Scholarship Management Software Features
Scholarship management software products may have some of the following features, which can generally be broken into two categories: collecting applications and reviewing them.
Application collection:
Customizable application forms — The ability to create a custom application form means institutions can ask the questions that are most relevant to a given scholarship.This provides reviewers with all the information they need to make an informed decision. Administrators can include customized instructions, word count limits, application deadlines, and other elements, depending on the tool.
Smart forms — Many scholarship management tools allow administrators to incorporate conditional logic into their forms, so the questions change dynamically depending on the answers an applicant inputs. This functionality can help filter out applicants who don’t meet a scholarship’s requirements.
Branded website — To create a more seamless connection with the rest of an institution’s online presence, scholarship management products offer application portals with the organization’s branding.
Letters of recommendation integration — For scholarship applications that require a letter of recommendation, scholarship management software can allow applicants to upload a letter and attach it to their application, or even send automated notifications to the people they are requesting a letter from.
File attachments — In addition to letters of recommendation, some products allow applicants to attach other files that they would like reviewers to consider as their application is being evaluated.
Automated messages — After an application has been submitted, scholarship management software can send out email confirmations so applicants know their materials are being processed. Users can also send automated “thank you" notes.
Scholarship matching — Some tools offer matching features that can filter scholarships by eligibility criteria and identify which scholarships an applicant is eligible for.
Application review:
Reviewer portal — Scholarship management software allows reviewers to see application materials in a reviewer portal alongside tools for scoring and commenting. This side-by-side layout means reviewers do not have to flip back and forth between application materials and scoring tools.
Flexible workflows — Scholarship processes vary depending on the institution, so many scholarship management platforms give administrators the ability to customize workflows for applications. For example, administrators could change the number of rounds an application has to go through or who the application goes to after an initial screening.
Automated review assignment — Once an application has been submitted, scholarship management software can automatically assign it to the appropriate reviewer.
Analytics and reports — Scholarship management platforms can display data on an analytics dashboard to give coordinators insight into whether the institution is meeting its goals. These data visualizations could include a variety of information about applicants, like gender, race, region, or test scores. Many programs also offer the ability to export custom reports based on scholarship data.
Communication and application tracking — Much like a CRM system tracks interactions between sales representatives and customers, scholarship management software can track applications and automate communications throughout the scholarship process. These communications could include follow-up questions from reviewers, thank you letters to applicants, notifications of receiving an award, or other messages. Some also include message templates.
Student portals — Some tools include student portals that allow applicants to log in and check the status of their application.
Mobile compatibility — A growing number of platforms are offering mobile compatibility so that information about the scholarship process is accessible on any device.
