Admissions - Understanding the workflow steps

The admissions module is a series of workflows and steps made available to your potential candidates. The submitter, who can be either a student or a legal guardian, selects a workflow and follows the steps to a decision and hopefully enrolment.

How to work out your steps?

Moving to MySchool admissions is a great time to step back and look at your internal process. How do candidates start their journey? What information do you need and when? Are we keeping the candidates informed? Do we have enough information and evidence to make a decision? Let's break down the above workflow;

• External - New applicant

This is the first step, which is external, meaning submitters can fill out a form and start the application process. This will be a light form asking for the minimal information, to allow the team to make a first decision on the suitability of the candidate.

• Internal - Confirm application

The first internal step, even internal steps, need a form, but it will be a simple checklist of eligibility criteria. Does the student have the necessary grades or funding streams? Is the student a resident of the state/country, and if not, can they obtain a study visa?

Top tip: Although you can start the application process with a lengthy form asking all the questions you need, it may be easier for the submitter to fill out a light form to start the process. Do you need to collect medical records or consent from a student who will not be admitted into your school? Gathering information at each step is key to making the admissions process fluid.

• Payment step (Optional)

If you are using our Tuition Management module, you can request an application payment for a set fee from the submitter. They will be able to pay online via Stripe. This step is optional. There are payment value options that can be introduced into your workflow.

• Internal -  Admin check

An internal step to confirm payment has been received, and that the candidate has the eligibility requirements for a face-to-face interview or school visit. An email can be sent informing them of a tentative time and date for the interview.

• Internal - Face-to-Face interview

A great way to collect notes and feedback, and attach them to the workflow. There can even be a decision provided by the interviewer. You can upload mandatory forms that are maybe needed. These are uploaded to the admissions module, but are also available on the applicant's student profile.

• External - Additional information

This external form will start to collect further details to fill out the student profile. Ask for previous schools or medical/legal consents. Why not use forms with generic questions to fill out custom fields if needed? Ask for previous report cards or signed documents. As you are arriving at the decision stage, this is where you can request as much information as needed. Equally, this step could come after the decision phase if you feel it is more appropriate

Decision steps

In the admissions module, the applicants follow a linear path, but not each step needs to be completed, and admission administrators can jump steps. Decision steps are internal steps.

• Internal - Decline/Wait list

The decline decision step should always be the first decision. This way, it can be skipped or used to stop the flow from continuing. Automate a polite email to be sent to the candidate after the admin completes the step. Why not check out the wait list process?

• Internal - Accept & Enrol

So if the candidate is to be accepted, skip the decline step and complete the internal checklist for enrolment. Has the student been enrolled in their target class for the upcoming academic year? Have they completed all the mandatory information fields? Are they enrolled in courses, if available? Complete this step, so they can progress to the final stage.

• External - Welcome to the school

The last step is a form explaining school rules, links to valid online resources, payment terms if applicable or even an open question where the parents agree to the terms of condition of the contract, or agreement. The form can be used as a welcome pack for new students to prepare them for their beginnings in your institute.

Completing the steps

When a submitter completes an external step, they move to the next one in line. If the next step is external or a payment request, then the submitter continues until they reach an internal step. This step will be hidden from the submitter; it will allow the admissions team to check details and make decisions. Using light internal forms with checklists, the admissions process is conform and documented in case of audit, or regulatory needs.

When any step is completed, you attach a status to the step. This allows you to track how the candidate is progressing in the workflow, and if anybody is waiting for the school to complete an internal step. Using bulk communications, you can nudge any candidates who still have not completed their external steps. The administrators can update these manually for the candidate.

Automated emails on completing the step

On each step, upon completion, you can choose to send an email to the submitter and notify an internal staff distribution group. This is a great time-saving feature. If the submitter has completed an external form step, the email should contain details about what happens next and expectations for a timely response, especially if the next step is an internal decision or data verification step.

Use replacement tags to personalise these automated emails. Add your school logo as an image to further brand the communication. 

What is your process?

You decide on how you wish to manage your applications. If you wish, just for a simple one step with a large form, and then deal with decisions externally, that is possible. If you need more steps, then add as many as you need. This is the time to take a step back and check how you process applicants. You may find that some steps can be amalgamated or are too complicated.