NextGen's trusted student financial operating system
Grow-Link Pay
Fund a future. Support a student. Strengthen success.
Grow-Link is comprehensive financial infrastructure for the student ecosystem, connecting universities, bursary providers, accommodation providers, merchants, employers, parents, and students through a single secure ecosystem.
Grow-Link Pay ensures every rand allocated for education reaches its intended purpose while giving students greater control, transparency, and financial independence.
Overview
A secure digital payment platform built for student funding.
Unlike a traditional wallet, Grow-Link Pay ensures that funding is spent only for its intended purpose through intelligent approval workflows and merchant verification. Bursaries, universities, sponsors, parents, and employers allocate and monitor funds; students get controlled access to approved payments.
Key features
Every stakeholder, one secure ecosystem.
Student Wallet
Your money, your rules, your goals.
- Multi-wallet allowances for tuition, accommodation, books and living expenses.
- QR code payments at approved merchants and residences.
- Virtual card for secure online and in-store spend.
- Real-time balance, transaction history and digital receipts.
Bursary Dashboard
Fund with clarity and confidence.
- Allocate funding and set category-level spending rules.
- View utilization and prevent misuse before it happens.
- Generate audit reports and compliance monitoring.
- Every disbursement traceable back to the source funder.
Merchant Portal
Verified merchants, faster settlement.
- Submit payment requests and invoice students directly.
- Verify student authorization before checkout.
- Track settlement status and automate reconciliation.
- Join a trusted network of accommodation, bookshops, canteens and computer suppliers.
Parent Portal
Support from anywhere, instantly.
- Send funds to a student wallet in seconds.
- Track spending by category and merchant.
- Emergency transfers with real-time notifications.
- Stay informed without needing shared login details.
University Portal
Campus-wide financial oversight.
- Approve disbursements and verify accommodation payments.
- Monitor student spending against bursary rules.
- Run financial reporting and compliance analytics.
- Reconcile institutional accounts with a full audit trail.
Security by design
Protected at every layer.
- Biometric authentication and multi-factor authentication.
- AI fraud detection and real-time transaction monitoring.
- End-to-end encryption and verified merchant network.
- Full audit trail for every payment and approval.
Security
Trust built into every transaction.
We combine biometric verification, multi-factor authentication, AI fraud detection and end-to-end encryption so students, funders, parents and institutions can transact with confidence.
Escrow protection
Funds held safely.
Funds are placed in an Escrow Account managed by the Banking Partner, University or Bursary. Deductions are made against the escrow only when authorized, and an Escrow Agent is appointed to safeguard every stakeholder.
Banking Partner / University / Bursary
Deductions on Escrow
Escrow Agent appointed
Ready to make every rand count?
Join universities, funders, parents, merchants and students who are building NextGen's most trusted student payment ecosystem.
Explore the rest of the ecosystem
Four connected platforms — housing, funding, opportunity and student success — built to work together.
Student Living
Grow-Link Student Living
Accredited residences, applications, allocations and facilities in one managed system.
Visit Student LivingNexus
Grow-Link Nexus
Bursaries, internships, learnerships and graduate pathways matched to each student.
Visit NexusThrive
Grow-Link Thrive
Academic monitoring, wellness support and quarterly success visits for funded students.
Visit Thrive