What to Look for When Evaluating Enrollment Software Features

There’s a lot to consider when selecting a new enrollment management system for your school: How will it impact your current application process? Is it user-friendly for prospects? Will it create efficiencies for admission officers? Does it address the challenges you’re trying to solve? The pressure to make the “right” choice can seem daunting, but you can simplify the decision process by focusing on how the software works. Here are the ten key features to evaluate.

1. Intuitive Application Forms

Enrollment applications can be cumbersome. Look for software that lets you customize forms for your needs. Then review the application from the student/family perspective: Is it easy to use on mobile devices? Are the instructions clear? Does it walk applicants through the process? Ensure you can amend your application as institutional and market needs change.

2. Personalized Checklists and Notifications

Configurable checklists and workflows keep prospects moving through the application funnel and guide your staff through time-sensitive activities. Does the software you’re considering offer role-based access and application tracking? Can you automate notifications to encourage timely task completion for both staff and students?

3. Appointment Scheduling

Does the software empower students and families to self-schedule visits and register for events? New software should deliver efficiencies. Blackbaud’s enrollment system connects the school and admissions calendars so it’s easy to plan around—or for—campus activities.

4. Candidate Review Hub

If one goal is to create a paperless admissions process, you need a robust online committee review hub where admissions officers can access candidate documentation, review notes from colleagues, and add their own feedback. Are permissions in place to control who can see sensitive information? How does reporting streamline the acceptance process?

5. Communication Tools

In-system communication tools keep everything centralized by applicant so you don’t have to sort through emails and notes. In addition to committee collaboration features, evaluate how the system helps you manage staff-to-prospect, prospect-to-staff, and staff-to-staff communications.

6. Integrated Contracts

Look for a system that provides individualized enrollment contracts that integrate with your tuition and financial aid software. Will the integrated contracts reflect financial aid awards? Can students/families select a payment plan? Will completed contracts feed into your tuition and billing system?

7. Proactive Reporting

Modern enrollment software should aid decision-making and provide insights that help drive both enrollment and student retention. It should have dynamic dashboards and customizable reports to highlight applicant activity and year-over-year trends. The best systems also provide reporting to help refine recruitment efforts. Does this new system connect with your SIS to identify gaps in enrollment? Can it group existing students—by sending school, athletics, extracurricular interests, etc.—and analyze academic performance? This can not only help you prioritize best-fit prospects, it can also help identify students at risk of attrition who may need proactive support.

8. Data Integration

Admissions software is the primary source of new and returning family data. How is that data getting into the school’s other systems? Manual data entry and siloed systems result in inaccurate information, cumbersome imports and exports, and heavier workloads. Blackbaud Enrollment Management System™ is fully connected to our LMS and SIS solutions, providing deeper insights. What’s more, enrollment contracts sync with our financial aid, tuition, and billing systems, constituent records flow into our fundraising and fund accounting solutions, and we have developed secure integrations with all the major third-party vendors.

What can Blackbaud Enrollment Management System do for your school?

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