In 2024, DreamApply delivered 79 enhancements, paving the way for its admissions software features updates. 21 new features including an update to the rankings feature, two-way communication, score conversion, and furthering the ability to customize based on applicant categories, and not just their citizenship, were completed by the end of the calendar year.
Our Product Manager, Breck Shuyler, has a few favorites among these updates. Here’s a closer look at his top picks:
- Rankings 2.0: This is the result of months of development work that has culminated in the new version of Rankings to overcome previous limitations.
- Conversions: Institutions can now seamlessly convert variations of admissions examinations to fit their admissions rubrics.
- Two-way communication: DreamApply now allows more instant communication experience between administrators and students.
Rankings 2.0 is a powerful new instrument with updates to filters and an auto-selection tool.
The old version of the rankings tool showed two filters, the term and the programme; it was also mandatory to work with one programme at a time. With the new version, this is no longer the case. Users will now be able to use all of the filters available to them to control the set of offers they would like to work with.
For example, you can now set the filters to exclude any offer that is on an application with an incomplete video interview, or an unpaid invoice. Rather than working programme by programme, users can now use the filters to rank applications across one Institution or one department at a time.
Upon ranking the applicants, easily send the same type of offer to many applicants in one go using the new auto-selection tool. The auto-selection tool works based on the offer quotas administrators can set up, and it further simplifies the process. The offer quotas, and therefore auto-selection, can be as simple as related to one applicant type, to as complex as based on multiple characteristics of the applicant, such as their citizenship, programme, department, and much more.
Why did we focus on improving admissions examination conversions?
Admissions examinations are a critical part of the admissions process. While personalizing the admissions process, institutions decide to accept a variety of standardized tests, as well as create their own entrance examinations, to ensure accessibility for applicants.
Standardized or internal test scores can now have pre-set conversions, reducing errors and saving time.
In the process of ranking and scoring applicants, administrators may be working with several different exams, comparing them with internal testing standards, and spend more time on manually converting exam scores to compare candidates.
In DreamApply, institutions can now pre-set the conversions. For example, if an English proficiency is a part of admissions requirements, and students submit TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or another score as part of their admissions application, these scores can automatically be converted by the system based on a pre-set score, and evaluate them seamlessly, reducing errors and saving time.
How does two-way communication feature change the admissions experience?
The two-way communication feature enhances the admissions experience by fostering seamless interaction between applicants and institutions. It eliminates communication gaps, ensuring queries are addressed promptly and accurately, thus reducing applicant anxiety and improving their overall satisfaction.
Institutions can personalize responses and streamline their communication process, making it easier to manage high volumes of applicants efficiently. This feature creates a transparent and engaging admissions process, ultimately contributing to higher application completion rates and better relationship building with prospective students.
The details and applications of this feature update can be found in our 2024 blog, What’s missing in your admissions process? Discover two-way messaging for better communication. • DreamApply.
Where can I get more details on each of these features updates to the system?
For existing clients, we detail all changes, enhancements and new features in our release notes, which can be found on the DreamApply Dashboard under the customer satisfaction query. These release notes include detailed explanations and screenshots to help you navigate the updates.
About DreamApply
Founded in 2011 in Estonia, DreamApply is an innovation-driven EdTech organization that improves access to education around the globe. DreamApply’s application management software helps more than 300 educational institutions across 40 countries improve admissions, marketing, financial and other internal processes.
DreamApply’s easy-to-use and customizable software increases student enrollment by 30% and reduces application processing time by 40%. With features designed with and for educational institutions, and integrations with commonly used systems, DreamApply empowers teams to get more done with less effort.
Discover DreamApply’s admissions software features for 2025 in action. Request a demo today and see how Rankings 2.0 and other updates simplify your admissions process.