Brazilian university accepts bitcoin for tuition
Faculty of Informatics and Management Paulista (FIAP), a private university located in São Paulo, Brazil, will now accept bitcoin for tuition payments on select courses.
According to a report from CoinDesk, FIAP will begin accepting tuition payments in bitcoin for classes taken as part of its Shift program. The university’s Shift program offers shorter courses on entrepreneurship, innovation, project management and technology. Local bitcoin processor PagCoin will serve as the payments processor on the initiative.
As further proof of the university’s support of the technology, FIAP is opening a bitcoin ATM on campus and is offering a six-module course entitled “Bitcoin – A Revolução do Dinheiro” (loosely translated to The Revolution Money).
The class will be held on weekends, offering additional credit to anyone interested in learning about the technology. Topics will cover the difference between bitcoin and other payment methods, bitcoin’s impact on financial markets, and how students can buy and transact in bitcoin.
With the installation of its bitcoin ATM, FIAP joins a host of international universities climbing on board with the technology. Other universities that have installed bitcoin ATMs on campus include Spain’s Pompeu Fabra University, Canada’s Simon Fraser University and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The bitcoin ATM unit will be supplied by bitcoin services startup CoinBR at no cost to the university, while Pagcoin will take a 1% fee on transactions.