Question 1

What is My Study Fund?

Accepted Answer

My Study Fund is an education investment platform where students share their journey and receive financial support from the people who believe in them — family, friends, mentors, and community members. Think of it as your personal fund page where your community can contribute to your education, follow your progress, and see the impact of their support. It's not charity. It's community investing in the future.

Question 2

Who can use My Study Fund?

Accepted Answer

Any student working toward an educational goal. That includes undergraduates, postgraduates, vocational students, students studying abroad, and anyone pursuing professional certifications or training. If you're investing in your education and have a community that wants to support you, My Study Fund is built for you. Supporters — whether family, friends, or anyone inspired by a student's journey — can also sign up to contribute and follow students.

Question 3

How is My Study Fund different from GoFundMe or other crowdfunding sites?

Accepted Answer

Great question. GoFundMe is designed for one-time campaigns — raise money, close the page, move on. My Study Fund is built for the full education journey. Your fund page stays with you throughout your studies. You post updates, build a community of supporters, and receive both one-time and recurring contributions. It's more like a relationship between you and your supporters than a single fundraising push. Plus, we're built specifically for students, so every feature is designed around the education experience.

Question 4

Is it free to join?

Accepted Answer

Yes — completely free for students. Always. There are no setup fees, no monthly costs, and no hidden charges. You'll never pay a cent to use My Study Fund. A small, transparent fee is added on the supporter's side to keep the platform running (around 5% for bank transfers, 7% for cards). But as a student, you receive 100% of every contribution.

Question 5

How do I set up my fund page?

Accepted Answer

It takes about two minutes. Sign up with your email, write a short description of your education journey and goals, add a photo if you'd like, and connect your bank account through Stripe for payouts. Once you're verified, your fund page is live and you can start sharing it with your community right away. No approval process, no waiting.

Question 6

When do I receive the funds?

Accepted Answer

Contributions are processed immediately through Stripe and typically arrive in your bank account within 1-3 business days. There's no minimum threshold — every contribution is sent to you on Stripe's standard payout schedule. You can check your payout status anytime from your student dashboard.

Question 7

Can I use My Study Fund if I'm not in the U.S. or Europe?

Accepted Answer

Currently, My Study Fund is available to students with bank accounts in the United States or Europe. If you're in one of those regions, you can sign up and start receiving contributions right away. We're working with Stripe to expand to more countries — and we'll announce new regions as soon as they're available. If you're elsewhere, you can join our waitlist to be the first to know.

Question 8

What information do I need to verify my account?

Accepted Answer

Stripe handles identity verification to keep everyone safe. You'll typically need your full name, address, date of birth, and bank account details. In some cases, Stripe may ask for a photo ID. The whole process is quick, secure, and only happens once. After that, contributions flow directly to your account.

Question 9

Can I update my bank account or payout details later?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can update your connected bank account or payout details anytime through Stripe's secure dashboard. Changes take effect for future payouts, so there's no disruption to contributions you've already received.

Question 10

Can I send email updates to my supporters?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we highly recommend it — supporters who receive updates are more likely to contribute again. From your dashboard, you can compose and send emails directly to your supporters. You can send to everyone, or just to specific groups (like active contributors vs. followers). Share exam results, milestones, campus stories, photos — anything that lets your supporters feel connected to your journey. We also send gentle, friendly engagement reminders to supporters on your behalf to help keep the momentum going.

Question 11

How do I control who can see my updates and content?

Accepted Answer

You have complete control. For every post or update, you choose one of three visibility levels: Public (anyone can see it, even without an account), Followers Only (people who follow your fund page), or Supporters Only (people who have contributed to your fund). This lets you share general updates widely while keeping more personal stories and milestones for the people who are most invested in your journey. You can change the visibility of any post at any time.

Question 12

How do I track my supporters and contributions?

Accepted Answer

Your student dashboard gives you a clear picture of everything. You'll see who's following your page, who's contributed, your full contribution history with amounts and dates, and engagement metrics like who's reading your updates and opening your emails. You can also view charts showing your funding progress over time, recurring contribution trends, and community growth. And if you ever need to export your data, that's just one click away.

Question 13

How can I contribute to a student?

Accepted Answer

Visit any student's fund page and click the contribute button. You can pay with a credit or debit card, ACH bank transfer (U.S.), or SEPA direct debit (Europe). Choose a one-time contribution or set up monthly recurring support — whatever works best for you. A quick tip: bank transfers (ACH/SEPA) have lower processing fees than cards, which means more of your contribution goes directly to the student.

Question 14

Is my payment and personal information secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes — security is built into everything we do. All payments are processed by Stripe, which maintains bank-level security and is fully PCI-DSS compliant. Your payment information is never stored on our servers — it's securely tokenized by Stripe. All data is transmitted with industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS), and we comply with international privacy regulations including GDPR. In short: your information is protected at every step.

Question 15

Can I cancel my recurring contribution?

Accepted Answer

Of course. You can cancel or adjust your recurring contribution at any time — no questions asked. You can manage this from your email receipts or by reaching out to our support team. Cancellations take effect immediately, and you won't be charged again.

Question 16

Are contributions tax-deductible?

Accepted Answer

No. My Study Fund is a personal fundraising platform, not a registered nonprofit. Contributions are considered personal gifts. We always recommend consulting your tax advisor if you have specific questions about your situation.

Question 17

What fees apply?

Accepted Answer

Students pay nothing — ever. For supporters, a small transparent fee is added to each contribution to cover payment processing and keep the platform running. Here's the breakdown: Bank transfers (ACH/SEPA) come to about 5% total, which includes Stripe's processing fee and our platform fee. Credit and debit cards come to about 7% total, reflecting the higher processing costs charged by card networks. There are no monthly fees, no hidden charges, and all fees are clearly shown before you complete your contribution. We designed it this way so that 100% of the contribution amount goes to the student.

Question 18

Can I get a refund after contributing?

Accepted Answer

Contributions are generally considered final, since funds are sent directly to the student. However, if there was an error or unauthorized activity, please contact us within 7 days at support@mystudyfund.com and we'll review your case promptly. We take these situations seriously and will work with you and Stripe to resolve any issues.

Question 19

Who holds the funds?

Accepted Answer

My Study Fund never holds your money. All contributions are processed by Stripe and sent directly to the student's verified bank account. We designed it this way on purpose — your money goes where it's supposed to go, with no middleman holding it along the way.

Question 20

Why was my payout delayed or account paused?

Accepted Answer

This usually happens when Stripe needs a bit more verification — it's a standard security measure to protect everyone involved. If this happens to you, you'll receive an email from Stripe with clear instructions on what's needed. In most cases, it's resolved quickly. If you need help, reach out to us at support@mystudyfund.com and we'll guide you through it.

Question 21

My contribution went through, but the student hasn't received it yet. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Don't worry — processing typically takes 1-3 business days, depending on the payment method and the student's bank. If it's been more than 5 business days, contact us at support@mystudyfund.com with your transaction details and we'll investigate right away with Stripe. We won't rest until it's resolved.

Question 22

How can I contact My Study Fund support?

Accepted Answer

We're here for you. Email us at support@mystudyfund.com or use the contact form on our website. Our team typically responds within 24 hours on business days. Whether you have a technical question, need help with your fund page, or just want to share feedback — we'd love to hear from you.

Question 23

What's next for My Study Fund?

Accepted Answer

We're just getting started. We're actively working on expanding to more countries through our partnership with Stripe, so students around the world can receive support in their local currency. We're also building new tools to help students tell their stories more effectively, deeper insights for supporters to see their impact, and features that make the connection between students and their communities even stronger. Have an idea or feature request? We'd love to hear it — email us at support@mystudyfund.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

General