Having been an exchange student—twice—and owned my own agency, I know, first hand, the doors that exchange programs can open for Brazilian students worldwide. My first exchange was to Canada, but I also went to Australia on a scholarship, and took all of the courses: English language, IELTS and VET. I even started a third Bachelor's degree. Living as a student studying overseas means you're challenging yourself every day. You're far from your family and your friends, but you're also fulfilling your dreams.
I also understand how important it is to have someone to advise you; someone who understands, and can navigate market requirements and peculiarities to achieve those dreams. My experiences have given me the knowledge to be where I am today, helping institutions and agents to improve the student experience with Flywire. So, here are a few things that, in my experience, agents should know so they can support students in securing international placements.
1. Get accredited
Agents are a linchpin in the international education ecosystem, and you hold a position of great trust. Parents trust you to find the best education for their children; schools trust you to find great students. Accreditation, for example ICEF Agency Status (IAS) or the BELTA seal, is a great way to demonstrate that your business is legitimate and trustworthy. It will inspire confidence because to become accredited requires documentation, inspections, references and a commitment to adhere to a code of ethics.
For similar reasons, employing a market-leading, secure payment solution is another quality marker. An agent wanting to sign up to use Flywire’s Agent Platform, will be thoroughly vetted by our compliance team. The willingness to be transparent will demonstrate you have nothing to hide, and will reassure students and their parents (as well as institutions) that the chances of them being misled are low.
2. Digitize and localize the tuition payment process
Making large payments, in a foreign currency, using an unfamiliar method, and involving unclear transaction fees, is stressful. But, this stress can be reduced by offering a way to pay tuition fees that offers familiar methods, cost transparency and local language payer support.
Flywire offers multiple payment methods, including credit card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and, importantly for Brazilians, both Pix and Boleto. Without those, we don’t have a business in Brazil, right?
Students and families can send payment in Reals and institutions receive the payment in their preferred currency. Fees are clear and competitive, and applied at the time of payment, so payers know exactly how much the payment will cost them. They can also be confident the school will receive the exact amount needed to confirm their enrollment. Real time updates keep them informed of their payment status, but if a problem does occur payers, agents and schools have around-the-clock access to a multilingual support team, which includes Portuguese speakers.
3. Ensure high levels of security
Unfortunately, international students, their parents and institutions are increasingly being targeted by criminals seeking to steal or launder money; we’re seeing it across the globe. Offering a secure way for students or their families to pay tuition fees is the best way to proactively protect their money and your reputation; a simple and transparent process will also boost confidence that their money is safe.
As a public company, Flywire has to comply with security credentials such as SOC II and PCI DSS among others which we can, and do, provide robust evidence of for clients. But, on top of that our platform is intuitive to use. The agent (or institution) sends a secure payment link which takes the payer directly to the Flywire portal. The steps are very clear, and are translated into Portuguese, leaving very little room for error. Payers, agents and institutions receive status updates as it progresses—whether “on hold”, “verified”, “guaranteed” all the way through to “completed”—providing total reassurance that it will arrive at its destination.
What’s more, to extend protection to all students there is Flywire’s Pay Any School option. This means agents can facilitate secure payments (though with fewer payment methods and reduced visibility) even if the school doesn’t use Flywire.
4. Take care of needs beyond tuition, including insurance
International students are navigating unfamiliar territory. Take health insurance for example. Most, if not all, countries require international students to have it as a condition of their student visa, but they differ in how it can be purchased. Given the options and variations students are relying on you to provide the expertise and advice, and often want recommendations.
To be awarded a visa, students bound for Australia have to use Government-approved OSHC providers for their health insurance policies. The Flywire insurance platform is the only place policies from all five approved OSHC providers can be compared and purchased, quickly and easily, making it very easy for agents to support students with what can be an overwhelming and confusing purchase.
The journey of an international student is transformative, and for Brazilian students, it's often a path filled with unique opportunities and challenges. By prioritizing trust through accreditation, simplifying financial transactions with localized and secure payment solutions like Flywire, and ensuring comprehensive insurance coverage, education agents can empower these students to achieve their dreams.