How to pay for US university and expenses from Brazil

Getting money to a US school the usual way is expensive before tuition even starts: every common route, whether a bank transfer, a Brazilian card, or a tuition-payment platform, bakes in IOF, an FX markup, or its own margin. On US$60,000 of tuition, that can easily mean US$3,300 to US$5,700 that never reaches the US. Here is how much of the same payment survives each route:

A bank transfer (SWIFT) stacks 3.5% IOF on top of a 2% to 6% FX markup, plus fixed fees. Platforms like Flywire are convenient for the school, but they convert at their own marked-up rate, so you still lose on the exchange.

With Ruvo you get US account details and your own digital dollar balance. The cost is simple and shown before you confirm.

Why 0.5% + 0.5%? Converting reais to digital dollars costs 0.5%, and sending those digital dollars on to the university's US bank account (via ACH or Wire) costs another 0.5%. The two steps together add up to 1% — still far less than the IOF and FX markup of traditional routes.

Same money, same destination, the only variable is how much is lost along the way. Here is the cost of each route, in dollars, for a year with US$60,000 in tuition and US$15,000 in living expenses.

You do not have to convert everything at once. Hold digital dollars and convert reais to digital dollars when the rate is favorable, then pay tuition on schedule and spend the rest on the card. If you are also funding a visit, the same balance covers dollars for a US trip, and to move larger sums see sending money abroad. For students spending time in Brazil, paying by Pix as a foreigner handles daily expenses without needing a local bank account.