The Scholarship Application Management System ("SAMS") is a web-based data management system provided by ScholarshipExperts.com. SAMS serves two primary groups: 1) consumers seeking scholarships to finance their education, and 2) scholarship providers offering scholarship programs to such consumers. SAMS offers scholarship seekers the opportunity to apply to scholarships electronically via online applications housed on the SAMS website. SAMS offers scholarship providers a solution for creating and electronically managing online scholarship applications.

The SAMS interface for scholarship seekers is a public website whereby scholarship seekers can sign up or login and apply electronically for scholarships. Scholarship seekers can track scholarship applications being completed and monitor application review and approval status through SAMS.

• User Registration:

  To utilize the SAMS system, a scholarship seeker must visit the online web page and become a registered member of the system. The user completes an online one-page registration process and creates a username and password. The username and password will allow the user to return to the SAMS web page and login and access the system at a later date.

• Application Completion & Submission:

  Once registration is complete, the scholarship seeker can electronically complete, store and submit scholarship applications. The user can access these electronic scholarship applications as follows: 1) from the search results section of the ScholarshipExperts.com website, or 2) from a link to the application on an outside website (i.e., the provider's website, another scholarship search service's website, or a scholarship blog website each as established by the scholarship provider). Any scholarship application can be partially completed by the consumer and the data can be saved for access at a later date. Once a user completes an application and is ready to send it to the scholarship provider, he/she can click the "submit" button and the application is then ready to be reviewed by the scholarship provider.

• Application Tracking:

  The scholarship seeker can return to the SAMS website and login to view, edit, and/or update scholarship applications he/she has either started, completed or submitted, as well as to track the status of each application. This central area consolidates an applicant's current scholarship applications in one place, permitting more efficient management of scholarships the applicant is attempting to win.

The SAMS provider administrative interface has tools the scholarship provider can use to manage the data contained in the scholarship applications submitted electronically by consumers. Providers can manage multiple scholarship programs or offerings within the administrative area.

• Access:

  The SAMS provider interface requires a username and password. A ScholarshipExperts.com account representative will initially set up the login details for the scholarship provider's contact person. This login will be assigned to the person the provider appoints as its "Administrator." The Administrator will have the ability to create additional users and user accounts with varying levels of accessibility to the system (Administrator or Read-Only).

• Functionality:

  Upon administrative login to the provider's administrative interface, the system will verify username and password to determine user type and permission levels (administrative/editing rights or read-only access). Within each individual program, the provider can create varying evaluation views (i.e., stripping out any identifying fields like name or gender). The provider can also view the number of applications submitted within a specific date range, access a particular application, rank the application, and export application information to Microsoft Excel. Any grade or status changes to a particular application will create a new log in the history folder. A comment/note can be added to any application. Ultimately, the scholarship provider can grade and sort the applicant pool online. The provider can review, grade and then change the status of each applicant, eventually narrowing down the 'contenders' to the 'semi-finalists' and 'finalists' who will receive the award.

• Creating Online Applications:

  Using either an existing paper application or guidelines supplied by the provider, ScholarshipExperts.com will utilize its proprietary application wizard to create the electronic version of the application. The scholarship program launch date and application deadline date will be entered according to the provider's instructions. The overview/start page can be customized with the provider's logo and content. The length of the application and the number and appearance of questions on each page can be customized. The submission page can be customized as well with content, images, and links supplied by the provider. The provider is afforded final approval of the electronic application prior to publication on the public website. Each provider can have multiple scholarship applications in the SAMS system at the same time.

• Promotions:

  SAMS can assist in getting student Internet traffic to the online scholarship application. Providers are given a unique SAMS URL to place on their websites, enabling the provider's website visitors to locate the online application. Additionally, the SAMS scholarship programs will be added to the ScholarshipExperts.com database, and qualified students using the free matching system offered by ScholarshipExperts.com will be directed to the online application.

• Data Collection:

  SAMS offers a data collection system to record and store applicant answers to scholarship application questions. Scholarship applicants are required to register and login to the SAMS account, and all answers are securely stored. SAMS offers applicants the ability to save answers and return later to complete the application. Data and questions can be formatted in a number of different ways to accommodate providers.

• Reviewing & Selecting:

  An administrative interface is available to scholarship providers who elect to use SAMS for hosting and managing their applications. Through the administrative interface, providers can see in real-time the number of applications being submitted, and can set up multiple grading screens for quick or in-depth review of applicants. Additionally, providers can record notes about applicants, and can use the features for grading and sorting candidates. There is also an export feature available to record results offline.