Student Information Systems App Development: Cost And Key Features

Educational Institutes often face problems in managing the data of their students. Data management became even more challenging during the Covid-19 lockdown. Thereafter, SIS, also known as Student Information System, came, got attention, and was considered a solution to this problem. It is a diligently designed software for organizing and managing student data. Student Information Systems can conveniently manage data like personal information, academic records, and fees. It also simplifies the procedure of student registration, maintaining attendance, and grades. Therefore, most educational institutes have started investing in Student Information Systems App Development to create a custom solution according to their requirements.

Student Information Systems Statistics

The educational sector, with Elearning App Development, started incorporating the latest technologies to digitize and modernize its operations, and the Student Information System adds a crucial contribution in achieving this goal. SIS software is designed to digitally store and manage all the essential data related to students and institutes. The market valuation of Student Information Systems in 2021 was around $7.41 billion, which is further expected to grow at a 19% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) from 2020 to 2030. The education institutes also have the option to customize the software according to their needs and requirements. The statistics portray the potential of Student Information Systems and the growing needs of Student Information System Software Development Companies.

Features of Student Information System

The primary task of the Student Information System is to organize and manage data related to the students. The data includes academic records, attendance, personal information, etc. An ideal SIS has all the below-mentioned features integrated. 

Cloud Hosted 

Institutes understand the importance of cloud-hosted ERP. It helps reduce investment, optimize resources, and save time. The cloud-hosted SIS has a flexible architecture that can be easily customized according to the requirements.

Read More: Different Types of eLearning Apps for Teachers and Students

Student Record Maintenance 

A student’s behavior can be easily tracked with the help of data insights. The SIS comes along with unified data features that hand over the command to the end users. The data available on the SIS can be easily accessed on the respective dashboards. This data includes performance, fees, grades, attendance, and a lot more information related to the students.

Admission Management  

The manual admission procedure takes a lot of time and utilizes plenty of resources. However, the complete procedure of admission can be easily automated with SIS. It will eliminate the requirement of managing big files for admission. The standard response and notification feature will help in saving administrative time.

Attendance 

The complete track record of a student’s attendance can be easily maintained in the Student Information System. Education institutes save a lot of time with this attendance feature as they no longer have to maintain registers for attendance. Automated SMS and e-mails are generated and sent to the parents of the respective student to report and confirm the absenteeism.

Library Management

Students often require additional information on a particular topic. The best way to do so is to Issue a book or a case study from the library. SIS offers an advanced library to their students using which the students can keep up with their studies. SIS also has the option to search and issue a book online. The book can also be easily borrowed and returned through the SIS portal. 

Parents Management 

Every parent wants to keep up with the performance of their child. Healthy communication between the parents and the teacher regarding the behavior and performance of the student can create a positive impact. With SIS, ‌parents receive all information related to their child via e-mail and SMS. Parents get regular updates about their child i.e., attendance, scorecards, fee alerts, etc.

Online Payment 

The SIS lets students and their parents pay the fees online through their smart devices. The Student Information System also sends regular notifications to the students and their parents, reminding them about the pending fees and a payment link. The parents get a quick receipt of the payment over the mail, making the payment more secure and maintaining transparency.

Push Notifications 

SIS is one of the best choices when an institute needs to send any particular update or message in bulk to the students. With SIS, educational institutions can easily send messages through push notifications to students and their guardians. Important news and notices can be easily conveyed through robust communication features.

Read More: All you need to know about while building an Educational App

Discipline Records 

The big educational institutes often struggle to maintain discipline records as the count of students is too high, and recording all the incidents manually is a hectic task. However, the student information system can help education institutions report, maintain, and ‌keep a track record of disciplinary issues. It is also capable of creating disciplinary actionable reports for comparison and analysis.

Academic Grade Tracker 

The student information system also has automated grade books to keep track of the student’s academic records. Students, faculty, and parents can easily access the complete track of the grades. Faculty and stakeholders also have the option to edit and maintain the grades. It comes with an option for customization; the institute can choose from multiple grading systems.  

If you want software with more features, partner with a development firm for Custom SIS Software Development and get a solution that meets your business needs. 

How To Hire The Best Student Information System Developer?

The count of developers is constantly increasing as most industries incorporate the latest technologies for the betterment. As a result, finding the best Student Information System developer is a tough task. Therefore here are some points that educational institutes can consider to hire the best team of developers to develop custom SIS software as per the requirements.

Budget

Discussing the idea and requirements of the Student Information System with developers might turn out to be pointless if both parties don’t agree on monetary terms. Every educational institute will have a pre-defined budget, and the team of developers will be offering their services at a particular price. Therefore, the first step is to negotiate a deal with the developers and be on the same page with the developers when it comes to monetary terms.

Interview

Another step involves questioning and interviewing the team of developers who offer SIS Software Development Services. Ask as many questions as you want about application development and their expertise. Prefer discussing your ideas and requirements with them and what changes they would recommend to make it even better. Also, ensure that they agree to deliver the project on your given time.

Portfolio

Checking out the portfolio of the developers as it is one of the best ways to check their skills. The squad of developers with years of experience and expertise would have worked and completed various projects. Hence their completed projects can be checked-out to cross-check their capabilities. It will give you an exact idea about the skill set of the developers.

Tech Stack

The performance of any application has a lot to do with the tech stack used to develop it. Therefore, ensure that the developers offering SIS App Development Services choose to have their hands on the latest tech stack. Using the latest tech stack will help develop a scalable and robust custom solution that meets all the requirements of the educational institute.  

Testimonials

 All the top squads of SIS Portal Development teams maintain testimonials. It is a list of clients to whom ‌developers have offered their services. The client shares their experience working with the developers and rates their services based upon various factors i.e., expertise, skills, knowledge, etc. Ensure that the developer team you chose has good reviews and ratings.

Top Student Information Software

QuickSchools

It is a cloud-based SIS highly recognized for scalability and flexibility. It has an instinctive platform that goes hand-in-hand with different academic systems. Educational institutions also have the option to customize the features according to the requirements. QuickSchools can be easily accessed through web, android, and iOS devices 

Key Features

• Report Creator
• Online Payments
• Attendance tracking
• Enrollment and Admission
• Transcripts

Pricing

• Gaia Plan – $0.99/month
• Apollo Plan – $1.49/month
• Athena Plan – $2.99/month
• Enterprise Plan – Not Fixed

Teachmint

It is an ideal choice for educational institutes offering online and offline classes. Teachmint is also a cloud-based platform that lets teachers share notes, sample papers, and questions with ‌students. It also has a messaging tool to initiate conversations between students and teachers. Additionally, Teachmint is integrated with robust features that automate evaluating students’ progress, keeping a track record of grades, etc. Numerous end-to-end capabilities, including attendance management, report card creation, fee management, etc, power it.

Key Features

• Academic Planning
• Parental Access
• Performance tracking
• Two-way live classes
• AI-powered smart testing

Pricing

Customized Plans Available

Also, Read: How to Develop an Educational App Like BYJU’s / Toppr- Cost & Features

iGradePlus

It is a subscription-based Student Information System that is packed with the latest and most robust features. It is a customizable and scalable solution that can be personalized per the requirements. The most prominent features of iGradePlus include tracking attendance and student behavior, automated reports, messaging, emails, etc.

Key Features

• Class management
• Parent/Guardian Profiles
• Custom Report Generation
• Communication tools
• Single and Multiple Teacher Accounts

Pricing

Customized Plans Available

PowerSchool SIS

It is one of the award-winning student information software, integrated with all the essential features and tools. The educational institutes also have the option to customize the solution according to their needs. Both students and parents can easily access the academic performance of the candidate and areas of improvement. It also offers communication tools to power smooth communication between students and teachers during lectures. Compared to other SIS, PowerSchool SIS has the widest range of management features.

Key Features

• State Compliance Reporting
• District and School Setup
• Real-time updates
• Advanced Work
• Task Management

Pricing

Customized Plans Available

Skyward Student Management Suite

It is one of the most renowned Student Information Systems with best-in-class management tools. The students and their guardians can create a request for a precise course. The enrollment process has also been simplified; the complete process is automated from enrolling to admission. The institute also has the authority to customize the solution. The guardians of the students have the option to pay the fees online. The transcripts and grades of the students are updated in real-time with a proper breakdown of the academic progress.

Key Features

• Online Enrollment and Registration
• Online Payment and Fee Management
• Transcripts and Report Cards
• Curriculum management
• Online course requests

Pricing

Customized Plans Available

Also, Read: E-Learning Application Development – Cost and Features

How much does it cost to develop a Student Information System?

The cost involved in developing a Student Information System is subject to factors like system complexity, tech stack, features list, location and expertise of developers, etc. Therefore, committing to exact figures can be a challenging task. However, the rough estimate of the Student Information System development cost is somewhere between $15,000 to $50,000. The best way to get the custom solution developed on a minimal budget is by hiring developers from a nation like India. The development cost over there is minimal, and the expertise of the developers is unmatched. For more exact figures, prefer availing of free consultancy services from software and application Development Companies.

How to Develop a Student Information System?

The procedure of developing a Student Information System is quite lengthy and time-consuming. Therefore, we have broken down the complete procedure into steps, and here is a quick look at the same.

Ideation 

The initial step of the development process is to discuss your idea with the team of developers. At this stage, the application’s concept, features, and purpose are discussed and defined. A dedicated team brainstorms ideas and possibilities to come up with something unique that adds value to the solution and builds a strong foundation for SIS development.

Designing 

After finalizing the idea and concept, it’s time to work around the design of the application. It is crucial to develop a user-friendly interface and design to engage and retain users for longer. Various layouts, fonts, colors, and themes are mixed and matched to create an optimal design for the application.

Prototype 

A prototype is created before the full-scale development process. It is an interactive model of the outcome. It is one of the most important steps as it helps stakeholders to visualize and test the application. The potential challenges are accumulated, and the solution is found to ensure a smooth development process.

Development 

After finalizing everything, ‌developers step in and begin full-scale solution development. The developers begin developing the application from scratch and head forward to turn the idea into reality. The latest technology is leveraged to create a robust and custom solution according to the requirements.

Testing 

Once the process of application development comes to an end, the team of testers comes into action. The testers examine the application from top to bottom and put it through difficult situations to check its credibility. All the software’s bugs, glitches, and errors are fixed, ensuring smooth functionality.

Deployment

The application is deployed on supportive platforms and is available to potential users. Users can download the software through the web, play store, and iOS Store.

Support & Maintenance

Software and applications need support and maintenance to function well and run smoothly. It is also essential to upgrade the software with time and integrate robust features to engage the users. Optimal support and maintenance services ensure that the software functions well and serves its purpose.

Bottom Line

Elearning solutions have always seen an upward graph with the growing needs and demands of the users. The importance and the benefits of investing in the Student Information System are crystal clear now. Most Education Institutes have adopted using SIS after coming across its associated benefits. If you also find SIS worth, do prefer investing in Student Information System software development and generating good profits. Anyhow, ensure hiring the best developers for workers with years of experience and the caliber to turn your vision into reality. The best way to filter the best developers from the crowd is by reviewing their portfolios and interviewing them about their expertise.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)