How to Add and Manage Student Field Categories in openSIS

How to Add and Manage Student Field Categories

Overview

Student Field Categories help organize student information into logical sections within student profiles and registration forms.

Categories make it easier for administrators, staff, and users to locate and manage student information by grouping related fields together. Categories created here become sections within Student Profiles and are used to organize related student information.

Examples of categories include:

  • General Info
  • Enrollment Info
  • Address & Contact
  • Medical Info
  • Housing
  • Employment Information

Institutions may also create custom categories to meet specific requirements.


Accessing Student Field Categories

To access Student Field Categories:

Notes
Settings > Student Settings > Student Fields

The Categories panel is displayed on the left side of the Student Fields screen.


Why Use Categories?

Categories help institutions:

  • Organize student information logically
  • Simplify profile management
  • Improve data entry workflows
  • Reduce profile clutter
  • Support institution-specific requirements

Categories help organize information within Student Profiles, making it easier for administrators and staff to view and maintain student records. Without categories, large student profiles can become difficult to manage.


Adding a New Student Field Category

To create a category:

  1. Navigate to:
    Info
    Settings > Student Settings > Student Fields
  2. Click:
    Add New Category
  3. Enter:
    • Category Title
    • Sort Order
  4. Click Submit

The new category will appear in the Categories panel.


Category Fields Explained

Category Title

The name used to identify the category.

Examples:

  • Transportation
  • Residency Information
  • Scholarship Details
  • Emergency Information

Choose names that clearly describe the information stored within the category.


Sort Order

The Sort Order determines the position of the category within the Student Fields screen and student profiles.

Lower numbers appear first in the list.

Example:

CategorySort Order
General Info1
Enrollment Info2
Medical Info3

Editing a Category

To modify a category:

  1. Locate the category in the Categories panel
  2. Click the edit icon
  3. Update the required information
  4. Save the changes

Changes are reflected wherever the category is used.


Deleting a Category

To remove a category:

  1. Locate the category
  2. Click the delete icon
  3. Confirm the deletion

Before deleting a category, ensure that it is not actively required for student data collection.


Reordering Categories

Categories can be organized using the configured sort order.

Proper organization helps maintain a structured and user-friendly student profile layout.

Many institutions place categories in the order information is commonly collected during enrollment and registration.


Examples of Custom Categories

Institutions commonly create categories such as:

  • Transportation Information
  • Scholarship Information
  • Extracurricular Activities
  • Residency Information
  • Military Information
  • Housing Information
  • Emergency Contacts

The categories used will depend on institutional requirements.


Best Practices

  • Use clear and descriptive category names.
  • Avoid creating duplicate categories.
  • Group similar information together.
  • Maintain a consistent category structure across academic years.
  • Review categories periodically to ensure relevance.
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