10 Tips to Revolutionize Your Scholarship Review Process
Tip Sheet
The scholarship review process can be complicated and time-consuming, mainly because there are so many people involved. Adhering to deadlines may not always be the top priority for reviewers—who usually have other responsibilities—and the only thing more challenging than ensuring reviews are completed on time may be trying to change outdated processes that are deeply ingrained at an institution. Based on our work with hundreds of scholarship professionals to successfully implement change and improve the experience for reviewers, scholarship managers, applicants, and even scholarship donors, we offer our top ten tips below.
1. Understand Each Committee’s Process
Each scholarship review committee tends to have a unique process. They have specific scoring rubrics, meeting cadences, and communication methods. It is important as a scholarship professional that you understand the process for each review group and why they do the things they do. That understanding will make it much easier for you to offer suggestions for improvement. While this can be difficult to track, technology can play a big role in helping you organize and understand the review process for each committee and the status of a given group at any point in time.
2. Create a Scoring Rubric That Works for Them
Do not assume that having a standard scoring rubric across all of your review committees will be beneficial. Based on your understanding of each current process, work to improve or create a scoring rubric or methodology that makes sense for each committee. Suggest how they can make more objective decisions and award recipient recommendations. Best practice is to score applicants based on a numerical scale or ranking in order to justify final nominations. If a committee or committees need help moving away from subjective notes to an objective process, help create guidelines that closely align with their existing committee structure.
54%
of scholarship administrators in a Blackbaud survey said that improving the application review process was their top priority
3. Keep Student Data Secure
Student data is extremely valuable and data security laws are getting more strict across the globe. It is critical to ensure your practices and the technology you use are compliant with current regulations.
Reviewers may request applications be printed for review because they are not comfortable with the technology your institution uses. Work with them ahead of award season to increase technology adoption. Try to explore user-friendly options that allow review committees to work efficiently while offering role-based access to student information, keeping data secure. Share student data regulations with reviewers—along with consequences for not maintaining compliance—so they can help be good stewards of student data.
4. Facilitate a Move Away from Paper
A review process conducted on paper is inefficient and insecure. As the administrator, you can help improve the process for everyone by facilitating a move away from paper and to secure technology. While this may seem like a daunting undertaking, keep in mind that this short-term project could save the university big in the long run by keeping student and donor data secure, expediting the awarding process, and freeing administrators to spend less time on manual work and more on strategic initiatives.
5. Centralize All Award Information
One of the most time-consuming tasks during scholarship season used to be determining which applicants were or were not eligible for each award. By centralizing all scholarship information in one system—including requirements, program details, student information, etc.—the system itself can narrow down applicants through established parameters. Then the reviewers score each eligible applicant against your approved rubric to determine application strength. The system helps aggregate those scores to indicate the top candidates to receive each award. Everything the reviewer needs—from student data and applications to approved rubrics, deadlines, FAQs, and more—is all in the scholarship management system.
The faculty were thrilled—I mean absolutely thrilled—for a secure, automated, paperless process that’s going to provide them with the accurate list of candidates for each of their scholarships.
6. Use Single Sign-On
If you are planning on implementing technology, best practice is to ensure reviewers can use campus credentials to log in. This will make it much easier for them to access and complete their reviews versus calling you to ask for login help. This is another area where role-based access is useful— reviewers will only see the applications and data relevant to them.
7. Provide Training
When you make major changes to your current process or technology, training is crucial. No matter how intuitive your technology is, formal training will enhance adoption and get everyone on the same page about new processes, workflows, and expectations. Partner with a software vendor that provides ongoing training and support for administrators, empowering them to train reviewers. Ensure everyone has the information they need for a successful award season.
8. Assign Champions to Each Group
It may be difficult to wrangle every single reviewer into one training session. Rather than providing time-consuming one-on-one training, give yourself a first line of defense for each review group. What does this mean? Involve a champion from each review committee in creating new processes and ensure they are well trained on new workflows, technology, and expectations. Direct review committee members to reach out to their individual leader or champion first to answer basic questions, and have the champions reinforce processes and timelines within their committees.
9. Set Clear Deadlines
Set a deadline and stick to it. Leverage automated reminders and workflows within your award management system to help keep your scholarship cycle on track. Communicate the deadlines as early as possible to help reviewers plan their schedules accordingly and ensure reviews will be completed on time. When creating a deadline, try to be sensitive to holidays, office closures, and times when reviewers may be extremely busy with their day-to-day jobs.
10. Prepare for Incomplete Reviews
Delayed reviews mean delayed awards and scholarship dollars are often a pivotal part of a student’s enrollment decision. Have other committee members or backup reviewers on standby and reassign incomplete reviews if the original reviewer is not able to finish their work by the deadline. Look for a scholarship solution that can easily reshuffle applications and rubrics online to the next available reviewer. Having the technology to support you before needs arise can make sure you are prepared to hit your targets and have a successful reviewing season.
