Why Educational Institutions Should Do Paperless Enrolments?

Since the wake of COVID-19, many technological advancements have taken place in various fields. Businesses, organizations, and educational institutions are going paperless. Due to the pandemic, Gravyty says that schools especially planned to do online enrolment of the students seeking admission to their institution. Why? As a measure to remain prepared for unforeseen circumstances that can hinder the physical methods and to relax from the responsibility of carrying important documents. So even if it is the school’s orientation day, the tour of the school can be given virtually to give an idea to future students and their parents about what the school offers. 

Plus in 2024, Southern New Hampshire University secured the rank for the best distance learning university. Yes, according to Statista the institution received 96% of online student enrolment. The competition was ended by Florida International University, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and the University of Utah.

Looking at the data, let’s delve into further details to know why educational institutions should do paperless enrolments. 

The Paperless Enrolment Strategy 

When children become eligible to attend educational institutions that go for high school, college, and universities, their parents send them to the most reputable one in their location. 

The teachers then have to provide them with admission forms and other papers, where they fill in their important details such as name, contact, residential address, age, guardian’s name, and their details. On the other hand, the institution also asks the students to bring the relevant documents. The formalities from both ends keep adding to the paperwork and to confirm that it was a mutual consent, signatures are taken as proof. But this becomes a prominent hurdle as the educational representatives have to take extra care of the documents in the fear of losing the information of the parents and students. The same goes for the parents too.

But the headache ends with a paperless enrolment strategy as when the enrolment procedure takes the digital road then the teachers, students, and parents can bid farewell to managing multiple documents. How? Whenever a requirement shows up to make some changes, access the papers, or submit, the institution’s software will save the revisions there and then without the hard work of opening the particular file. Besides that, the paperless technique grants educational institutions the following benefits: 

Better Return On Investment 

You must be wondering what is ROI doing in the educational institution. Yes, it is a part of marketing terminology, but Return On Investment is present here. When the management finalizes the decision to install an online enrolment software then putting it into action will be another procedure. 

The staff will require training to understand the workings of the paperless enrolment software and after everything is fixed into their assigned slots, then the labor can make the most out of enrolment methods with a few clicks. The ROI will be the saved expenditure on paper, ink, manual force, printing, storage, and misplaced documents. 

Reduced Manual Efforts 

Despite having a designated paper storage department in educational institutions, finding and managing the files of the students takes a good amount of time. Even though a person has been appointed to do the honors, one should not expect them to quickly keep the particular document on the table. Therefore, going paperless reduces manual efforts. 

Because the software will eradicate the need to manually manage the enrolment documentation, and organize the files according to the grade and sections of the students, and the educational institution will consider the technology as a blessing in the peak season of admissions, where there is a repetitive requirement of opening the files to add enrolment forms. 

Security Of The Documents Is Boosted

Do you think physical enrolment documents or related paperwork will remain safe even if they are placed inside locked drawers? And nobody will attempt to steal them or tamper with the cabinets in the in-charge’s absence? Sorry to burst your bubble but you can’t trust anyone like that too. Hence paperless enrolment software is your call. The system has tracking options too that will reveal who was the last person to access the digital tool. 

Apart from that there is a feature to insert signature in Word documents too. Every educational document needs to have the approval of the teacher or the principal before it gets circulated amongst the students or is sent to the parents. 

Previously, handwritten signature ink could be easily smudged by water spillage making it difficult to figure out whether the document is real or fake, the document getting misplaced or signatures getting copied within the premises, but the software manages the security of the documents in both aspects. 

Eradicates The Cost Of A Photocopier 

Irrespective of the time during school, college, or university hours, the photocopier’s shop is always full of students and teachers to get their documents photocopied. The same concept is applied when it comes to the enrolments. The photocopier machine is certainly not reasonable as it comes with its sheets and ink that facilitate the ink to get printed on the paper. 

So make way for the paperless enrolment software as it will cut the costs of the photocopier machine by turning all documents into digital format, ultimately saving time and money. 

Helps During Emergencies 

Nobody can predict the future and what disasters it might surprise the educational institutions with. The records of the physical enrolment documentation can be destroyed by fires, floods, earthquakes, or tornadoes. The aftermath will leave the entire institution wondering how to compensate for the loss. 

Therefore it is advised to install the software for paperless enrolment that will act as a lifesaver in similar emergencies and there will be no tension of losing the papers as everything is saved in the software. Once the calamity ends, the staff can always check the software to ensure that all is in place. 

No Tension Of Losing Documents 

There is always the stress of managing the physical documents especially when they are about student enrolment. Even though taking all the precautionary measures at the back of the mind there is a tension of unforeseen circumstances like what if a fire erupts or any record of the student’s information gets misplaced? Hence the software of paperless enrolment wipes the sweat off your face as no matter what happens, the records will be safe.

Conclusion 

Educational institutions should do paperless enrolment as the blog provides strong reasons as benefits to do so. If you want to come out of the tension of misplacing and losing your documentation then the software is what your institution is in dire need of.