Convera Frequently Asked Questions

Convera has been designated by the University of Waterloo to process payments for tuition and fees. As a result of the agreement between the University and Convera,  you can pay your university tuition and fees in your domestic currency, quickly and conveniently. Convera has worked closely with the University to ensure that your money arrives fast and in full—without delays, deductions, or last-minute changes to your exchange rate.

Using Convera, students can:

• Pay your Canadian school using your local currency quickly and conveniently.
• Get a foreign currency quote from the university website anytime.
• Relax knowing that once you pay, there will be no additional transaction charges, because Convera processes student payments for the University of Waterloo. (Your bank may still charge a transaction fee.)
• Know that your payment will be received by the University with your reference information attached, ensuring it’s posted to your account quickly.
• Secure an exchange rate for 72 hours, giving you certainty and security when it comes to the cost of your transaction.
• See your payment posted to your student account quickly (typically within 14 days from the time you initiate the payment).
• Take the uncertainty, additional expenses, and delays out of paying for your international education.

Step 1: Access the Platform

From the homepage, enter your student ID, name, and e-mail address into the appropriate fields, and select “NEXT”

Step 2: View Your Exchange Rate and Get a Payment Quote

Enter the amount you wish to pay in Canadian Dollars.

Select your currency from the dropdown menu.

An exchange rate and quote will automatically be generated. If you accept the quote, it will be secured for 72 hours.

Payment instructions, including your payment reference number, will be generated when you accept the quote. Please print these off or save them.

Step 3: Transfer Your Funds

Follow your payment instructions to transfer your funds using your bank, either in person at a branch, over the phone with customer service, or from online banking.

Step 4: We Finalize Your Payment

Once you’ve initiated your funds transfer, it will generally take about 14 days for payment to post to your student account in Canadian Dollars.

Please contact Convera. They can be reached:

• by phone at +1 877 218 8829 or
• by e-mail at studentsupport@convera.com

If you would like feedback on the status of your payment, please e-mail studentsupport@convera.com

with the following information:

• Student Name
• Student ID
• Payment Reference Number
• Date of Transaction
• Proof of payment from your bank (if you have already initiated the wire transfer)

You can use Convera's payment portal to pay any education-related costs assessed by your institution, like tuition, housing, and meal plan.

Yes.

The University of Waterloo has an agreement with Convera which authorizes them to accept payments in your local currency and remit the funds to the University in Canadian Dollars.

Once you have selected your currency from the dropdown list, the system will automatically display the amount due in your local currency.

If your currency isn’t offered through Convera, you can pay using an alternative currency. The applicable exchange rate is competitive and your payment will still post to your student account quickly.

Yes.

Including your payment reference number ensures that your payment is easily identified and quickly posted to your student account. Your payment reference number is located on the payment instructions form that is created when you accept your payment quote. Please include your payment reference number in the Payment Reference field when sending your funds to Convera.

If you forgot to include your payment reference number there is a possibility that your payment will be delayed. Please contact Convera immediately:

• by phone at +1 877 218 8829 or
• by e-mail at studentsupport@convera.com

Please have the following information available:

• Student Name
• Student ID
• Payment Reference Number
• Date of Transaction
• Currency paid
• Proof of payment from your bank (if you have already initiated the wire transfer)

University of Waterloo has authorized Convera to receive payments on its behalf. The banking instructions you receive from the GlobalPay process will provide banking details for a Convera bank account. Convera will be expecting your payment. Once it has been received by Convera, they will forward the CAD amount to University of Waterloo.  You may wish to print this information and provide it to your bank along with the banking instructions page from the GlobalPay website, to confirm for them that they need to send the payment to a Convera bank account, not a University of Waterloo bank account.

Convera is able to receive payments from any international bank. If you are experiencing problems, please contact Convera Business Solutions for further assistance. They can be reached:

• by phone at +1 877 218 8829 or
• by e-mail at studentsupport@convera.com

You can also explore using University of Waterloo's alternate international payment option.

After obtaining an exchange rate quote, you must wait 72 hours before you can re-quote. You may quote as many times as you like, but only once within a 72-hour period.