How to Increase the Accuracy of Scholarship Applications - Case Study

The Abbotsford Community Foundation helps parents give the gift of education to their children offering Scholarships and Bursaries with the Student Awards Program.

The Foundation noticed an increase in the number of applicants:

i) that did not meet the eligibility criteria, or;

ii) applied for the wrong category of scholarship/bursary.

That generated an increase in time for application analysis and compounded backlog, posing a management challenge for the Foundation to keep up with the number of applicants.

Our students diagnosed the need to:

i) increase the accuracy of applications;

ii) facilitate the applicant's experience; and

iii) implement new software to manage scholarship applications.

The Software

To find the software that best suits the client's needs, Douglas College Students enrolled in the Envision Financial and Douglas College Community Building Program scanned the market for options that were functional, affordable, and trustworthy (based on company maturity), while also having good customer support and a customizable UI.

After watching video demos on Youtube, contacting Software Companies, and evaluating their options, students presented the client with two candidates they deem fit: Foundant Technologies and Award Force.

The Accuracy of Applications and Applicant's Experience

With the new software, Douglas College Marketing Students and Abbotsford Community Foundation were able to design a set of filters that provide applicants in the Students Award Program a user-friendly tool that helps them find the Scholarship or Bursary they are eligible for at the beginning of the process, reducing the application time and the chances of errors along the way. A big win for our students and our community!