PCI DSS Level 1 Certified

Secure payments for schools and universities

Collect tuition fees, accommodation deposits, conference payments, alumni donations and exam fees securely by phone and online. Full PCI compliance for schools, colleges and universities — with enhanced data protection for minors.

“Paytia has helped us turn a security exposure and reputational risk into a value-enhancing opportunity. Fundraising has never been more important and Paytia has helped us achieve our goals.”

Trinity Hall College, Cambridge

The payment risks in education

From tuition fees and accommodation deposits to telethon campaigns and conference bookings, educational institutions handle card data across dozens of departments — each one a potential compliance gap.

High-Value Tuition Fee Collection

University tuition fees often run into thousands of pounds per transaction. When finance teams collect these payments by phone, staff handle sensitive card data for high-value sums — dramatically increasing the financial and reputational risk of a breach.

Accommodation Deposit Processing

Halls of residence and college accommodation offices process hundreds of deposits each admissions cycle. Manual card handling slows the process, creates bottlenecks at peak times, and exposes the institution to unnecessary compliance risk.

Alumni Donation and Telethon Campaigns

Universities run large-scale telephone fundraising campaigns staffed by student callers. Without secure payment technology, each caller becomes a data-handling risk — and donors are increasingly reluctant to read card details aloud to a student.

Conference and Event Payments

University conference offices, summer schools and event teams take bookings by phone from delegates worldwide. Each call involves card data that must be protected, yet many conference teams lack the infrastructure for full PCI compliance.

Exam and Re-sit Fee Collection

Exam offices collect fees for re-sits, external examinations and professional assessments. These are often small, high-volume transactions processed by administrative staff who are not payment specialists — increasing the likelihood of errors and data exposure.

Data Protection for Minors

Schools handle payment data for families with children, requiring heightened data protection standards. GDPR places additional obligations when minors are involved, and the consequences of a breach involving children's data are severe.

Purpose-built for education

From tuition collection to alumni telethons and international conference bookings, every feature solves real payment challenges in educational settings.

DTMF Masking Technology

DTMF masking lets parents, students and donors key in card details during the call while staff hear only flat tones. Card data never enters your school or university systems.

Secure Payment Links

Send branded payment links by email for tuition fees, accommodation deposits, conference bookings and donations. Payers complete the transaction at their convenience from any device — fully PCI compliant.

Recurring Fee Instalments

Set up instalment plans for tuition and course fees during a single phone call. Tokenised card storage means recurring payments collect automatically on schedule — no need for parents or students to call back each month.

Telethon and Fundraising Campaigns

Run alumni appeals, building funds and scholarship campaigns with secure donation pages. Student callers never hear or see card data, removing training burden and compliance risk from your telethon operation. Track every gift against the correct campaign.

Conference and Event Bookings

Conference offices and summer school teams take delegate payments securely by phone or payment link. Process international card payments from delegates worldwide with full PCI DSS compliance built in.

GDPR Built In

Built with data protection at the core. Meets GDPR requirements including the enhanced protections required when processing data related to minors. Card data never touches your systems, so your GDPR obligations around storing sensitive financial data are significantly reduced.

How universities and schools use Paytia

Fees and deposits

1

Tuition fees and course payments

Finance teams collect tuition fees worth thousands of pounds per transaction — by phone, by payment link, or through recurring instalment plans. DTMF masking ensures card data never reaches your staff, while tokenised storage handles automatic instalment collection on schedule.

2

Accommodation and housing deposits

Halls of residence offices process hundreds of deposits each admissions cycle. Staff send secure payment links to incoming students or take deposits over the phone during confirmation calls. The dashboard tracks which deposits are outstanding, eliminating manual spreadsheet reconciliation.

3

Exam fees, re-sits and professional assessments

Exam offices collect re-sit fees, external examination charges and professional assessment payments. Payment links reduce the volume of inbound calls, and the dashboard provides a clear audit trail for every transaction.

Campaigns and events

1

Alumni fundraising and telethon campaigns

Student callers collect alumni donations during telephone campaigns without ever hearing card details. Trinity Hall College, Cambridge uses Paytia for their annual telethon — turning what was a security exposure into a value-enhancing opportunity for the College.

2

Conference and summer school bookings

University conference offices take delegate payments from around the world. Whether delegates call to book or receive a payment link by email, every transaction is PCI compliant and card data never enters the university network.

3

School trips and extracurricular activities

Create a payment link for each trip or activity and send it to parents by email or text. Parents pay at their convenience from any device, and staff see exactly which payments are outstanding — no more chasing envelopes of cash.

Why schools and universities choose Paytia

Simpler Fee Collection

Collect tuition, accommodation, trips and activity payments across all departments through a single secure platform.

Secure Telethon Campaigns

Student callers never see card data during alumni donation campaigns, removing training burden and compliance risk.

Conference Payment Processing

Process international card payments from delegates worldwide with full PCI DSS compliance built in.

Multi-Channel Options

Offer parents, students, alumni and donors the flexibility to pay by phone, payment link, or recurring instalment plan.

GDPR Compliant

Enhanced protections for minors with card data that never touches your systems, significantly reducing your GDPR obligations.

Used by UK Universities and Colleges

Used by Cambridge colleges and UK universities. No complex integration — works with your existing telephony.

Trinity Hall College, Cambridge

Trinity Hall College runs an annual telephone fundraising campaign to engage alumni and raise funds for student hardship, scholarships and college initiatives. Paytia's DTMF masking technology allows student callers to collect donations securely — donors key in card details via their telephone keypad, and card data never enters the College's systems.

The College achieved full PCI DSS compliance without significant IT changes, donor confidence increased, and student fundraisers found the system intuitive with minimal training required.

Frequently asked questions

Can parents set up instalment plans for tuition fees?+

Yes. During a single phone call, staff can set up a recurring payment schedule with tokenised card storage. Payments collect automatically on the agreed dates — no need for parents to call back each month.

How does Paytia handle university accommodation deposits?+

Accommodation offices can collect deposits by phone using DTMF masking or by sending a secure payment link by email. Both methods keep card data out of your university systems entirely, and the dashboard shows which deposits are outstanding in real time.

Is Paytia suitable for university telethon and alumni fundraising campaigns?+

Absolutely. DTMF masking is ideal for student callers collecting alumni donations — callers never hear or see card data, which removes the training burden and compliance risk. Trinity Hall College, Cambridge uses Paytia for exactly this purpose.

Can conference and events teams use Paytia for delegate payments?+

Yes. Conference offices can take delegate payments securely by phone or send payment links for online booking. The system handles international cards and multiple currencies, making it suitable for global academic conferences.

How does Paytia help with exam and re-sit fee collection?+

Exam offices can send payment links for individual fees or take payments during a phone call. The dashboard tracks which fees have been paid, reducing the administrative overhead of chasing outstanding payments manually.

What about GDPR when dealing with children's data?+

Paytia removes card data from your environment entirely. Since payment credentials never touch your systems, the GDPR obligations around storing sensitive data for minors are significantly reduced.

Can we use our existing payment gateway?+

Yes. Paytia works with Stripe, Worldpay, Barclaycard, Adyen and more. There is no need to switch payment providers — the system integrates with your existing gateway.

How quickly can a university get started with Paytia?+

Most institutions are live within two to three weeks. There is no complex integration required — Paytia works with your existing telephony and does not require changes to your IT infrastructure.

Ready to secure payments in education?

See how schools and universities use Paytia to collect fees, run campaigns and protect student data. Book a demo today.