For an international student, the first money a UK university asks for is the deposit that unlocks your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), the document your Student visa application depends on. Then come tuition instalments, often with their own deadlines. If your bank can’t send an international transfer, or a wire is stuck at a correspondent bank, those deadlines are the real problem.
Almost every UK university also accepts card payments. This guide explains how UK schools collect international fees, what each option costs, and how to pay with a United Kingdom Mastercard that you fund with USDT. The full step-by-step process for any country is in our tuition payment guide.
How UK universities take international payments
Open your university’s “pay your fees” page. You will almost always find one of these four routes:
| Route | How it works | Card? |
|---|---|---|
| Flywire | The most common route for international fees. Bath, Surrey, Strathclyde, Loughborough, Manchester Met, Queen’s Belfast and Greenwich all use it, and some universities take international payments only through Flywire. | Yes: Visa and Mastercard, debit or credit |
| Convera GlobalPay for Students | Formerly Western Union GlobalPay. Used by Coventry, Chester, Middlesex, Essex and Edinburgh, mainly for bank transfers in your own currency. The quoted rate is held for 72 hours. | Mostly bank transfer |
| TransferMate | A bank-transfer service used by Edge Hill, Bucks New University and others. | Bank transfer |
| The university’s own portal | Some schools take cards directly. Edinburgh, for example, takes Mastercard, Visa, Amex and UnionPay in pounds through its student record, and Oxford Brookes takes the deposit by card in its applicant portal. | Yes |
If your school lists more than one route, use the card option. A card payment is confirmed in minutes. A bank transfer can take days, and it can bounce if a correspondent bank holds it.
The 3% card surcharge, and how to avoid it
Several UK universities add a 3% “international card” fee on Flywire. It applies when the payer country you select doesn’t match the country your card was issued in. The University of Bath, the University of Surrey and the University of Strathclyde all document the same rule:
- You choose “United Kingdom” as the payer country but pay with a card issued abroad: 3% is added.
- You choose the country your card was issued in: no international card fee.
- Some schools also add 3% for commercial or corporate cards.
With a Mehbit United Kingdom Mastercard, the card is issued in the UK, so “United Kingdom” is the matching payer country. Whatever applies, Flywire shows any card fee on the summary screen before you confirm, so check it there. If you see a fee you didn’t expect, go back and check the payer country.
The CAS deposit: amounts, deadlines and refunds
Most UK universities ask international students for a tuition deposit before they issue the CAS. It is not an extra fee: it is deducted from your first year’s tuition. Amounts vary a lot by school and sometimes by nationality. Some examples from the universities’ own pages:
| University | Deposit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University of Westminster | £5,500 | Paying more than the minimum lowers the funds you must show for the visa. |
| Oxford Brookes University | £1,000 to £8,000 | Depends on the applicant’s country group. The highest group pays £3,000 plus a £5,000 top-up before the CAS. |
| Swansea University | At least £4,000 | Must clear by 5pm UK time on the deadline. Higher for some countries. |
- Deadlines. Deposit deadlines sit weeks before the course starts, because the CAS has to be issued in time for your visa. Swansea, for example, publishes separate deadlines for September and January entry. Plan to pay a few days early.
- If your visa is refused. Most universities refund the deposit if you can show the refusal letter, often minus an admin fee (UWE keeps £200). Some only refund if the visa application was made on time and was genuine. Read your school’s deposit refund policy before you pay.
- Refunds go back to the payer. A deposit paid by card is refunded to the same card through Flywire or the portal. Keep the card open until the refund has arrived.
After the deposit: tuition instalments and discounts
The rest of the first year’s tuition is usually due at registration, and many schools let you split it:
- Newcastle University: 50% at registration and 50% at the end of January, or a 2% early-payment discount if you pay the full year at registration.
- University of Hertfordshire: a £1,000 discount if you pay in full by the first deadline. Choosing three instalments forfeits it.
- Others ask for at least 50% before you can register.
Each instalment is a separate payment on Flywire or the portal. You can pay all of them with the same card, loading it before each due date.
Paying a UK university with a Mehbit card
- Start the payment on Flywire or the portal and note the exact amount on the summary screen. Flywire charges a Mehbit card in US dollars and shows the dollar figure before you confirm.
- Deposit USDT (BEP20, TRC20 or ERC20) into your Mehbit wallet.
- Issue a United Kingdom Mastercard. Issuance takes about 5 minutes.
- Load the card with the dollar amount. You can load up to $50,000 a day per card. For a larger bill, load over two or more days.
- Pay by card with “United Kingdom” as the payer country, and keep the Flywire confirmation and the university’s receipt.
What it costs: a 5% card load fee, $0.35 per card transaction, 2 USDT per wallet deposit and 20 USDT once for the UK card. There is no VAT line on tuition. Worked examples are in the cost table in our tuition guide, and current prices are on the pricing page.
Is this the cheapest route? Not always: when a bank transfer works, it can cost less. What a card gives you is speed and control. You pay the university’s own page yourself, the payment is confirmed in minutes, and refunds come back to a card with your name on it.
Visa costs that come on top
These are paid to the UK government, not the university, as part of the online Student visa application:
- Student visa fee: £558 when you apply from outside the UK.
- Immigration Health Surcharge: £776 per year of your visa.
- Money to show: £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to 9 months, held for 28 days in a row. Tuition you have already paid is deducted from the amount you must show, and so is up to £1,529 paid to the university for accommodation, as long as the payment is on your CAS or on a receipt from the university.
That last point is why paying the deposit early, and getting it onto your CAS, matters.
Application fees
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS: £34.50 for up to five choices for 2027 entry. Many universities charge their own postgraduate application fee, for example £90 for a Master’s at Imperial College London. Both are paid online by card, so the same card works if it has enough balance. See the Education & study abroad section for the services we have tested.
Checklist
- Find your university’s “how to pay” page and note the route (Flywire, portal, Convera or TransferMate) and the deposit deadline.
- Pay the CAS deposit by card a few days before the deadline, with the payer country matching your card.
- Keep the Flywire confirmation and the university’s receipt, and check the deposit appears on your CAS.
- Before registration, decide between paying in full (some schools give a discount) and instalments.
Frequently asked questions
Do UK universities accept card payments for tuition?
Almost all do, usually through Flywire or their own portal. A few routes, like Convera or TransferMate, are bank transfer only, so check your school’s payment page.
Can I pay the CAS deposit with a card?
Yes, at most universities. The deposit is paid the same way as tuition, on Flywire or in the applicant portal, and it is deducted from your tuition.
Why was I charged an extra 3%?
Usually because the payer country on Flywire didn’t match the country your card was issued in. With a UK-issued card, choose “United Kingdom”. Flywire shows any card fee before you confirm.
Which Mehbit card should I use for a UK university?
The United Kingdom Mastercard. It matches “United Kingdom” as the payer country on Flywire.
What if my tuition is more than $50,000?
You can load up to $50,000 a day per card, so load over more than one day and start early. If you are paying a large amount, message Mehbit support before you load and we will help you plan around your deadline.
Will I get my deposit back if my visa is refused?
Usually yes, minus any admin fee, if you meet the university’s refund conditions. The refund goes back to the card you paid with.
