Education

Debt collection for education providers with international students

Unpaid tuition, course and housing fees from students who went home, and training invoices from companies abroad, collected by a licensed partner in the debtor's country. You pay only when money is recovered.

$0 upfront A partner who speaks the student's language One agreement for every country
Sound familiar?

Why tuition goes unpaid across borders

Your students and clients come from everywhere. Most pay. When one stops after going home, your holds and reminders on campus no longer reach them.

Student left before the final term

The student finished the year, flew home and stopped paying the last installments of the plan.

Payment plan stopped mid-semester

The monthly payments ran on time until spring, then the card failed and emails went unanswered.

Training invoices sitting abroad

A company abroad sent ten employees to your course and has not paid the invoice months later.

Fewer levers once they leave

Once a student has left the country and the course, campus holds and reminders no longer work.

How Debitura helps

A licensed expert where your former student lives

We match each claim to a vetted local partner who knows the language, the consumer rules and the courts. You sign one agreement and follow every case on one platform.

Reaches students in their home country

A partner where the former student now lives writes in their language and follows the local address and contact rules.

Respects student consumer rules

The partner applies the debtor country's consumer rules, such as withdrawal rights for online courses and US limits on collection calls.

Treats corporate training as B2B

For fees owed by employers, the partner uses local late-payment law, including statutory interest and recovery costs where they apply.

How it works

From overdue invoice to money in your account

  1. Submit the claim

    Upload the invoice or statement, the enrollment or training agreement and the payment plan if there is one. You see the fee before you confirm.

  2. A local expert takes over

    We match the claim to a licensed partner in the debtor's country. You talk to them directly in the case chat.

  3. You get paid

    You get paid what is recovered, minus the partner's share. Court action only starts if you accept a quote.

See every step

How Debitura works · 2:39 · Lars Holdgaard, founder

Industry facts

International students and unpaid fees, in numbers

Universities, private and language schools, online course providers and training companies enroll students and corporate clients from other countries, and unpaid tuition or course fees often follow the debtor home. A licensed partner in the debtor's country collects under local law, including the consumer rules that protect students.

Share of international students in tertiary education, 2023

In 2023, international or foreign students made up 23.4% of tertiary students in the UK, 12.7% in Germany and 5.3% in the US. The OECD average was 7.4%.

  • United Kingdom23.4%
  • Germany12.7%
  • France9.7%
  • OECD average7.4%
  • United States5.3%
Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2025: Country notes (United Kingdom, Germany, France, United States). [1]

Share of UK companies facing late payments, by sector, 2025

In Coface's 2025 UK survey, 78% of non-profit, government and education organizations reported late payments, against 90% of all companies.

  • ICT91%
  • All companies90%
  • Hospitality81%
  • Non-profit, government & education78%
  • Agrifood78%
  • Publishing, communications & media60%
Source: Coface, 2025 United Kingdom Payment Survey: Companies face rising payment delays amid buyer cash flow concerns. [2]

749,000

In 2023, the UK hosted almost 749,000 international students and the US almost 957,000, according to the OECD. [1]

6.9 million

UNESCO counts 6.9 million students studying away from their home country worldwide, a number that has tripled since 2000 (published 2025). [3]

USD 20,328

At US public institutions, average annual master's tuition was USD 20,328 for foreign students and USD 12,596 for national students (OECD, 2025). [4]

98%

The CFPB reported in 2023 that as many as 98% of US colleges offer tuition payment plans, used by up to 3.9 million borrowers each term. [5]

Rules that shape collection in education

1 in 3

At least one in three US colleges reserve transcript withholding

The CFPB found in 2023 that at least one in three US colleges reserve the right to withhold transcripts to collect debts, which it has found abusive under certain circumstances. [5]

Title IV

US federal aid rules require transcripts for paid, aided periods

US institutions in federal student aid programs must provide an official transcript for periods funded by Title IV aid when charges were paid or covered by a payment agreement. [6]

14 days

EU consumers can withdraw from distance contracts within 14 days

Under EU Directive 2011/83/EU, consumers have 14 days to withdraw from distance or off-premises contracts, such as online course sign-ups, subject to the Article 16 exceptions. [7]

60 days

Corporate training invoices fall under EU late payment rules

Training sold to companies is a B2B service. Under EU Directive 2011/7/EU, B2B contract payment periods may not exceed 60 calendar days unless expressly agreed and not grossly unfair. [8]

Third-party figures and legal rules, checked on the source on 17 October 2026. They describe the industry, not Debitura's results. Rules change and depend on the contract and the debtor's country, so this is not legal advice.

Sources (8)
  1. OECD, Education at a Glance 2025: Country notes (United Kingdom, Germany, France, United States) (2025). www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/09/education-at-a-gla
  2. Coface, 2025 United Kingdom Payment Survey: Companies face rising payment delays amid buyer cash flow concerns (2025). www.coface.com/content/download/85388/file/202510%20-%20Payment%20survey%20-%20U
  3. UNESCO, Record number of higher education students highlights global need for recognition of qualifications (2025). www.unesco.org/en/articles/record-number-higher-education-students-highlights-gl
  4. OECD, Education at a Glance 2025: United States (country note) (2025). www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/09/education-at-a-gla
  5. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Tuition Payment Plans in Higher Education (2023). files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_tuition_payment_plan_report_2023-09.p
  6. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of the Code of Federal Regulations), 34 CFR 668.14, Program participation agreement (2026 (current text)). www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/668.14
  7. Official Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights (2011). eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011L0083
  8. Official Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions (recast) (2011). eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011L0007
Ways to submit

Send cases the way you already work

Type in one claim, upload a spreadsheet of overdue accounts, or connect your accounting software and send overdue invoices from there.

All integrations

What it costs

No Cure, No Pay, with the fee shown before you submit

No setup fee, no subscription and no retainer. If money is recovered, the success fee depends on where the debtor lives and the size of the claim. Minimum claim sizes depend on the market and on whether the debtor is a consumer or a business.

See your feeSee what you sign

Europefrom 6%

EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the UK and Switzerland

Internationalfrom 7.5%

Every other country, including the United States

Preguntas frecuentes

Debt collection for education providers

¿Es Debitura una agencia de recobro?

No. Debitura is a debt collection platform. We match your case to a licensed local collection agency or law firm in your debtor's country, which does the collection under local law. We provide the agreement, the platform and the quality checks.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No. There is no setup fee, subscription or retainer. You pay a success fee only on money that is recovered. Legal action is quoted separately and only starts if you accept the quote.

Can a school collect unpaid tuition from a student who has returned home?

Yes, if the debt is undisputed. A licensed partner in the student's home country contacts them in their language and collects under local law, including local consumer rules.

Does the 14-day withdrawal right affect online course fees?

In the EU, consumers have 14 days to withdraw from distance contracts, subject to the exceptions in Article 16 of Directive 2011/83/EU. If a student withdrew in time, the fee may not be due, so make sure the claim is undisputed before you submit it.

Do you collect from companies that booked training for employees?

Yes. Corporate training fees are B2B claims. In the EU, late-payment rules give the creditor statutory interest and a fixed recovery sum, and the local partner applies the debtor country's rules.

Do you accept claims from any course provider?

Debitura accepts claims from legitimate education and training providers. Programs whose main product is the promise of making money, rather than a concrete skill, are not accepted.

Do we stay in control?

Yes. You decide whether to escalate, you approve payment plans over 12 months and discounts over 20%, and you can see every action the partner logs.

What does it cost?

From 6% in Europe and 7.5% elsewhere, depending on claim size and the debtor's country. See the full fee schedule.

Recover unpaid tuition and course fees

Create a free account and submit your first claim in two minutes. You see the fee and the partner before anything starts.