How to pay a university from Russia
Cards do not work, transfers are slow, and bank details are easy to fake. Here is the general order of a payment and what to check in advance.
Five steps
Get an invoice from the university
Pay only to the invoice or bank details the university issued to you personally, with your application number, amount and currency. Details from a chat or a third party do not count.
Ask which payment methods it accepts
A bank transfer, the university's payment platform or something else. What is available depends on the university and the country. Ask the admissions office.
Ask your bank
Not every Russian bank can send money abroad, and not to every country or currency. Check the recipient's country, the currency, the fee and the documents it needs.
Leave time
According to 2026 publications, a first transfer can take 3–4 weeks. Money may pass through intermediary banks, and your bank may ask for documents. Do not leave payment to the last day.
Keep the confirmation
Send the payment order with its transaction number to the university and keep a copy until the university confirms the money arrived.
What usually does not work
Russian cards on university websites
According to 2026 publications, Visa and Mastercard cards from Russian banks are not accepted abroad. Some university payment platforms are also unavailable in Russia.
Transfers to a personal account
If you are asked to send money to a person's card, a wallet or a "manager", stop. More on the page about signs of a scam.
A promise to make any payment in a day
The timing depends on every bank in the chain. Nobody can guarantee it.
Payment rules and restrictions change. For your university and country we check the exact procedure separately; this is only the general outline. You pay the university fee separately, on the university's invoice, with no markup from us.
Need help with a payment?
There is a separate service: a payment plan for your university and support through one payment. A vetted partner makes the payment; timing and fees depend on the banks, and we do not promise them. It is arranged through a manager.