Lomond School in Helensburgh, Scotland, has made history by becoming the first school in the UK to accept bitcoin as payment for tuition fees. From the fall of 2025, parents will be able to pay fees in the world’s most scarce digital asset.
This bold move by the independent co-educational day and boarding school has got Bitcoin advocates talking locally and internationally. Located in Helensburgh, Lomond School teaches students from 3-18, and has both local and international pupils.
This development is a big deal for the UK education system. While some universities around the world have already dabbled with digital assets in various ways, Lomond is believed to be the first school in the UK—and possibly globally—to accept bitcoin for tuition.
Principal Claire Chisholm is proud to be leading educational innovation:
“For generations, this school has nurtured inquirers, thinkers, communicators, and open-minded risk-takers. It’s really no surprise then that the inventor of the television, John Logie Baird, is a former pupil.”
To manage the new payment method, Lomond School is partnering with two digital asset service providers—Musqet and CoinCorner, the latter of which is registered with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
These partnerships will help the school to securely manage transactions and convert bitcoin into British pounds immediately to avoid currency fluctuations.
Even though all bitcoin payments will be converted to GBP initially to avoid currency risk, the school aims to create a bitcoin reserve in the future if adoption grows.
Related: Emory University Becomes First U.S. University to Publicly Invest in Bitcoin
This cautious but forward-thinking approach includes full compliance with UK financial regulations including anti-money laundering and tax rules.
The school’s leadership says the decision was driven by growing demand from local families and international education agents. For global families in particular, paying with bitcoin removes the uncertainty of international exchange rates and offers a borderless alternative to traditional banking.
“Bitcoin is available to anyone willing to learn—making it more democratic and inclusive, particularly for people in developing nations who lack access to traditional banking,” the school said in its official announcement.
The school also sees Bitcoin as more than just a payment method.
It plans to incorporate Bitcoin and the principles of the Austrian School of Economics into the curriculum. Students will learn about digital finance, blockchain technology, decentralization and what the school calls “sound money principles.”
“Lomond sees Bitcoin as a perfect real-world case study in economics, computing, ethics, and innovation,” the school said.
Lomond is known for doing things differently.
It was the first boarding school in Scotland to house both boys and girls under the same roof and recently switched from the Scottish Government’s curriculum to the International Baccalaureate (IB) which is recognized by top universities worldwide.
