News Story accredited to BoiseDev. Written by Anna Daly.
A Boise startup is helping international students make quick and easy tuition and fee payments.
Pay4Me App founder Sunday Paul Adah says he had so much trouble making cross-border tuition payments while studying as an international student in Idaho that he almost wasn’t able to continue.
To help other students make easier international payments, Adah first started a group on WhatsApp connecting vetted students and immigrants to help each other with currency swaps. But when it became too big, he created the Pay4Me app, which facilitates seamless and same-day cross-border payments. The company now has partnerships with licensed and accredited money transmitters, banking partners, student loan companies, immigration firms, colleges, and universities in over 120 countries.
“Pay4Me was started to solve the problem of making on-time cross-border tuition and fee payments, which I experienced as an international student,” Adah said. “In 2014, I almost lost the opportunity to study abroad in the United States because my tuition payment from back home was delayed.”
According to Adah, over 1 million international students come to the US for higher education every year – spending about $60 billion. However, he says a survey showed that over 57% of international students surveyed experience payment complexities and delays.
“These issues often lead to loss of admission and visa revocation because traditional banks and payment facilitators demand tons of paperwork and are slow to process cross-border payments, which can take weeks or even months. This results in late or delayed tuition and fee payments,” Adah said. “Since international students often pay their tuition and fees out of pocket, without access to Pell Grants and with limited student loans or scholarships, delayed or late payments can lead to being expelled from their programs, losing their student visas, and even facing deportation.”
Adah says the Pay4Me app helps students make tuition payments in under 24 hours – allowing them to study without worrying about payment issues.
Today, the Pay4Me app has over 100,000 users worldwide, including countries such as Ghana, Canada, the US, the European Union, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, and more.
“Pay4Me is experiencing significant growth as more international students and institutions recognize the efficiency and reliability of our services,” Adah said. “Thanks to word-of-mouth referrals and strategic partnerships with educational institutions and financial service providers, we have expanded our user base to over 100,000.”
Pay4Me recently launched in Uganda and Kenya and has plans to launch in Mexico, India, and China later this year.
“We are also finalizing the launch of our neobank and charge card for international students and new immigrants,” Adah said. “This holistic platform will make it easier for users to access banking services, pay tuition and other bills, build U.S. credit, and provide improved financial access.”
To learn more about the Pay4Me app, head to its website here.
Find the original article, here.