Universities face complex and evolving challenges when managing merchant services, payment systems, and PCI compliance. Arrow Payments is a faster, remunerative, and ultimately more successful long-term approach.Â
Below, we break down why leveraging Arrow Payments is a strategic choice to manage or complement the resources universities need to meet their merchant services responsibilities and PCI compliance requirements.
Faster Implementation & Expertise from Day One
Hiring an Individual:
A newly hired staff member requires months to onboard, train, and familiarize themselves with university systems and PCI requirements.
They must build institutional knowledge, develop compliance strategies, and establish vendor relationships from scratch.
If they lack experience in higher education payments, they face a steep learning curve, and will never gain the experience, exposure, awareness, innovation, and higher educational practice that comes from working with multiple schools and solutions outside their university.
Arrow Payments Advantage:
Immediate expertise – Arrow Payments specializes in university merchant services and PCI compliance, bringing pre-existing knowledge and best practices from working with large and small institutions across the country.
Rapid deployment – The team can immediately assess vulnerabilities, streamline payment systems, and implement PCI compliance solutions with minimal downtime.
Proven Higher Ed Success – Arrow Payments has already helped large and small institutions across the country including Northwestern, Cornell, and Purdue University optimize their payment ecosystems and PCI compliance, avoiding costly trial-and-error approaches.
➡ Universities save months of time by leveraging a team that already understands the complexities of higher education payments.
Cost-Effectiveness: Lower Total Cost Compared to a Full-Time Hire
Hiring an Individual:
Salary for a compliance officer or payments specialist ranges from $90,000 – $150,000 per year, excluding benefits, training, and retention costs.
Additional costs include continuing education, compliance certification fees, and professional development to keep them up to date.
If the hire doesn’t work out, the university incurs recruitment costs and must restart the hiring process.
Arrow Payments Advantage:
Fixed, predictable costs – Arrow Payments operates on a service-based model, eliminating the unpredictable expenses associated with hiring and retaining staff.
Access to a full team – Instead of relying on a single employee, the university benefits from an entire team of experts specializing in payments, security, and compliance.
No turnover risk – Universities avoid the financial and operational risks of employee attrition and knowledge loss.
➡ Universities get a team of specialized experts for a fraction of the cost of hiring, training, and retaining an individual employee.
Higher Success Rate & Compliance Reliability
Hiring an Individual:
A single staff member can only manage so much – they may struggle with the complexity of PCI DSS requirements, vendor negotiations, and payment technology integration.
Keeping up with PCI DSS updates, security threats, and compliance audits is a full-time job that is difficult for one person to handle.
If the individual makes an error, the university faces costly compliance fines, security breaches, or failed audits.
Arrow Payments Advantage:
100% focus on PCI compliance – Arrow Payments stays ahead of PCI DSS changes, regulatory updates, and security risks, ensuring continuous compliance.
Proven track record – The team has successfully helped universities pass audits, prevent fraud, and secure transactions, reducing institutional liability.
Error reduction & risk mitigation – With multiple compliance specialists reviewing payment processes, the risk of costly mistakes is significantly lower.
➡ Universities gain peace of mind knowing that a team of specialists is proactively managing compliance and security risks.
4. Scalability & Future-Proofing
Hiring an Individual:
If the university expands its payment systems, adds new vendors, or needs additional compliance support, one person may struggle to scale operations effectively.
If they leave, the university is left with a knowledge gap, requiring costly retraining of a replacement.
Arrow Payments Advantage:
Scalable services – Arrow Payments can adjust support levels as the university’s needs evolve, providing ongoing optimization and new system integrations.
Continuous improvements – With access to emerging payment technologies, fraud prevention tools, and compliance innovations, Arrow Payments ensures the university stays ahead of industry changes.
Seamless transitions – Universities don’t have to worry about losing knowledge when a staff member leaves; the team remains consistent and provides uninterrupted support.
➡ Universities gain a long-term, scalable partner that continuously enhances their payment and compliance infrastructure.
Vendor Management & Technology Integration
Hiring an Individual:
A single staff member often lacks the industry connections and leverage to negotiate better contracts with payment vendors.
Integrating new payment solutions across a decentralized university system is a massive challenge that one person may struggle to manage efficiently.
Arrow Payments Advantage:
Established vendor relationships – Arrow Payments has strong partnerships with major payment processors and can negotiate better rates and service agreements.
Seamless technology integration – They have experience working with ERP systems, student payment portals, and third-party payment solutions, ensuring smooth integrations across campus departments.
Optimized payment processes – They eliminate inefficiencies, reducing manual work and improving overall transaction speed and accuracy.
➡ Universities benefit from improved vendor terms, seamless tech integration, and reduced operational inefficiencies.
Final Verdict: Hiring Arrow Payments is the Superior Choice
| Factor | Hiring an Individual | Hiring Arrow Payments |
| Speed to Implementation | Slow – Months to onboard, train, and develop compliance strategy. | Fast – Immediate deployment of expertise and best practices. |
| Cost | Expensive – $90K–$150K+ salary, benefits, training, turnover risks. | Cost-effective – Fixed pricing, scalable service, no recruitment costs. |
| Compliance Risk | High – One person may struggle to keep up with PCI updates and audits. | Low – Expert team ensures full compliance and risk mitigation. |
| Scalability | Limited – Hard for one person to scale with university growth. | High – Team can adjust support and implement new solutions. |
| Vendor & Technology Support | Limited – Less negotiating power and integration expertise. | Strong – Vendor leverage and seamless system implementation. |
| Long-Term Success | Risky – If the hire leaves, knowledge is lost. | Secure – Dedicated partner ensures uninterrupted service. |
Conclusion: Arrow Payments Delivers Superior Results
Universities must think beyond short-term staffing solutions and invest in a strategic, long-term payments and compliance partner like Arrow Payments. With proven success in higher education, Arrow Payments ensures that universities remain secure, compliant, and operationally efficient—far beyond what a single in-house hire could achieve.
Feel free to use this link to schedule a time to speak with our team…
Schedule Arrow Payments Meeting/Presentation:
https://app.reclaim.ai/m/bryan-arrowpayments/meetingÂ
