Student Information Systems (SIS)

Schools and universities manage huge amounts of data—applications, enrollment, attendance, grades, transcripts, schedules, fees, and communications—often spread across spreadsheets or disconnected tools. A Student Information System (SIS) centralizes this information and the workflows around it, so administrators, faculty, students, and families all work from a single source of truth. An SIS streamlines admissions and registration, simplifies timetabling, tracks attendance and behavior, calculates grades, generates transcripts, and supports compliance reporting. With portals for students and guardians, plus integrations to learning platforms and finance/HR systems, SIS software reduces manual data entry, prevents errors and duplicates, and makes it easier to run day-to-day operations. The result is better data quality, faster decisions, and a clearer picture of student progress from first contact through graduation.

• Unified student records: Centralized profiles with demographics, programs, accommodations, and history.
• Admissions & enrollment: Applications, waitlists, eligibility checks, and online registration.
• Scheduling & timetabling: Course sections, rooms, teacher assignments, and conflict detection.
• Attendance & behavior: Daily/period attendance, tardies, incidents, and interventions.
• Grades, report cards & transcripts: Gradebooks, GPA rules, progress reports, and official records.
• Family & student portals: Self-service access to schedules, results, assignments, and messages.
• Fees & billing: Tuition/fees, payment plans, and receipts (where applicable).
• Health & compliance: Immunizations, permissions, accommodations, and regulatory reporting.
• Analytics & reporting: Dashboards, exports, and state/ministerial submissions.
• Integrations & security: Connects to LMS, HR, finance, SSO; role-based access and audit trails.

Student Information Systems (SIS) FAQs

What is a Student Information System (SIS)?

An SIS is software that stores and manages a school’s core data and processes—enrollment, schedules, attendance, grades, transcripts, and communications—so everyone works from accurate, up-to-date information.

Who uses SIS software?

Registrars and administrators use it to manage records and compliance; teachers for rosters, attendance, and grade entry; counselors for progress tracking; finance and HR for billing and staffing data; and students and families via portals for schedules, results, and messages.

What features should I look for in an SIS?

Look for robust enrollment and scheduling, flexible grading/transcript rules, attendance and behavior tracking, self-service portals, strong reporting, and integrations with your LMS, finance/HR, and identity systems. Data security, permissions, and audit logs are essential.

How is an SIS different from an LMS?

An SIS is the system of record for student data and administration (enrollment, grades, transcripts, compliance). A Learning Management System (LMS) delivers teaching and learning (course content, assignments, quizzes). They integrate: the SIS holds the official data; the LMS handles day-to-day instruction.

Can an SIS track attendance, grades, and transcripts?

Yes. Core SIS functionality includes daily/period attendance, grade entry and calculation (including GPA/credit rules), and generation of report cards and official transcripts.

Is SIS software secure and compliant?

Modern SIS platforms include role-based access, encryption, audit trails, and data retention controls to help meet privacy regulations (e.g., FERPA/GDPR contexts). Proper configuration and clear access policies are key to safeguarding student data.