How admissions works in DeanDesk
The admissions process has three parts:- Configuration — Admins set up requirements in the Onboarding Policy Manager (registration rules, required forms, fees, statuses, and reviewer permissions).
- Application — Applicants sign up at your school’s portal and work through a step-by-step dashboard to complete all requirements and submit their application.
- Review — Your admissions team reviews submitted applications in the Admissions Queue, updates statuses, and approves or rejects applicants.
Configure admissions with the Onboarding Policy Manager
The Onboarding Policy Manager is located at Admin Dashboard → Onboarding Policy Manager. It contains five tabs that control your entire admissions flow.Tab 1: Registration Settings
This tab controls who can apply, what information is required, and how applications are processed.| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Self Registration | Enable or disable public sign-ups at your school’s portal |
| Initial Role | The role assigned to new sign-ups (e.g. applicant, student, or public) |
| Require Full Profile | Applicants must complete all profile fields before submitting |
| Require Profile Picture | Applicants must upload a profile photo |
| Require Payment Setup | Applicants must add a payment method (via Stripe) during onboarding |
| Auto-Accept Onboarding | Automatically approve applicants who complete all requirements — no admin review needed |
| Parents Enroll Children | Enable the parent-child flow where parents create applications on behalf of their children |
| Require Child Registration | Parents must register at least one child before submitting |
| Allow Adult Enrollment | Parents can also enroll themselves in programs (in addition to their children) |
| Credit Card Transaction Fee | Add an optional surcharge (percentage and/or flat amount) on card payments |
Tab 2: Required Forms
This is where you attach forms to your admissions process. Forms are created in the Form Manager page and then selected here in the Onboarding Policy Manager.Create your forms in the Form Manager
Go to Admin Dashboard → Form Manager and create the forms you need (e.g. “Parent Questionnaire”, “Health & Emergency Contact”, “Student Essay”). Each form can include multiple question types: multiple choice, short answer, long answer, and file upload.
Assign forms in the Onboarding Policy Manager
Go to Admin Dashboard → Onboarding Policy Manager → Required Forms tab. You will see three form categories:
- Required Forms (Adult) — Forms that adult applicants must complete before submitting.
- Optional Forms — Forms shown to applicants but not required for submission.
- Child Application Forms — Forms that must be completed for each child application (when parent-child enrollment is enabled).
Tab 3: Application Statuses
Application statuses define the stages of your review pipeline. DeanDesk includes four locked system statuses:| Status | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Draft | Application has not been submitted yet |
| Under Review | Application has been submitted and is awaiting review |
| Approved | Applicant has been accepted |
| Rejected | Applicant has been denied |
- Title and description
- Color for visual identification in the queue
- Email template that is automatically sent to the applicant when their status changes (supports placeholders:
{{firstName}},{{lastName}},{{email}},{{statusTitle}},{{statusDescription}})
Tab 4: Permissions & Committees
Control who on your team can access and manage applications.| Role | Access level |
|---|---|
| Admissions Head | A single designated user with full access to all applications and the ability to make final decisions (approve/reject) |
| Full Process Teachers | Teachers who can view and manage applications across all stages |
| Stage-Assigned Teachers | Teachers assigned to specific review stages — they only see applications in their assigned stage, can leave notes and recommendations, but cannot approve or reject |
Set the Admissions Head
Select a user to serve as the admissions head. This person has full oversight of the pipeline.
Add Full Process Teachers (optional)
Select teachers who should have visibility into all applications at every stage.
Tab 5: Application Rollout
This tab is for schools migrating from the legacy admissions mode to the cycle-based admissions system. The cycle-based system supports multiple admissions rounds, application tracks, and per-track requirement overrides. See Admission Cycles below for details.Application fees
You can require applicants to pay fees before submitting their application. Fees are configured in the Onboarding Policy Manager under Registration Settings.Enable application fees
Toggle on application fees and configure one or more fee line items. For each fee, set a name, amount, and description. You can also enable fees separately for child applications.
Mark fees as waivable (optional)
If a fee is marked as waivable, applicants can request a fee waiver during the application process. Waiver requests appear in the admin queue for approval or rejection.
Fee waivers are managed at Admin Dashboard → Admissions. When a waiver is approved, the applicant’s fee requirement is marked as resolved and they can proceed with submission.
The applicant experience
Applicants access your school’s portal (e.g.yourschool.deandesk.com), create an account, and are presented with a step-by-step onboarding dashboard. The steps shown depend on the policies you configured in the Onboarding Policy Manager.
Onboarding steps
The applicant dashboard walks applicants through the following steps (each step only appears if the corresponding policy is enabled):Complete profile
The applicant fills out their personal information. If Require Full Profile is enabled, all profile fields must be completed. If Require Profile Picture is enabled, a photo must be uploaded.
Register children (if enabled)
If Parents Enroll Children is enabled, the parent creates one or more child applications. For each child, they provide the child’s name, date of birth, emergency contact, medical information, and complete any child-specific forms configured in the Onboarding Policy Manager.
Complete required forms
The applicant fills out all required forms and any optional forms they choose to complete. A progress indicator shows how many forms are done.
Add payment method (if required)
If Require Payment Setup is enabled, the applicant adds a credit or debit card via Stripe.
Select program enrollment (if required)
If Require Program Enrollment is enabled, the applicant selects the tuition or program products they are enrolling in. Payment can be collected now or deferred, depending on your policy settings.
Pay application fees (if enabled)
If application fees are configured, the applicant pays the required fees or submits a fee waiver request (for waivable fees).
The Admissions Queue
The Admissions Queue is where your team reviews and manages submitted applications. Go to Admin Dashboard → Admissions.Viewing applications
The queue displays all applications with:- Applicant name and contact information
- Current status (color-coded to match your configured statuses)
- Submission date
- Assigned reviewer
- Fee payment status
Reviewing an application
Review submitted information
View the applicant’s profile, all completed form submissions, child applications (if applicable), program selections, and fee payment status.
Leave a review note
Add internal notes with your assessment. Notes are timestamped and attributed to the reviewer. If you are a stage-assigned teacher, you can also include a recommended status (e.g. recommend approval).
Assign to a reviewer (optional)
Assign the application to a specific team member for review. You can also set a default assignee for incoming applications.
Approving an applicant
When you set an application’s status to Approved:- The applicant receives the acceptance notification (if an email template is configured for the Approved status).
- For child applications, admins can convert the child record into a full student account, which creates a new user with the
studentrole. - The student can then be enrolled in courses either manually through User Management or automatically if program enrollment was completed during the application process.
Admission Cycles
For schools that run multiple admissions rounds, DeanDesk supports a cycle-based admissions system. This is an advanced feature that builds on top of the standard onboarding flow.What cycles and tracks are
- Admission Cycle — A single admissions round with its own open/close dates, policies, and statuses (e.g. “Fall 2026 Admissions”, “Spring 2026 Early Enrollment”).
- Application Track — A pathway within a cycle with its own requirements, forms, and fees (e.g. “Elementary K-2”, “Online Certificate Program”, “In-Person Bootcamp”). Tracks let you customize the admissions experience for different applicant groups within the same cycle.
Creating a cycle
Create a new cycle
Go to Admin Dashboard → Admissions → Cycles and click New Cycle. Set the cycle name, open and close dates, and optionally link it to an academic year or term.
Configure cycle statuses (optional)
Each cycle can have its own set of application statuses, or it can inherit the school-wide statuses you configured in the Onboarding Policy Manager.
Creating tracks within a cycle
Add a track
Create a track with a name, description, and audience type (
adult, child, family, or mixed). You can link the track to specific programs, courses, or products.How cycle-based applications work for applicants
In cycle-based mode, applicants see a dashboard that lists all their applications. They can start a new application by selecting a cycle and optionally a track. Each application has its own set of requirements (based on the track’s overrides or the school defaults) and progresses independently through the review pipeline.Parent and child applications
When Parents Enroll Children is enabled in the Onboarding Policy Manager, the admissions flow supports a two-layer application structure:- Parent application — The parent completes their own profile, forms, and fees.
- Child applications — The parent creates one or more child applications within their own application. Each child has their own name, date of birth, medical information, and dedicated set of forms (configured as Child Application Forms in the Onboarding Policy Manager).
student role, linked to the parent.
If Require Child Registration is enabled, the parent must register and submit at least one child application before they can submit their own application.