7 Things to Expect When Implementing Admissions Software
Lizz Stiger
7 Things to Expect When Implementing Admissions Software
5:02
You signed the contract. The demo looked great, the sales team was helpful, and everyone on your team is excited to finally ditch the spreadsheets. Then reality sets in: someone from IT is asking about your SIS integration, and your review committee wants to know why the timeline says "go-live in July" instead of "go-live tomorrow."
Implementing admissions software is rarely as fast or as tidy as one might hope. That's not a knock on the software. It's just what happens when you're moving years of applicant data, workflows, and institutional habits into a new system. Here's what I've seen actually happen, time and time again, when admissions offices make the switch.
1. It Won't Start the Week You Sign
The contract date and the "you can actually start using this" date are different. Between them sits configuration, data migration, integration testing, and training. And these steps can each take weeks, not days.
The smartest admissions leaders I've worked with count backward from their next cycle open date, not forward from their signature date. If applications open in September, you want to be live and tested well before August, not configuring review rounds while your first applicants are already submitting their materials.
2. Your Data Needs a Cleanup Pass First
Every admissions office has a few applicant records that don't quite match the format anymore: an old field nobody uses, a status that means something different than it used to, a duplicate entry from three cycles back. None of that is a problem until you try to migrate it.
Plan on a data audit before migration, not during it. It's tedious, but it's the difference between a clean launch and spending your first live cycle managing chaos.
3. The SIS and CAS Integration Is the Real Test
This is the step your IT team cares about most, and it's worth looping them in early rather than once everything else is already decided (or built out!). A clean handshake between your new admissions software and your SIS or CAS means data flows seamlessly, instead of your staff re-keying the same applicant information twice.
Ask your vendor directly: who owns the integration, how long does it typically take to implement, and what are the first steps for getting the integration rolling?
4. You'll Configure the Workflow, Not Just Flip It On
Good admissions software should flex to how your committee already reviews applicants, not the other way around. That means implementation includes real configuration time: building your review rounds, your scoring rubrics, your committee assignments, and all the specific workflows that make your process yours.
That's actually good news. It means you're not stuck with a rigid, one-size-fits-all workflow. It just means implementation is an opportunity to make your processes even better; it’s not just a toggle switch.
5. Your Faculty Reviewers Are the Harder Sell
Your admissions staff will adapt quickly. They use the system daily and they're motivated to leave the old process behind. Your faculty review committee is a different story. They touch the software a few weeks a year, they're busy, and they've been reviewing applications in a particular way for a long time.
Budget real time for showing reviewers exactly what changes for them and why it's easier, not just different. A fifteen-minute walkthrough before their first review round saves you a dozen confused emails during it.
6. Someone Will Ask Why You're Doing This Mid-Cycle
If your rollout timing lands anywhere near peak application season, expect at least one staff member or reviewer to ask, reasonably, why you're introducing something new right now. Timing your go-live around your slower months, not your busiest ones, heads this off before it becomes a real objection.
7. Go-Live Is the Start, Not the Finish
The first cycle on a new system is when you actually learn what you configured well and what needs adjusting. Good vendors treat go-live as the beginning of a relationship, with support, updates, and features, like AI tools that surface pipeline bottlenecks or automate repetitive tasks, that get more useful the longer you use them.
Choose a vendor that offers dedicated support and a single point of contact, not an anonymous call center. That personal relationship is what turns a good tool into a great partnership.
Key Takeaways
Our biggest advice is to plan for implementing new software like AMP like the project it actually is: a realistic timeline, an early conversation with IT, and buy-in from the people who'll use it every day and a few times per year.
If you're weighing a move to admissions software, or evaluating one against your next cycle open date, our team would be glad to walk you through what implementation with AMP actually looks like, week by week.
