New partnership connects Pearsana's secure digital wallet to ISTS' scholarship management solution, giving students lasting ownership of their verified records and one less barrier to their next opportunity.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. and BELFAST, Ireland, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearsana, the digital wallet technology created by Inspirus Global Education (IGE), and International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS), today announced a new partnership that will give students and their families a permanent, portable and secure home for the verified credentials and documents they spend years collating, tracking down and resubmitting.
For students, that experience is all too familiar: the same transcript requested three separate times, the same proof of enrollment re-uploaded for a new scholarship, the same records chased down again months after graduation because a new school, a new job or a new country asked for them one more time. Every step in a student's journey tends to start the same way, from zero. The partnership between Pearsana and ISTS is built around a simple idea: it shouldn't have to.
"For most students, opportunity depends on being able to prove who you are and what you've done, again and again, to different schools, employers and agencies," said Gareth Maguire, founder and CEO of IGE. "We built Pearsana because that shouldn't be the barrier it so often is. Partnering with an organization like ISTS, which has spent more than 40 years earning the trust of students and institutions, gives us the chance to put that idea directly into the hands of the students who need it most, at exactly the moment it matters for their future."
Through the partnership, students who engage with scholarships and other educational assistance programs administered by ISTS will have the option to bring a Pearsana wallet into that process. Documents submitted as part of the online application experience hosted by ISTS can be added directly into the student's own wallet, rather than left sitting in a single application file the student can't reuse. From there, the record belongs to the student: to carry into the next application, the next school, the next stage of a career, or simply the next time someone asks them to prove what they've already proven once.
It is also, deliberately, not a proprietary destination. Pearsana is not asking ISTS applicants to adopt a wallet that only works inside one organization's programs. It is designed to travel with the student: through their remaining time in school, into the next application cycle, across a transfer or a move abroad, and into whatever comes after graduation. For a partnership built around educational access and persistence — where a single student's journey can touch dozens of institutions, employers and programs over a decade or more — that portability is the point.
"Students shouldn't have to navigate a frustrating process to retain secure control of their personal documents and academic records. Pearsana's digital wallet is a great complement to the services ISTS offers as it removes a sticking point for students in their pursuit of academic and career success," said Matt Rompala, President of ISTS. "We are excited to work with Gareth and his team to accelerate how we support all students to become better versions of themselves."
The collaboration extends a relationship more than a year in the making. Pearsana founder and IGE CEO Gareth Maguire and ISTS leadership first connected through the Belfast and Nashville Sister Cities relationship, discovering shared ground between a technology built to give students lifelong ownership of their information and an organization that has spent more than four decades earning students' and institutions' trust to hold that information responsibly in the first place.
About Pearsana
Pearsana is a digital wallet technology created by Inspirus Global Education and headquartered in Ireland. Pearsana gives students and families a single, secure place to hold their verified academic and identity documents, along with the right to access, own and control that information for as long as they need it. Rather than starting over each time they apply to a new school, scholarship, employer or program, Pearsana wallet holders carry their verified history forward with them, cutting down on repeat paperwork and helping students stay prepared for whatever comes next in their academic and professional journey. Both Pearsana and IGE are part of Inspirus Group Holdings (IGH).
About International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS)
International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS) is a leading provider of educational assistance program management for scholarships, tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment and more. With a commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the higher education landscape, ISTS collaborates closely with clients to deliver customized solutions that encompass the entire lifecycle of a program and include the services, technology and support that program sponsors need to achieve their goals and make a real impact on students' lives. Founded in Tennessee in 1985, ISTS is a 100% women-owned company serving organizations and students on a global scale.
SOURCE International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc.
Share this article