What is a Subscription?

A subscription is a recurring payment charged to a user at specified intervals. In openSIS, this feature enables schools to set up automatic deductions of subscription fees from student accounts. For the system to work seamlessly, schools need to have a Stripe account connected to openSIS. Without a Stripe account, the school cannot receive subscription payments. Therefore, connecting Stripe is the first step to setting up subscriptions.

Step 1: Connect a Stripe Account

If your school has not already connected a Stripe account, you need to do so before setting up subscriptions. This connection is required to process payments directly from the student’s account to the school’s account. You can easily connect your Stripe account in openSIS by navigating to Settings and configuring the Online Payment Acceptance under Billing and Fees. Follow the prompts to connect your Stripe account or Go through the following article.

Step 2: Set Up Subscription Items

Once Stripe is connected, you can set up the subscriptions that you would like to offer to students.

1. Go to Settings and then to Billing and Fees.
2. Select Setup Online Subscriptions.
3. Click on Add Subscription Item to create a new subscription item.
   

You will be asked to fill out the following details:

• Title: Name of the subscription.
• G/L Account: The General Ledger account to which this subscription is linked.
• Sub Account: Any sub-account related to the G/L account.
• Amount: The subscription fee to be charged.
• Frequency: Choose how often the amount will be charged. Options include daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
• Description: Provide a short description of the subscription.
• In Use: Toggle this switch to activate the subscription. Only active subscriptions will be visible to students.
  

Once you've completed these fields, click Submit. The subscription item will be created both in openSIS and automatically synced to your Stripe account.

Step 3: Assign Subscriptions to Students

With the subscription items in place, the next step is to assign them to students:

1. Go to Billing and Fees and select Assign Subscriptions.
2. A list of students will populate. Select the students you wish to assign subscriptions to.
   

1. Click on Assign Subscriptions and you'll be redirected to a form where you can choose the subscription items to assign.
   

1. You may assign multiple subscriptions by clicking Add another Subscription Item. The total amount will update automatically.
   

1. After selecting the subscription(s), click Assign Subscription to finalize.
   

Step 4: Student Activation of Subscriptions

The subscription will not start until the student activates it. Here's what students need to do:

1. The student will go to Billing and Fees and click on My Subscriptions.
2. A list of the assigned subscriptions will appear.
   

1. If the student has not yet completed any online transactions in openSIS, they will first need to enter their card details to connect their account with Stripe.
2. Once the payment details are entered, the student can click Start Subscription to activate it.
   

1. The student can also view the invoice details for any subscription by clicking on Invoice Details.
   

Step 5: Managing Subscriptions

Once a student activates a subscription, administrators can track the status of the subscription:

1. Go to Billing and Fees and select Assign Subscriptions.
2. Select the student, and on the details page, you’ll see the status of the subscription marked as "Active," along with the start and end dates of the subscription.