Short answer: never verify an offer using contact details printed only on that offer. Find the university independently, confirm the institution and program, and ask the official admissions or finance office to validate your reference and payment account.
1. Confirm the institution exists
Search the exact university name on YÖDAK’s current official list. Watch for similar names, changed names and translations. Then type the official web address yourself or follow the regulator’s link; do not begin with a link sent in a private message.
An institution being listed does not prove that your PDF is genuine, but an institution missing from the relevant official system is a reason to stop and ask the regulator for clarification.
2. Inspect the sender, not only the letter
Look at the full email address and domain. A display name such as “International Admissions” can hide a free mailbox or lookalike domain. Compare every character with the university’s official website.
An agent may legitimately forward a document. That does not remove your right to obtain confirmation from the university. Ask the agent for your official application reference and the office that issued the offer.
Do not treat logos, stamps, signatures or QR codes as proof by themselves. They can be copied into a convincing document.
3. Verify the applicant and program details
Check your name, passport number, program, degree level, teaching language, intake and scholarship. Visit the university’s own program catalogue and confirm that the course exists in the promised language and intake.
If the title differs between the offer and the website, ask the department to explain in writing. Professional programs deserve an additional accreditation and recognition check.
4. Contact the university independently
Use the email or phone number published on the official website. Send your name and application reference and ask:
- Did the university issue this offer?
- Is the program and intake correct?
- What amount is currently payable?
- What is the official beneficiary name and account?
- Which charges and refund terms apply?
Do not send more personal data than the office needs. A passport number may be required for matching, but consider redacting unnecessary fields when first asking for the correct secure channel.
5. Check the invoice and bank account
The invoice should identify the institution, student, program, intake, currency and payment reference. Compare bank details with the university’s official payment page or obtain written confirmation from its finance office.
EMU, for example, publishes its institutional bank beneficiary and tells students which reference information to include. A different university may use a different official arrangement; the principle is to verify with that university.
Never send tuition to an individual’s personal account because someone says it is faster. Treat crypto, gift cards, cash couriers and an unexplained third-party beneficiary as stop signs.
6. Understand the deadline
A real offer can have a deadline, but the university should be able to confirm it. Pressure such as “pay in one hour” or refusal to allow verification is not acceptable. Ask what the payment secures, whether it is refundable and what happens if travel or final registration fails.
Save the offer, invoice, official confirmation, transfer receipt and university acknowledgment in one folder. A SWIFT or bank receipt shows a transfer instruction; wait for the university to confirm the funds reached your student account.
Red flags that justify stopping
- The sender uses a free or misspelled domain.
- The representative discourages direct university contact.
- Program or fee details conflict with the official site.
- The beneficiary is a person without documented institutional authority.
- A scholarship has no written terms.
- You are asked to falsify a result, passport detail or financial record.
- The offer contains another student’s data or inconsistent reference numbers.
If you already paid
Contact your bank immediately and ask whether a recall or fraud process is available. Preserve messages, receipts and account details. Notify the real university and the relevant authorities. Do not send a second payment to “release” or “refund” the first.
Yuzu Cyprus will review an offer or invoice without charging you. Our check is a second opinion; confirmation from the university and regulator is the evidence that matters.