About uploading applicants

If you’ve collected prospects or applicants for admission using another system, you can upload them to Campus Cafe using a spreadsheet. As part of the process Campus Cafe uses an Admissions Portal to determine how to load the data and which information is required.

Prerequisites

• Create an admissions portal that asks for the information you plan to upload. For example, first name, last name, date of birth, admissions semester, etc.

• Web App (Admin > Web App) value SUPPORT_EMAIL must have a valid email address, configured to send email either via authenticated email, or via Port 25.

Required permissions

In addition to the prerequisites and permissions required for setting up Admissions Portal forms, the upload requires:

Admissions portal configuration

When you upload people, Campus Cafe checks the admissions portal you select to determine how to process the records.

Admissions progress code

The admissions progress code denotes where someone is in the admissions process. The typical path is inquired > applied > accepted > deposited.

For the people you upload, Campus Cafe sets the progress code based on the mode of admission’s portal you select.

• Portals with mode Inquiry set people to Admissions Progress Code I - Inquiry.
  
  

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• Portals with mode Application set people to admissions progress code Y - Applied.
  
  

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Information collected

Each piece of information on your spreadsheet that you want in Campus Cafe must correspond to a question (field) on the admissions portal and be mapped to a specific column in your spreadsheet. For example, if you plan to upload first name, you need the first name field on the admissions portal. If first name appears in the second column of your spreadsheet, you’d set its import column as 2.

Admissions Portal Tracking fields (custom questions and hidden fields) can be mapped as well. Portal Triggers (custom answers) should not be mapped. Trigger values may be entered as values on the spreadsheet to trigger activity tracking, just as they would upon submission of an Admissions Form through Campus Cafe.

1. Go to Admissions > Portal Configuration.

2. Next to the admissions portal you’ll select during the upload process click the pencil.

3. Click Edit Fields.

4. Next to the field you plan to upload, under Included select (check) the box.
   
   

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5. In the Excel Import Column # click and enter the number corresponding to the column where the data appears in your spreadsheet. For example, if first name appears in column B of your spreadsheet, you’d enter 2 because this is the second column. Column numbers don’t need to be sequential but we recommend you do so for ease of use.
   
   If you don’t enter a column number, this information won’t be imported even if it exists in your spreadsheet. For example, if you don’t set an import column for phone number but phone number appears in your spreadsheet, Campus Cafe ignores the phone number and doesn’t import it.
   
   

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6. If the field is required, under Required select (check) the box. (If a required field doesn’t have an Excel Import Column # mapped - step 5 - it won’t be required when you upload a spreadsheet, instead only required if the person completes the admissions portal form through Campus Cafe.)
   
   

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7. Repeat steps 4-6 for each field you want to upload. You must include at least the following fields:

   • Expected first semester (unless you will set when uploading the file) AND

   • First Name AND

   • Last Name AND

   • Social Security Number OR Email Address OR Phone Number

Majors

If someone is interested in a specific major, you can include that on the spreadsheet. You can upload any major that exists in Campus Cafe, even if the major isn’t on the list of majors in use by the admissions portal you select.

• If Major List 1 and Major List 2 are both included as fields on the spreadsheet, and have values when submitted, Major List 1 fields will take precedence. For example, Major 1 List 1 field is set as ENG, and Major 1 List 2 is set as MGMT. The ENG major will populate in Intended Major 1 on the application.

• If Major 1 (list 1 and/or 2) is left blank, even if Major 2/3 are populated with a valid major code, the Custom Control WEBUNDMAJR Sequence 1, Parameter 1 will be entered in to Intended Major 1. Major 2/3 will also be populated, but Major 1 cannot be left blank.

What happens when you upload a spreadsheet

Before you upload a spreadsheet, it’s important to understand what Campus Cafe does.

1. Creates a person record.

2. Set the person’s admissions progress code to inquiry or applied, depending on the mode of the admissions form (admissions portal) you select.

3. Launch any database triggers you’ve configured based on the progress code. For example, notifying an admissions counselor of a new applicant.

4. Launch any activity tracking templates associated with the admissions form (admissions portal) you select. For example, sending the person uploaded an email about your next Admissions Welcome Day.

Prepare spreadsheet

Once you’ve mapped your fields, you can download a spreadsheet template.

1. Go to Admissions > Portal Form Upload.

2. In Admissions Form select the form corresponding to the data you plan to upload.

3. Click Download Template.

4. Open the template in Excel.

   1. Field names in the spreadsheet match the Campus Cafe field name, not the field label. For example, if you renamed “Student Site” to “Location,” you’ll see Student Site on the Excel template.

   2. Fields marked required on the Admissions Form will not be indicated as required on the Excel template.

5. Enter your data.

   • For fields that rely on system values, such as majors/minors, semesters, and demographic information, the responses must be formatted for the system code value. For example:

     • The Major/Minor code is required for successful submission (ENG rather than “English”)

     • The STParm value is required for biographical/demographic data (Ex. A valid SBCOUN value for a country code, or valid SBUSCD value for the US Citizenship question)

     • The term value must be the six-digit STParm SMDESC term code (Ex. 202440, not Fall 2024)

     • All values are case sensitive (Ex. UNITED STATES for a valid STParm SBCOUN code, not United States)

     • Dates must be in YYYYMMDD format, with no slashes (Ex. 19891213, not 12/13/1989)

6. You must save your file in Excel format (.xls or .xlsx).

Upload spreadsheet

6. Go to Admissions > Portal Form Upload.

7. In Admissions Form select the portal that you’ve mapped to your spreadsheet columns.
   
   

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8. In Send results to this email address enter the email of the person to be notified when the process is complete.

9. If you didn’t enter an expected starting semester in your spreadsheet, or wish to override the semesters in the spreadsheet, select the semester in Expected Semester Override, if blank, semester in spreadsheet will be used.

10. By default, Campus Cafe sets the admissions progress code of the people uploaded to inquiry or applied. The code depends on if the admissions portal you selected is set to a mode of inquiry or application, respectively. The progress code triggers any database triggers associated with the progress code. For example, if you select deposited and have a trigger set to email deposited students a welcome letter from housing, the email will go to these individuals.
    
    You can optionally override the progress code using Progress Code Override to any progress code. We only recommend this if you selected an Admissions Form with mode Application and wish to set the uploaded applicants to accepted or deposited instead of the default applied.
    
    If you selected an Admissions Form with a mode of inquiry, Campus Cafe will allow you to set an admissions progress code of applied, accepted or deposited. However, Campus Cafe won’t create an application for these individuals so you’ll have accepted individuals without applications.
    
    If you selected an Admissions Form with a mode of application, Campus Cafe will allow you to set an admissions progress code of inquired that appears on their Campus Cafe admissions application even though the individuals presumably applied for admission.
    
    In short, Campus Cafe doesn’t recommend using progress codes that do not match the form mode selected for upload.
    
    

11. In (Source) Tracking Template optionally select an activity tracking template to associate with people you upload. For example, select an activity that identifies the source of the applicants. For example, attaching an activity tracking template that indicates the applicants came from your third-party admissions system. Keep in mind if this template triggers an email, the email will send.

12. In Second Tracking Form optionally select an activity tracking template to associate with people you upload. For example, attaching an activity that indicates the people are all interested in your soccer team. Keep in mind if this template triggers an email, the email will send.

13. Click Submit. If your spreadsheet has headers (column labels) in the first low, leave the checkbox Skip first line headers checked. If it doesn’t contain headers, uncheck the box.

14. A popup lets you know the process has started. You can leave this page and sign out of Campus Cafe. The email you entered will receive a notification when the process completes.

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Errors

If Campus Cafe can’t load a person, it will give you a spreadsheet listing the fields and an explanation of each error.

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