Student Finder

About student finder

The Student Finder provides a powerful way to search for populations of students that meet certain criteria. You can find all students who meet certain demographic criteria - like all students from Rhode Island - or all students who meet academic criteria - like all students with a 3.8 GPA or above in a certain semester. You can also layer these filters. For example to return all students with a 3.8 GPA or above from Rhode Island.

Additionally, you can use the Student Finder to take action on the group of students returned. For example, you can apply a semester status like dean’s list, add fees, enroll students or change their advisors. And by applying an activity to the students, you can trigger emails or record notes in batch.

What you’re able to see and do in the Student Finder will depend on your permissions granted by your system administrator.

Webinar recording

Go to the student finder

  1. Go to Filters > Students.

Set filters (criteria) to narrow results

Filters let you control the students returned. For example, you can use the filter State to return all students from Alabama.

  1. Go to Filters > Students.

  2. Under Build Fields click Add Fields.

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  3. Select the items you wish to use as criteria. You can use the Search to locate a specific field.

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  4. Click Apply.

  5. Filters work in different ways depending on their type. To the right of the filter name, a drop down menu lets you select how you’ll use the criteria.

    • For text filters the options are starts with, equal to, not equal to, ends with or contains. For example, to return all students with names containing "smi" set Last Name to Contains and enter smi in the criteria box.

    • For numerical filters the options are equals (=), does not equal (<>), greater than  (>), greater than or equal to (>=), less than (<) or less than or equal to (=<). For example, to return students with a cumulative GPAs of less than 2.0, set the CUM GPA operator to < and in the enter 2.0 in the criteria box.

    • Some filters support ranges. For example, to return all students with a cumulative GPA of 2 to 3.00 in the first Cum GPA box choose >= and enter 2. In the second GPA box choose <= and enter 3.

    • Some filters are dependent on others. For example, to use the Single Semester columns (such as single semester GPA or credits taken), you must input a semester in the Single Semester box.

    • Filters may be layered or combined. For example, to show all enrolled students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0, set the Degree Status box to =  and enter E. In the Cum GPA box choose < and enter 2.

  6. In the criteria box enter what you’re looking for. For most criteria by clicking the three lines to the right of the box, you can see your options.

  7. If you think you’ll return more than 100 students, increase the Results and results per page.

  8. Click Submit.

Saved filters

Each time you run the Student Finder, it returns the results that match the criteria as of that moment. For example, if you configure the finder to return all students from Alabama on Monday you may return 10 students. On Friday, you run the finder with the same criteria and return only 9 students. This is because during the week one individual’s address was changed and they now don’t live in Alabama.

If you often search for the students meeting a particular criteria, you can save your criteria. This way you don’t need to set the criteria every time you need to identify a certain population of students. For example, you may need to run a weekly report of students from Alabama for an outside reporting requirement. Once you set the criteria, which may be just state or state and additional criteria, you can save it.

Save a filter

  1. Configure your filters as desired and click Submit.

  2. In Save Filter As enter a name to identify the criteria. For example, Alabama Students.

  3. Optionally, to allow others to use this same criteria when they run the Student Finder, select (check) Available For All Users?

  4. Click Save Filter As.

Use a saved filter

Once you’ve saved a filter, you can use it later, even if you’ve logged out of Campus Cafe and returned the next day. If someone else has saved a filter and allowed others to use it, you can use their filter, too. This can help ensure that different people across your organization use the same criteria when answering a common question like how many students do we have from Alabama?

  1. Go to Filters > Students.

  2. At the top select a filter either from All Users or My Filters.

  3. Once a filter is selected, the finder shows the resulting students who match the criteria. You can adjust the criteria by clicking Filters.

Columns (results) displayed 

Results of the criteria appear as a grid like table. 

You can show additional data elements by clicking the Column Visibility button.

You can rearrange columns by clicking and dragging a column to its alocation.

You can sort by column by clicking the column header.

Some data elements on the finder results - namely student credits and GPA data - updates overnight. The GPA processor may be triggered manually if the data must be refreshed on demand.

Save column arrangement

The results grid, including the visible columns and the column order, may be saved. 

  1. With the results loaded and the columns visible and arranged as desired, click the disk icon.

  1. In Name of Table Configuration enter a name for the column arrangement.
    Tip: To make this the default arrangement, save it as *MY DEFAULT

  2. Optionally select the box Make Available For All Users to make arrangement visible to others.

  3. Click Save.

Use saved column arrangement

To launch this column arrangement in the future, after loading results, select it from the drop down.

Amount due columns

By clicking column visibility there are two columns that may be selected: Amount Due and Actual Cash Balance.

  • Amount Due assumes that outstanding financial aid will be disbursed. It subtracts the loan origination fee in the student's individual financial aid award. This is different from the billing statement that generates the origination fee based on the date of the student's first disbursement and fees supplied by Campus Cafe. For this reason, there may be differences between the amount due shown on the finder column and the billing statement.

  • Actual Cash Balance assumes no outstanding financial aid will be disbursed.

Actions

Actions, such as applying activities or statuses, can be applied in bulk using the action buttons. Permissions control access to some buttons.

Photos

Permission #955

Click to display photos of the selected students

Send Email

Permissions #951 & #952

You can may email the selected results on the by feeding the emails into an email program installed on your computer (e.g. Outlook) or through Campus Cafe. Using Campus Cafe relies on the customer configuring an email connection through Google or Microsoft. In both cases, Campus Cafe sends the email to the student’s preferred email address.

Email vendors often set governor limits (caps) on the number of recipients per email or the total number of emails sent within 24 hours. Campus Cafe relies on the customer’s email provider so questions should be directed to the email provider.

Email using software installed on your computer

  1. Select by checking the Selected checkbox the students you wish to email.

  2. Click the Email button > For All Default.

  3. Your locally installed email client will open and the emails will appear in the BCC line.

  4. Compose and send the email as normal.

Email using Campus Cafe 

Ensure pop ups are allowed for Campus Cafe.

  1. Select by checking the Selected checkbox the students you wish to email.

  2. Click the Email button > For All Client.

  3. A pop up will appear. Compose the email.

  4. Click Send

Send Text Message

Permission #1092

This feature requires the customer to procure a third-party contract with Message Media. Once enabled and configured you may send a text message from the finder. Refer to the separate text messaging documentation for setup and detailed directions. It is recommended that the text include the name of the institution and/or sender to help the recipient identify the source of the text.

  1. Click Text to go to the texting screen.

  2. In Member: Template Name, select an activity tracking template.

  3. Optionally set additional criteria.

  4. In Message , compose the text message.

  5. Click Submit.

  6. Wait until Campus Cafe completes sending the message. Only users with valid mobile (MBL) phone numbers can receive a text message.

Download Results

Permission #954

The download option allows exporting the results with additional data elements not shown in the results grid.

  1. Click the Download icon.

  1. Select (check) the data elements to download

  2. Click Apply.

  3. Click the Download button > For All.

The file downloads as a .tab file. This type of file may be opened in Excel:

  1. Open Excel.

  2. Navigate to File > Open.

  3. Click Browse.

  4. To the right of the File name box, select All Files (*.*) from the drop down.

  1. Select your file.

  2. Under Original data type, select Delimited.

  3. Click Next.

  4. Under Delimiters, select only Tab.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Click Finish.

Add Activity tracking (sending personalized emails/letters)

Permission #953

Activities that contain text message workflows shouldn’t be initiated though this button. While the activity will be associated with the individuals, the text message will not send. To send texts, use the Text action button.

This function allows the user to add a batch of items to the activity tracking system based on the people selected in the grid. For example, the user may wish to add a phone reminder to call the 10 people on list in 10 days.

This process relies on an administrator configuring activity items. For example, a school may pre-configure a form called PHONE10 that will contain a phone reminder that will be due in 10 days.

Leverage pre-existing activity or workflow

Follow these directions if the activity does not involve sending an email or if the activity is pre-configured with an associated workflow that sends an email.

  1. Select by checking the Selected checkbox the students you wish to add activity to.

  2. Click Add Activity > For All.

  3. In Member: Template Name, select an activity tracking template.

  4. Optionally tie the activity to a specific Semester. This might be useful if the activity relates to a specific class in a specific semester or financial aid for a specific semester.

  5. In Add Only For These People select whether to send the message to everyone selected, only those that do not have the activity tracking item or only those that do not have the item for the set semester.

  6. Optionally add a Comment.

  7. Optionally assign a user.

  8. Optionally add a Long Comment.

  9. Click Submit.

Fees

Permission #1135

This allows you to add a batch of fees to the selected students. For example, perhaps you need to add a Commencement fee to all students expected to graduate this semester.

  1. Select by checking the Selected checkbox the students you wish to add fee to.

  2. Click Add Fees > For All.

  3. In Billing Semester select the academic period in which to apply the charge.

  4. In Transaction Code select he type of charge.

  5. In Charge Frequency select choose the rule for the charge.

  6. In Billing Amount enter the amount of the charge.

  7. Click Submit.

Update class levels

Permission #1281

Campus Cafe assigns students class levels such as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior.

You can manually adjust the class level or assumed class level assigned to a group of students.

Before updating class levels using the Student Finder, students must have semester session session rows created.

Session Semester Class Level and Session Semester Assumed Class Level values must be paired with Student Codes Class Level and Student Codes Assumed Class Level, respectively, to function.

  1. Select by checking the Selected checkbox the students you wish to change their class level.

  2. Click Update Class Levels >For All.

  3. In Student Codes Class Level select the new level.

  4. Optionally select a Session Semester Class Level, Student Codes Assumed Class Level and Session Semester Assumed Class Level.

  5. Click Submit.

To F/A Disbursements

Permission #984

Clicking this will move the selected student IDs to F/A Disbursements.

To F/A Packaging

Permission #1142

Clicking this will move the selected student IDs to F/A Packaging.

Degree audits

Permission #2014

Clicking this will produce degree audits for the selected students. It also optionally prepares the data for the reverse degree audit.

Plan of study

Permission #1269. This permission includes the ability to both view and change student plans.

Students can have individual plans of study that outline what degree requirements they plan to take which semester. Once you return a group of students on the finder, you can click this button to generate a list of links to their individual plans. This lets you quickly review plans for a group of students.

You can also use this button to associate plans of study with the group of students returned. For example, if you wish to apply a plan of study template to your new incoming students. This button also lets you inactivate plans for the group of students selected or change the plans to another template.

Export IDs to reports

Permission: Always visible

The selected student IDs will be loaded for use in base reports.

Register

Permission #1127

Clicking this will launch the batch registration process to register the selected students in one or more classes.

Update advisors

Permission #1262

Clicking this will launch the Batch Update Advisor tool to set a specific advisor to the selected students.

Create alumni

Permission #1179

Clicking this allows the changing of degree status in batch. For example, you can confer a group of students. The changes will apply to the individual's current degree row.

Holds

Permission #673

Clicking this allows the batch placement or removal of holds on the selected students.

Status

Permission #594

Clicking this allows the batch association of semester status histories on the selected students. For example, Dean's List or academic probation.

Reports

Permission: Always visible

Clicking this button allows the running of attendance reports or student progress report. Printing Student Schedules in a batch can also be printed using this action.

Activities

Permission #956

Clicking this will move the selected student IDs to the Activity Tracking page and open that screen. This will allow you to search for activities associated with any of these students. For example, you may wish to search for all transcripts or application materials.

Enroll listing

Permission: Always visible provided specific criteria is selected

Clicking this button opens a new screen that lists all the individual class enrollments for the inputted course semester for the selected students. Each class appears once per line and includes the student's name, student's ID, semester, course number and section, course title, course site, course credits, course grades, study (degree) level, billing site, the student's last day of attendance, the student's withdrawal date and information about when the enrollment record was created and last updated. The student's primary academic advisor is also listed.

The start and end dates shown depend on how custom control SHOWCRSDAT is configured. 

  • If set to Y the Start and End dates shown represent the course start and end dates unless the student has an override start or end date set on the enrollment detail for that course then the override date is shown.

  • If set to N the Start and End dates will be blank unless the student has an override start or end date set on the enrollment detail for that course in which case the override date is shown.

Advisor mode

Clicking this button will allow you to enter advisor mode and approve students to register if the advisor mode is configured. See related documentation on how to approve students.

Billing rule

Permission #2018

Clicking this button will allow you to associate a student-specific billing rule code with a group of students. See related documentation.Â