How to pay for US university and expenses from Brazil
Tuition, housing and living costs in dollars add up fast, and the Brazilian path stacks IOF and FX on top. Here is how to pay in dollars for far less.
What you really pay from Brazil
- International transfer (SWIFT): 3.5% IOF on money sent abroad, plus a 2% to 4% bank FX markup and fixed SWIFT fees.
- Brazilian card: 3.5% IOF plus a 2% to 5% FX markup on every charge.
- Generalized tuition-payment platforms (Flywire and similar): convenient for the school, but they convert at their own marked-up rate and do not remove the IOF on your Brazilian funding source, so you still lose on the exchange.
Pay tuition in dollars with a US account
- 0.5% to convert reais to digital dollars.
- 0.5% to send those dollars to the university by ACH, wire or RTP.
Living expenses cost even less on the card
A clear example
Across a full year of US$30,000 in tuition and US$15,000 in living expenses, the Ruvo cost is just the fees:
- Tuition: US$30,000 by ACH or wire, 0.5% to convert plus 0.5% to send, about US$300.
- Living expenses: US$15,000 on the card, only the 0.5% conversion, about US$75.
Plan your conversions
Paying US tuition from Brazil: cost comparison
| Aspect | Ruvo | Flywire | Bank SWIFT |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOF | 0% | Embedded in rate | 3.5% |
| Rate used | ~Commercial rate | Platform rate + markup | Bank rate + spread |
| Total extra cost | ~1% | ~3%–5% | ~5%–8% |
| Pays university directly | Yes, by ACH or wire | Via platform | Via SWIFT |
| Fee shown before confirming | Yes | No | Rarely |
Ruvo gives you US account details and a dollar balance, so you pay the university directly by ACH, wire or RTP in dollars, with 0% IOF.
A bank SWIFT transfer adds 3.5% IOF plus FX, and platforms like Flywire bake a markup into the rate. With Ruvo it is 0.5% to convert reais to dollars plus 0.5% to send by ACH, wire or RTP, 1% all in, with 0% IOF.
Spend on the card, which uses your dollar balance with 0% IOF and 0% spread on dollar purchases. The only cost is the 0.5% to convert reais to digital dollars.
Yes. Ruvo gives you a US account number and routing number, so you wire or send ACH to the university directly — the same way a US resident would. You only need a platform like Flywire if the university specifically requires one.
Ruvo supports outbound wire transfers. You send from your dollar balance to any US bank account. The cost is 0.5% to send, plus 0.5% to convert from reais if funding from Brazil — 1% all in, with 0% IOF.
Yes, and this is the recommended approach. Convert a portion of your semester budget when the rate looks good, hold the dollars, and convert the rest as needed. Holding a dollar balance costs nothing, so there is no pressure to move everything upfront.
