This guide starts with institution-level setup at
deandesk.com and then moves into your school portal. See Institutions & Schools for the account and permission differences.Video walkthrough
This walkthrough uses the real DeanDesk interface with the fictional Northstar Academy demo school and a calm, AI-generated English voice. Payments and outside services are not connected in the demo.
Create your institution and choose a plan
1
Create an account
Open Get started. Register with email and password or use the sign-in option offered on the page. This creates your institution and its first Super Admin Identity.
2
Choose a plan
Select the plan and billing interval that fit your work.
3
Complete billing setup
Review your selected plan and the amount due today, enter your payment details, and subscribe. Billing starts immediately. All paid DeanDesk plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee: if you are not satisfied, contact DeanDesk within 30 days of your first subscription payment to request a refund of the subscription charge. Online processing fees are non-refundable.
4
Open your dashboard
Continue to
deandesk.com/dashboard. Review Settings → Institution for your name, branding, public portal, and domain. Your ongoing DeanDesk subscription is under Settings → Billing & Payments.Create your first school
1
Open Platforms
In the institution dashboard, open Platforms and click Create new platform. The Let’s set up your school wizard opens with four steps: Starting point, Enrollment, School details, and Review and create.
2
Choose your starting point
Pick the pattern closest to your school: Child-only academy, Adult course catalog, Family and adult classes, Academic institution, Services and events, or Admissions only. Click Continue.
3
Answer the enrollment questions
Choose an option for each question, such as Who will enroll?, How will people join?, and Do you need courses and academic tools?. The questions and options depend on your starting point. Click Continue.
4
Enter the school details
Enter the School name, DeanDesk web address (for example,
lincoln for lincoln.deandesk.com), and Timezone. Choose the Payment account country and Sales currency (USD, CAD, GBP, or EUR). The sales currency is fixed after creation. Expand Address and branding (optional) to add an address, colors, or a logo. Click Continue.5
Review and create
Check the school details and Your enrollment journey. Select the confirmation checkbox, then click Create school. DeanDesk creates the school and its payment accounts, and sends the administrator a welcome email.
6
Continue to school setup
Click Continue to school setup to sign into the new school and open its setup checklist. Allow domain provisioning to complete if the web address is not immediately reachable.
Enter the school portal
To return to a school later, click Admin Console on its card in Overview or on its platform detail page. On the Platforms list, the card button is Admin. Either signs you into that school’s Admin Dashboard with your institution Identity. You do not need to register a second staff login. The school Admin Dashboard manages school Users, admissions, courses, billing, and school settings. Available tools depend on your plan, starting point, roles, and permissions. Admissions only schools start without learning tools; open an application round before inviting applicants.Add staff and students
In the school’s Admin Dashboard, use User Creation to add accounts individually or through CSV upload. Assign school roles appropriate to each person and review the welcome message. See Add users for the current creation and invitation workflow. For online applications, build your form in Form Manager, then configure the school’s Onboarding Policy Manager. See Admissions. An applicant account can have restricted access while an application is incomplete; a full member account is not required to begin the admissions flow.Next steps
Institution settings
Set up your public portal and organization details.
DeanDesk billing
Check your plan, usage, and renewal.
Calendar and courses
Configure the school’s academic structure.
Payments
Configure the account that receives school payments.