Global payment solutions provider Flywire has acquired a UK-based competitor, Uni-Pay, in a move the company says means its client base now accounts for 13% of the global international student market.

British universities paid an estimated £120 million in agent commission in 2011/12 according to a new study – equivalent to an average £1,000 per student. Of the 302, 600 non-EU students recruited, around 38 per cent were placed by agents, with institutions paying a variety of commission rates and flat fees. It also revealed that admissions processing times vary wildly between universities.