The vendor required to provide secondary student information (SIS) and financial aid software system that meet all necessary federal compliance standards as well as internal markers of necessity.
- The system's primary goal is to modernize student data management, streamline administrative processes, and provide a seamless, integrated experience for students, faculty, and staff.
- A core component of this project is a comprehensive financial aid module that integrates tightly with student records and external regulatory systems.
- Objectives
• Streamline operations: automate key administrative processes, including admissions, registration, financial aid, and billing.
• Enhance user experience: provide a modern, mobile-friendly, and single-sign-on (SSO) experience for all users.
• Improve data integrity and access: ensure accurate data through validation, provide robust custom reporting, and offer clear data dashboards.
• Ensure compliance and reporting: automate regulatory reporting (NSLDS, 1098-t) and internal compliance tracking (e.g., sap).
• Integrate key systems: create a connected ecosystem by integrating the SIS with the LMS (canvas) and other critical third-party platforms (HubSpot, infinite campus, google workspace).
- Core system and technical requirements
• Pre-production sandbox: a dedicated sandbox environment for testing, configuration, and training that mirrors the production instance.
• Scheduled database backups: automated, regular database backups delivered securely via sftp.
• Data validation tool: in-built tools to ensure data integrity and consistency upon entry and import.
• Comprehensive audit logs: detailed, immutable logs tracking user activity, data changes, and system access for security and compliance.
- User access and security
• Google SSO: seamless single sign-on integration using google workspace credentials for all user types.
• SSO from SIS to LMS: single sign-on functionality allowing users to navigate from the SIS directly into the learning management system (canvas) without re-authentication.
- Integrations
• Learning management system: bi-directional integration with canvas.
• K-12 data: integration with infinite campus.
• CRM: integration with HubSpot.
• Financial aid reporting: automated financial aid data feed to the NSLDS (national student loan data system).
- Admissions, registration and student records
• Self-customizable applications and forms: ability for administrators to build and customize applications and other forms without vendor intervention.
• Automated registration and enrollment: workflow automation for student registration and enrollment processes.
• Automatic transcript creation: system-generated official and unofficial transcripts based on student academic records.
• Graduation reports: on-demand and scheduled reporting to track student progress toward graduation and identify potential completers.
- Financial aid module
• Core fa program: must provide either a deep, built-in financial aid program or a seamless, comprehensive integration with numerous post-secondary financial aid applications.
• Sap calculation: automated calculation for satisfactory academic progress (sap) to ensure financial aid compliance.
• Automated disbursement: an automated process for disbursing financial aid funds to student accounts.
- Student financials and billing
• Tax reporting (1098-t): automated generation and delivery of 1098-t tax forms.
• Itemized invoicing: student-facing invoices that are clearly itemized, with options for administrators to edit and adjust line items.
• Online payment portal: a secure, mobile-friendly portal for students to view balances and make payments online.
• Editable fees: ability to create, edit, and apply fees for on-demand invoice generation.
• High school invoice customization: specialized invoicing capabilities to meet the billing requirements for dual-enrollment or other high school programs.
• Student enrollment, financial aid, and demographic information will need to be automatically synced from the SIS to NSLDS.
• For the 1098, we either need a custom report for us to create custom 1098s for students or we need the SIS to perform a more automated process in delivering 1098s to student
- Reporting and analytics
• Custom report builder: a user-friendly tool allowing administrators to build, save, and run their own custom reports without requiring SQL or vendor support.
• Data dashboards: visual, role-based dashboards displaying key performance indicators and operational data.
- Communication and engagement
• SMS capabilities: integrated SMS and text messaging functionality for communication with students and prospects.
• Alumni management: a module or feature set to manage alumni data, communication, and engagement.
- Student portal
• Mobile-friendly interface: a fully responsive student portal that is accessible and functional on all mobile devices and tablets.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: February 2, 2026
