What education providers should look for in an international student payment partner

International education is one of Australia’s largest export markets. In 2024-25, it contributed $53.6 billion to the economy. Tuition fees made up $23.5 billion of that total.

That makes student payments more than a back-office process.

Every delayed confirmation or unclear payment status can create pressure for finance teams. It can also affect students at one of the most important points in their journey.

For international students, paying fees is often one of the first major interactions with an Australian education provider. If that process is confusing, the student experience starts with uncertainty.

A strong international student payment partner should solve for both sides. Students need familiar ways to pay. Providers need clean data, clear settlement and less manual work.

Why international student payments need a different approach

International student payments are rarely simple. The student may be overseas or a parent may be paying on their behalf. Perhaps the payment needs to move across banking systems before it reaches the provider. That creates a different level of complexity.

In YTD May 2026, 680,582 international students studied in Australia. China was the largest source country. It represented 23% of international students.

That matters because payment behaviour is not the same in every market.

A payment process built around Australian habits may not suit students and families paying from overseas. A student from China may expect familiar digital wallet options. A finance team in Australia still needs the payment to arrive with the right information.

That is where the gap often appears.

Common issues include:

• Incorrect student references
• Delayed payment confirmation
• Manual payment matching
• Limited visibility over payment status
• Refund complexity
• Student enquiries during peak periods

These issues are not minor admin problems for providers. They can slow enrolment and increase support volumes. They can also create stress for students before classes even begin.

Payment methods students and families use

A good payment partner should understand how students prefer to pay.

That does not mean adding every payment method available. It means offering relevant options for the provider’s student base.

For Chinese students and families, this may include:

• Alipay
• WeChat Pay
• UnionPay

Novatti works with education providers to offer familiar payment methods for international student payments. These include Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay. They can be supported through a website payment gateway or PayByLink.

The better question is not how many payment methods a provider offers.

The better question is whether those payment methods match the students who are most likely to use them. More choice only helps when the choice is relevant.

Finance operations and reconciliation

A confusing payment process adds friction at exactly the wrong time.

It also creates more work internally. If students are unsure whether a payment has been received, they will contact someone. That enquiry often lands with finance or student services. A good payment experience, however, reduces that uncertainty.

This is where the payment partner either makes life easier or creates another admin burden.

Accepting the payment is only the first step. The provider still needs to know who paid. It also needs to know when funds will settle.

Before choosing a provider, finance teams should ask:

• How are student references captured?
• How are payments matched to student accounts?
• What information appears in settlement reports?
• How are partial payments managed?
• How are refunds handled?
• What happens when a payment cannot be matched?

This is where payment infrastructure becomes operationally valuable.

The goal is not just to add another way to pay. The goal is to reduce the work that usually comes after the payment.

Reporting your finance team can actually use

Reporting should help finance teams answer simple questions quickly.

Has the student paid?

Has the payment settled?

Is there an exception that needs action?

At a minimum, teams should be able to see:

• Payment status
• Settlement timing
• Payment method
• Student reference
• Failed payments
• Refund activity
• Exceptions requiring action

Good reporting reduces the need to search across systems. It also helps teams respond faster when students ask for updates.

During peak intake periods, that visibility matters.

Security, fraud, and compliance

Education providers handle high-value payments from multiple countries which means security cannot be vague.

A payment partner should be able to explain its approach to:

• Secure payment processing
• Payer authentication
• Fraud controls
• Data handling
• Regulatory requirements
• Operational risk

Novatti’s education payment solutions include secure payment processing. They are designed to reduce fraud and chargeback risk through payer authentication, encryption and no manual entry of card details.

For education providers, this matters because payment issues can quickly become student issues. The payment partner needs to understand both the transaction and the context around it.

Support after implementation

The payment journey does not end when the solution goes live.

Payment issues often become urgent when they affect enrolment deadlines. They can also become urgent when students are waiting for confirmation.

Education providers should ask:

• Is support available in Australia?
• Who supports implementation?
• Who helps resolve payment issues?
• How are urgent issues escalated?
• What support is available during peak intake periods?

Support matters because international student payments are time-sensitive.

A payment partner should not disappear after implementation. The best partners help providers manage the payment experience over time.

Questions to ask before choosing an international student payment provider

Before choosing a partner, education providers should ask practical questions.

Key questions include:

• Which international payment methods do you support?
• Can you support Alipay?
• Can you support WeChat Pay?
• Can you support UnionPay?
• Can the payment flow connect with our student portal?
• How are student references captured?
• What does settlement look like?
• What reporting will finance teams receive?
• How are refunds handled?
• What fraud controls are in place?
• What local support is available?
• What experience do you have with education providers?

These questions move the conversation beyond payment acceptance.

They help providers understand whether the solution will improve the student experience and the internal process behind it.

How Novatti supports education providers

Novatti works with education providers to support familiar payment methods for international students.

This includes:

• Alipay
• WeChat Pay
• UnionPay

Novatti can support education payments through website payment gateways and PayByLink options. Novatti also supports integration with student information systems to help improve data accuracy and reduce manual work.

UNSW has integrated Alipay into the MyUNSW Student Portal through Xetta and Novatti. The solution allows Chinese international students to pay tuition fees in Chinese Yuan. It also supports settlement and reconciliation workflows for the university.

That is the real opportunity for education providers.

Not just another payment method, but a better payment journey for students and a cleaner process for finance teams.

Make international student payments easier for your students and to manage. Speak with our education payments team.

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