Students Staff

GlobalPay for Students

International student fees can be paid using Global Pay for Students with our partner Convera, where payment can be made in over 140 currencies across 200 countries without incurring transaction charges.

Why choose this service:

  • Students, parents or guardians, and sponsors can pay deposits, tuition fees and more through this platform
  • Avoid costly and unexpected transaction charges from the bank
  • Pay via bank transfers, wires, credit and debit cards, e-wallets like Alipay, and alternative payment methods including Sofort and Trustly
  • Compare payment options immediately and for 72 hours Convera holds the exchange rate
  • Convera match any cheaper quote from your bank with their Price Promise Guarantee
  • Track payment status by SMS and email
  • Multilingual – available in 10 languages
  • Access 24/7 live chat or contact our friendly team
  • Built with security in mind so your money is protected
  • Initiate refunds easily should circumstances change
  • A global partner which has been helping students achieve their education dreams for over a decade

International bank transfer and international card payments

The bank transfer service allows you, your parents and sponsors to pay your fees in the currency of your choice and provides you with a simple and secure way to make a payment.

Payment compliance and sanctions

Convera are responsible for processing payments through the Global Pay for Students platform, and they will complete checks to adhere to compliance regulations.

If Convera require additional information they will email you from a convera.com email address. Please ensure you respond to the email immediately to prevent a payment from being returned.

Please be aware that Convera are unable to accept any payments where:

  1. the student or the payer is currently resident in any of the following sanctioned countries/regions.
  2. the payment is originating from any of the following sanctioned countries/regions.
    • Afghanistan
    • Belarus
    • Cuba
    • Crimea Region
    • Donetsk Region
    • Iran
    • Luhansk Region
    • North Korea
    • Russia
    • Syria
    • Venezuela
  3. the student or payer are on the following sanctions list:

If either the student/payer is resident in and/or the payment is originating from any of the above areas, then you cannot make payment through Convera's GlobalPay for Students platform.

Please contact income@essex.ac.uk for advice on alternative payment options.

To continue, and to make a payment, please input your PRID and date of birth and click the PAY NOW button.

Enter your details
PRID
Date of birth
Day
Month
Year

International bank transfer and online payment options

Frequently asked questions

How to make a payment

  1. Select your home country from the 'Where is your bank located' dropdown.
  2. Enter the amount of tuition and/or accommodation you wish to pay in £ sterling.
  3. You will then be presented with a list of payment options displayed with the cheapest at the top. Please note that whilst bank transfer payments will always be the cheapest and cards will normally be more expensive, it is your choice which payment option you select to use from the platform.
  4. Once you have selected your payment method you will need to enter your student information followed by the payer information (details of who is making the payment).
  5. Once you have completed all fields you will then be provided with instructions on how to complete payment
  6. Please note: for all payment options you will be asked to provide/upload additional documentation including proof of identity, proof of address and your university admission letter.

Find out more by watching a short video:

What is a PRID?

This is your own unique University reference number - it takes the form of 5 letters, always in CAPITALS, followed by 5 numbers, e.g. SMITH12345.

I can’t find an option to pay by card, what should I do?

If you cannot locate a card option on the drop-down list, we would advise you to use a bank transfer option being presented in your local currency and if this isn't available either, to then use an alternative currency presented.

If you need further support, please contact the Convera Customer Support Team.

Can someone else pay using this method on my behalf?

Yes, the payer can be the student, a family member or a third party. As part of Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, the payer will be required to enter their details and to authenticate the payment on their mobile or desktop device. The student is also required to know who is paying on their behalf and in some circumstances will be required by the university, for compliance reasons, to provide evidence of their relationship to the payer.

How long does it take for University of Essex to receive my payment?

Depending on the payment method, it can take between 2-5 days for Convera to receive your funds. Once your payment has been received, Convera will aim to send your payment to University of Essex within 24 hours, unless further information is required to assist with compliance.

You can track the status of your payment.

How do I know that the University of Essex has received my payment?

Once the University of Essex has received the payment, the student will be emailed a formal receipt. Where you are paying an invoice for example for tuition or accommodation fees, you can logon to Webpay and the payment will also be reflected against your invoice balance.

Has your bank offered a better exchange rate?

If you find a total price offered by your bank to send a payment to University of Essex that is cheaper than the price offered by the GlobalPay for Students portal, we will honour your bank's total price (subject to terms and conditions).

Learn more about the GlobalPay for Students Price Promise.

Is it safe to use GlobalPay for Students?

The number one priority for Convera and your institution is the security of your payment and your personal information. Tuition fee fraud is a hugely growing area of concern to financial institutions and international governments. As a result, Convera carry out more fraud checks and provide more payment protections than any other online payment provider.

Are credit/debit card payments secure?

The web page meets the industry standard of 128-bit encryption, and the credit card processing is subject to the standard validations and authorisation process operated industry-wide.

Security code validation and 3D Secure, an additional security layer for online credit and debit card transactions, are integral to the card authorisation process managed by the Payment Service Provider (PSP).

How can I contact GlobalPay for Students if I need help with my payment?

If you have any questions regarding the service, we have a dedicated Customer Service team in several locations around the world that can aid you with any additional information on the service and its benefits and/or walk you through the process.

For any of the above or any other related queries please contact by phoning:

  • UK or Europe: +44 (0)1733 871871
  • Australia or Japan: +61 2 8585 7221
  • New Zealand: +64 9 359 5104
  • Singapore: +65 6494 8280
  • Hong Kong: +852 2853 9875
  • China: +86 400 919 9411
  • North America: 1-877-218-8829 or 1-402-884-3041

Or you can contact Convera at https://students.convera.com/#!/contact-us.