5 Signs Your Admissions Office is Wasting Time (And How to Fix It)

rcisel
Apr 20
3 min read

Updated: May 12

When your admissions team is buried in paperwork, stuck re-entering data, and chasing transcripts around like it’s 2005, something’s not right. But here’s the good news: the inefficiencies you’re dealing with aren’t just frustrating—they’re fixable.

If your office is drowning in repetitive tasks or struggling to make timely admissions decisions, you’re not alone. Let’s break down five common time-wasters that plague admissions offices—and how to fix them for good.

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1. Manual Transcript Evaluation is Slowing Everything Down

If you're printing, highlighting, and typing in transfer credits one by one... we’ve got a problem.

Manual transcript evaluation isn’t just tedious—it’s a massive time sink that introduces errors, slows down processing, and delays admissions decisions. When your team is eyeballing GPAs or manually mapping courses to requirements, student experience takes a hit.

Fix it: Use Freedom to automate transcript processing. Freedom extracts key data (like course names, grades, credit hours, and GPAs) from transcripts and feeds it directly into your SIS or workflow tool. No more manual entry. No more paper shuffle. Just clean, accurate data that’s ready for evaluation or approval.

2. You're Entering the Same Data Twice (Or More)

Redundant data entry across multiple systems is a guaranteed time-waster. Whether it’s entering student info into your CRM and again into your SIS, or rekeying course equivalencies from spreadsheets—it's all risk with no reward.

Fix it: Invest in integrated solutions. Freedom plays nice with Ellucian, Jenzabar, PeopleSoft, and pretty much any system you already have in place. With Freedom, once transcript data is extracted, it can flow seamlessly into your SIS, CRM, or document management tool like DocuWare. One entry. Done.

3. You’ve Got a File Cabinet Graveyard

If your admissions office is still relying on physical files—or worse, printing electronic ones—your process is stuck in the past. Physical storage creates bottlenecks, accessibility issues, and unnecessary workload for staff.

Fix it: Go digital with a document management system that supports workflows. Shamrock Solutions offers tools like DocuWare that let you securely store, route, and review documents all within a centralized platform. No more digging through file drawers or stacks of paperwork.

4. Staff Are Bogged Down With Repetitive Tasks Instead of Student Engagement

Your admissions counselors didn’t sign up to play copy-paste all day. If your team is focused on data cleanup, transcript entry, and follow-up on incomplete documents, they’re missing valuable time to connect with prospective students.

Fix it: Free your staff from repetitive admin work by implementing automation where it matters most. With Freedom, the time spent on transcript evaluation alone can be cut drastically—freeing up your counselors to focus on what actually impacts enrollment: student relationships.

5. You’re Always a Few Steps Behind in Decision-Making

If it feels like you’re always reacting instead of proactively admitting students, outdated workflows are likely to blame. Manual processes slow things down and make it nearly impossible to deliver timely decisions.

Fix it: Automate and accelerate. Freedom provides real-time processing of transcripts, enabling faster, more accurate admission decisions. Plus, with built-in customizations, security features, and administrative controls, your team can adapt workflows to your exact needs—without needing IT for every tweak.

Ready to Ditch the Time-Wasters?

Admissions offices are under more pressure than ever to process applications quickly, accurately, and with fewer resources. Tools like Freedom from Shamrock Solutions help streamline the biggest bottlenecks—from transcript evaluation to system integration—so you can do more with less, without burning out your team. Let’s talk about how we can help automate the heavy lifting so your staff can get back to what matters: supporting students.