Account Creation: Allow users to create accounts for scholarship applicants, administrators, and reviewers using email, social media, or mobile numbers.
Profile Management: Users can manage and update their profiles, including personal information, contact details, and application history.
Role Management: Support different user roles with varying access levels and permissions (e.g., applicant, admin, reviewer).
Application Management:
Application Submission: Enable applicants to submit scholarship applications online, including required documents and personal information.
Application Tracking: Allow applicants to track the status of their applications, including submission confirmation, review status, and decision notifications.
Document Management: Provide functionality for uploading and managing supporting documents such as transcripts, recommendation letters, and personal statements.
Scholarship Management:
Scholarship Listings: Allow administrators to create and manage scholarship programs, including details such as eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and award amounts.
Application Forms: Customize and manage application forms for different scholarships, including fields for personal information, academic records, and essay questions.
Application Deadlines: Set and manage deadlines for scholarship applications, including automatic reminders and notifications.
Review and Selection:
Review Process: Implement a review process for scholarship applications, allowing reviewers to evaluate, score, and provide feedback.
Reviewer Assignment: Assign applications to reviewers based on their expertise and availability.
Decision Making: Provide tools for making scholarship award decisions, including selection and ranking of applicants.
Award Management:
Award Notification: Send notifications to selected recipients about their scholarship awards, including award details and terms.
Disbursement Tracking: Track and manage the disbursement of scholarship funds, including payment processing and documentation.
Recipient Management: Manage and communicate with scholarship recipients, including updating contact information and tracking scholarship usage.
Reporting and Analytics:
Application Reports: Generate reports on application statistics, including the number of applications, demographics, and submission trends.
Award Reports: Provide reports on awarded scholarships, including details on recipients, amounts, and disbursement status.
Custom Reports: Allow administrators to generate and customize reports based on specific criteria and needs.
Communication:
Notifications: Send automatic notifications and reminders for application deadlines, status updates, and award announcements.
In-App Messaging: Provide a messaging system for communication between applicants, reviewers, and administrators.
Admin Panel:
Dashboard: Provide a central dashboard for administrators to manage scholarships, applications, and users.
System Configuration: Allow admins to configure system settings, including application deadlines, scholarship criteria, and notification templates.
User Management: Admins can add, remove, or modify user accounts and roles.
Integration with External Systems:
Document Verification: Optionally integrate with third-party services for verifying supporting documents and credentials.
Payment Systems: Integrate with payment gateways for processing scholarship disbursements.
Accessibility and Usability:
Mobile-Friendly: Ensure the platform is responsive and accessible on various mobile devices and screen sizes.
User-Friendly Interface: Design an intuitive interface for applicants, reviewers, and administrators.
Non-Functional Requirements
Performance:
Speed: Ensure fast load times for the platform, quick response times for application processing, and real-time updates.
Scalability: The system should handle increasing numbers of applications, users, and scholarships without performance degradation.
Security:
Data Protection: Implement encryption and secure storage for sensitive user data, including personal and financial information.
Access Control: Enforce role-based access controls to prevent unauthorized access to data and system features.
Transaction Security: Securely handle all financial transactions and protect against fraud.
Reliability:
Uptime: Aim for high availability with minimal downtime to ensure continuous access to the platform.
Backup and Recovery: Implement regular backups and a disaster recovery plan to protect data and ensure business continuity.
Maintainability:
Code Quality: Maintain clean, well-documented code to facilitate easy updates and maintenance.
Modularity: Design the system in a modular way to allow for easy addition of new features and updates.
Compatibility:
Cross-Browser Support: Ensure compatibility with major web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Mobile Responsiveness: The platform should be fully functional on various mobile devices and screen sizes.
Usability:
User Interface: Design an intuitive and user-friendly interface for applicants, reviewers, and administrators.
Accessibility: Ensure the platform is accessible to users with disabilities, following WCAG guidelines.
Localization:
Multilingual Support: Provide the platform in multiple languages if serving a diverse user base.
Regional Customization: Allow for region-specific content, compliance, and system configurations.
Analytics and Reporting:
Data Insights: Provide actionable insights into application trends, scholarship effectiveness, and user engagement.
Custom Reporting: Allow administrators to generate and customize reports based on specific criteria.
