PCI DSS Level 1 Certified

Secure payments for K-12, colleges, and universities

Collect tuition, housing deposits, conference fees, alumni donations, and testing fees securely by phone and online. Full PCI compliance for K-12 districts, colleges, and universities — with FERPA-aware data handling for student records.

The payment risks in education

From tuition and housing deposits to phonathons and conference bookings, US institutions handle card data across dozens of departments — each one a potential compliance gap.

High-value tuition collection

University tuition often runs into tens of thousands of dollars per semester. When bursar's office staff collect these payments by phone, they handle sensitive card data for high-value sums — increasing the financial and reputational risk of a breach.

Housing and dorm deposit processing

Residence life 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.

Phonathons and alumni giving

Universities run large-scale phonathons 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 continuing-ed payments

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

AP exam, testing, and re-take fees

Testing offices collect fees for AP exams, re-takes, external assessments, and professional certifications. These are often small, high-volume transactions processed by administrative staff who aren't payment specialists — increasing the likelihood of errors and data exposure.

FERPA and data protection for minors

K-12 districts handle payment data for families with children, requiring careful data protection. FERPA covers education records, and state privacy laws like SOPIPA in California place additional obligations when minors are involved. The consequences of a breach involving children's data are severe.

Built for education

From tuition to alumni phonathons and international conference bookings, every feature solves real payment work in education 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 or SMS for tuition, housing deposits, conference bookings, and donations. Payers complete the transaction at their convenience from any device — fully PCI compliant.

Tuition payment plans

Set up tuition installment plans during a single phone call. Tokenized card storage means recurring payments collect automatically on the agreed schedule — no need for parents or students to call back each month.

Phonathon and alumni campaigns

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

Conference and event bookings

Conference offices and continuing-education teams take attendee payments securely by phone or payment link. Process international card payments from delegates worldwide with full PCI DSS compliance built in.

FERPA-aware by design

Built with student privacy at the core. Aligned with FERPA expectations and state-level student privacy laws. Card data never touches your systems, so the data-protection obligations around storing sensitive financial details for minors are significantly reduced.

How US schools and universities use Paytia

Tuition and deposits

1

Tuition and semester payments

Bursar's office collects tuition that often runs into tens of thousands of dollars per semester — by phone, by payment link, or through tuition installment plans. DTMF masking ensures card data never reaches your staff, while tokenized storage handles automatic installment collection on schedule.

2

Housing and residence-hall deposits

Residence life offices process hundreds of housing 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 work.

3

AP exams, re-takes, and certification fees

Testing offices collect fees for AP exams, re-takes, external assessments, and professional certifications. Payment links cut the volume of inbound calls, and the dashboard provides a clear audit trail for every transaction.

Campaigns and events

1

Phonathons and alumni giving

Student callers collect alumni donations during phonathons without ever hearing card details. Card data goes straight from the donor's keypad into our certified environment — the student caller stays on the line for the relationship part of the conversation.

2

Conference and continuing-ed bookings

University conference offices take attendee payments from around the world. Whether attendees call to register 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 or paper checks.

Why US schools and universities choose Paytia

Simpler fee collection

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

Secure phonathon campaigns

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

Conference payment processing

Process international card payments from attendees 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 installment plan.

FERPA-aware

Card data that never touches your systems means a clean separation from any system holding education records.

Works with TouchNet, Nelnet, Stripe, and more

No complex integration — works with your existing telephony, gateway, and student information system.

Frequently asked questions

Can parents set up tuition installment plans?+

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

How does Paytia handle university housing deposits?+

Residence life offices can collect housing 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 phonathons?+

Yes. DTMF masking is built for student callers collecting alumni donations — callers never hear or see card data, which removes the training burden and the compliance risk. The same setup handles capital campaigns, scholarship drives, and athletic giving programs.

How does Paytia work with FERPA?+

Paytia removes card data from your environment entirely. Since payment credentials never touch your student information system or any system that holds education records, the FERPA picture stays clean — the payment data and the education record never co-mingle in a way that could trigger a disclosure issue.

Can we use our existing payment gateway?+

Yes. Paytia works with Stripe, Authorize.net, Chase Paymentech, Elavon, TouchNet, Nelnet, and other education-focused processors. There's no need to switch providers — the system integrates with your existing gateway and merchant account.

Ready to secure payments in education?

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

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