-12 school market in the U.S. Flywire will integrate its platform with Blackbaud’s Tuition Management app.

Providing digital, cross-border payment capabilities can help schools that accept international students become more accessible to that demographic, Flywire says.

One of the most significant challenges facing the tuition-paying families of international students in the United States is the fluctuation of exchange rates. Annual tuition for U.S. secondary schools, which typically cover grades 9-12, range from $4,200 to more than $29,000. To make payments, families of international students typically send the money via international wire transfer or pay with a credit card, two payment methods that can lack visibility into the payments made and come with high user fees, Flywire says.

Providing a secure payment method that allows students to pay their tuition in their local currency can eliminate the risk of unexpected costs caused by fluctuating exchange rates, the company contends.

“This can result in unexpected costs and make budgeting for tuition and other expenses difficult,” a Flywire spokesperson says by email. “In addition, some international students face difficulties in accessing the payment methods required by their schools, which can delay the payment process or result in the rejection of the payment entirely.”

Other hurdles include difficulty tracking international payments, communication barriers, and misinformation or inadequate guidance.

“We also partner directly with schools to ensure real-time tracking of payments and help eliminate delays or complications that can arise during the payment process, among other benefits,” the Flywire spokesperson says.

On the personnel front, Flywire announced the appointment of former Visa Inc. senior vice president Carleigh Jaques to its board of directors. Jaques will also serve as a member of the audit committee.

Prior to joining Flywire, Jaques was senior vice president, global head of risk and identity solutions for Visa, where she spent 15 years. In that role, Jaques oversaw the transformation of Visa’s merchant and acquirer capabilities, including Tap to Phone, urban mobility, and merchant digital solutions.

Prior to that role, Jaques severed as senior vice president and general manager of Visa’s Cybersource business.