Student applications - key tips to make the process easier
A seamless admissions process is essential for any educational organization, especially in an era where digital user experiences have become the new norm for almost every aspect of life, and are continually setting new standards.
Fortunately, there are several practices that can help you make a good impression on your candidates while making life easier for those who process their applications.
In this article, we will explore key tips that can improve your AZ admission process.
1. Qualify your candidates with a preliminary questionnaire
A preliminary quiz allows you to present a series of questions to candidates, which they must answer in order to complete their application files.
This helps ensure that a candidate meets the required criteria to apply and discourages unqualified candidates from sending their applications, which must still be processed.
2. Centralize your applications in one place
Implementing an application platform that centralizes all data and steps associated with the application process is one of the best ways to facilitate the admission process.
Such an application platform can address every essential need:
- A portal to showcase your calls
- Application area with online forms
- A file management area
- An evaluation space
- A decision-making space
This centralization allows all information to be easily analyzed through dashboards that show where your candidates are in the journey and whether there are any general weaknesses or bottlenecks in your processes.
3. Offer an intuitive and comprehensive candidate portal
Not so long ago, admissions officers or representatives of institutions had to attend countless fairs to attract potential students, rent equipment, and pay their staff.
Now, an internet connection is all a candidate needs to find a program and send an application.
However, in order to fully benefit from this digital transformation as an educational institution, this online space must anticipate every potential need while being easy to navigate for all the tasks necessary for submitting applications.
For example, this online space should allow:
- To save the information entered
- Submit your application after filling in all the required fields
- Attach the required documents
- To see confirmation that his application was successfully sent and received.
Some factors to consider when it comes to a candidate portal:
Optimized for mobile
It is becoming increasingly common for candidates to send their applications directly from their mobile phones, which means that it is essential to provide an intuitive mobile experience at every stage of an application.
Includes a FAQ section that answers frequently asked questions
A FAQ section helps candidates complete the process, while allowing your staff to spend time on higher value-added tasks instead of having to respond to every request.
Consistent with the image of your establishment
An application portal presented in a way that matches an organization's identity as closely as possible from an aesthetic point of view reinforces its unique image and communicates that high standards permeate the institution, regardless of the context.
4. Allow electronic signatures
Needless to say, allowing candidates to electronically sign their documents directly from your application platform speeds up and simplifies the admission process.
This provides a quick way to confirm the identity of your candidates without the need for additional paperwork and logistics.
5. Automate as much as possible
Scheduling your emails saves you valuable time while alerting your candidates to missing documents, the end of an application campaign, or a missing document.
The most common cases for this context:
- When the status of the case changes
- As a reminder, to finish entering information/submitting a file
These emails can be personalized with the appropriate name of the person, for example.
If you are using a comprehensive application platform, it is possible to automate the sending of your emails using its email functionalities.
6. Integrate your candidates into a CRM
All information submitted, entered or updated during the admission process must be centralized in a CRM.
While an application platform allows you to centralize all activities associated with the admission process, a CRM centralizes your candidates' information for subsequent strategic use .
A key advantage of a CRM (like Salesforce or Pipedrive) connected to your application system via an API is that once the admissions process is complete, you can move on to the next process in the student journey without any friction.
7. Incorporate a calendar to organize your candidate interviews
By integrating a calendar into your application platform, you can manage interviews with your candidates clearly across multiple programs.
In addition, you can define the available time slots for interviews by program and assign a panel for each to eliminate any ambiguity for your candidates as well as for your administrative teams.
8. Add comments about your candidates
A comment area associated with each file throughout the entire student application process allows all your staff to be on the same page when it comes to a file without the need for additional internal communications.
9. Ensure the security of your data
Regardless of the application system you use, a few basic precautions will allow you to significantly reduce the risk of disaster:
- Verify that you have regular backups of your web folders and database
- Create different user profiles to control access rights according to the defined user roles.
- Perform a connection log
- Ensure that a firewall filters access to the server
- Encrypt your backups
- Secure back-office access at the server level
- Block risky IP addresses
- Automatically block users attempting to hack
10. Offer online payment
To enable your candidates to pay application, registration or re-registration fees, online payment saves time by simplifying the process.
However, it is important to offer different payment amounts depending on the information provided, if applicable.
eMundus | Online platform for calls for applications
eMundus is a French start-up based in La Rochelle that offers a white-label online call for projects and applications platform for more efficient management of your application campaigns.
Thanks to its great flexibility, this platform adapts to all needs!
