Student Information Management System
User Guide
Section 3
Admissions
Updated October 12, 2010
User Guide:
Admissions
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User Guide:
Admissions
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................... 4
Admissions Applications Process ................................................. 5
Overview .................................................................................................... 5
Admissions Application Form (SAAADMS) ................................................ 6
Prior College Form (SOAPCOL) .............................................................. 10
Admissions Decision Form (SAADCRV) .................................................. 11
Optional Blocks/Forms ............................................................................. 12
Optional Blocks (found on SAAADMS) .......................................... 12
Optional Forms .............................................................................. 13
Other Procedures .......................................................................... 14
Processing a Dual Degree Applicant ........................................................ 14
Changing the Admission Term ................................................................. 16
Changing to a Future Term ........................................................... 16
Changing to a Past Term............................................................... 16
Admissions Requirements - Transfer Credits ............................. 17
Commonly Asked Questions .................................................................... 17
Entering Transfer Credits ......................................................................... 19
Option 1 ......................................................................................... 19
Option 2 ......................................................................................... 21
Option 3 ......................................................................................... 24
Appendix A: Decision Codes ....................................................... 25
Appendix B: Curriculum Data ...................................................... 27
Appendix C: Residency Application Procedure.......................... 29
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User Guide:
Admissions
Introduction
The Admissions module details the process for creating and updating admissions
applications. Once an applicant is entered into SIMS as a General Person
(Section 2), their application to UMB can be entered and processed.
Once an applicant accepts the offer of admission and a decision code is entered,
a student record is automatically generated which allows the student to register.
The student record and applicable forms are covered in Section 4: General
Student of the SIMS User Guide.
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Admissions
Admissions Applications Process
Overview
The following section details the steps necessary to enter a new application into
SIMS. An unlimited number of applications can be entered for one applicant for
any term.
There are three primary forms that are used:



The Admissions Applications Form (SAAADMS) is the primary form used
to create and update admissions applications submitted to UMB. This form
initiates the application process and captures the term, curriculum, and other
information related to the program the student is applying for.
The Prior College Form (SOAPCOL) records and maintains information on
the applicant’s previous college experience, including degree and attendance
dates.
The Admissions Decision Form (SAADCRV) is the final form. The decision
to admit or decline the applicant is recorded on this form.
The following section will review the application process and will detail which
fields on the respective forms are required or optional.
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User Guide:
Admissions
Admissions Application Form (SAAADMS)
SAAADMS is used to create and update admissions applications.
Step
1
Action
Make sure the ID and Name are correct. The Term field should be
blank. If it is the correct student, click on the Next Block icon.
2
If no previous applications exist, the SAAADMS form will remain blank
and the cursor will move to the Entry Term field.
3
Using the List of Values, select the appropriate code for the following
required fields:



4
Entry Term – The term for which the applicant has applied.
Admission Type – Used for letter generation and it also drives the
checklist.
Student Type – Captures if they are new, returning, etc.
Click on Next Block. The Curricula tab will become active and will
default to the Curriculum sub-tab.
NOTE: The Curricula Summary and Field of Study Summary on the
Application tab are view only. You must access the Curricula tab to
enter data.
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Admissions
Step
5
Action
To create a primary curriculum record with one major, enter the
necessary curriculum data:



6
Priority – Will default to “1”. Do not change this.
Level – Select or enter the appropriate code.
Program – From the drop-down box, select “Base Curriculum Rules
By Program” and select the appropriate program (This list will be
narrowed down based on what Level was selected in the prior step).
Click on the Field of Study tab.
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Step
7
Action
Verify the existing data. If none exists:



Priority – Enter “1”.
Type – Enter “Major”.
Field of Study – From the drop down box, select “Attached
Majors/Departments” and select the appropriate major.
For most schools/ programs, the other fields will populate automatically
except for some majors and all concentrations.
To enter a concentration or more than one major, see Appendix B:
Curriculum Data.
8
Click on Save.
NOTE: If your school uses a Communication Plan for letter generation,
a Communication Plan Change window will display at this point. You
must Save the Communication Plan in order to save the application.
Conversely, you must delete the Communication Plan in order to delete
the application.
9
Click on the Contacts, Cohorts, Attributes tab. This is a required tab.
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Step
11
Action
Required fields:


12
Optional by school field:

13
Cohort – All degree seeking applicants must be assigned a Cohort
for Graduation Retention Reporting.
Attribute – This is required for all applicants. This affects billing.
Contact Type
Click on Save.
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Admissions
Prior College Form (SOAPCOL)
SOAPCOL is used to record and maintain information about previous college
experience.
Step
1
2
Action
From SAAADMS, click on the Options menu and select Prior College
Information (SOAPCOL).
Required fields:

Prior College – To search for a college, the data must be entered in
ALL CAPS.
o If the institution is a foreign college, they are listed generically
by country. When conducting a search, enter “UNIV IN (name
of country)”. I.e.; UNIV IN UNITED KINGDOM. To list all
countries, use “UNIV IN %”. If you cannot find the country,
use code “999999”.
NOTE: To enter multiple previous colleges, place the cursor in the Prior
College field and click on Insert Record.



3
Degree – The degree they were working on or obtained at the
institution.
Attend From/ Attend To – Dates of attendance.
Degree Date – If they graduated.
Click on Save.
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Admissions Decision Form (SAADCRV)
SAADCRV is used to enter decisions for an applicant. This step is usually
conducted at a later date from when the application was entered into SIMS.
Step
1
Action
Access the student’s application via the SAAADMS form. The most
recent application will automatically appear.
Click on Next Block.
NOTE: It is recommended to access the application via SAAADMS. If
there are multiple applications on file, it is easier to determine if you
have the correct one by using SAAADMS.
2
Click on the Options menu and select Assign Decisions to
Application (SAADCRV). The SAADCRV form will appear, as seen
above.

In the Decision Code field (located in the Application Decision
block), enter the appropriate decision code.
NOTE: See Appendix A: Decision Codes for a full list of applicable
codes.
3
Click on Save.
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Admissions
Optional Blocks/Forms
The following tabs and/or forms are available for input or to view data but are
only used by certain schools.
Optional Blocks (found on SAAADMS)

Checklist– Based on the program the student enters, this block contains
required admissions items. If your school uses a Communication Plan, the
Checklist must be kept up to date, or incorrect data will feed into the missing
checklist letters. If your school uses Web Admissions, checklist items are
shown to the student when they track the progress of their application.
o To satisfy a checklist item, enter the Received date.
o Additional items can be added for individual applicants.

Sources, Interests, Comments – Certain schools use this form. Use caution
when entering comments. Comments can be viewed by anyone in the entire
system and can be subpoenaed.
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Admissions
Optional Forms
Be sure that you are following your specific schools’ procedures as to the use of
these forms.

SOATEST (Test Score Information) – Used to enter required test scores for
applicants.
o Each test has its own specific score format. Once a test is selected
from the LOV, the format for entering the test score will appear at the
bottom of the form, as seen below. Enter the test score into the Test
Score field using the appropriate format.

SUAMAIL (Student Mail Form) – Used to display the correspondence history
with a student. It is used by schools that use Banner letter generation.

SOAAPPT (Person Appointments/Contacts Form) – Used to set up
appointments and contacts for a student. Seldom used.

SOAGPAT (Applicant GPA Types Form) – Used to record different types of
GPAs for a student.

SOACRSS (Applicant Course Summaries Form) – Used to record course
hour summary information for different groups of courses taken at other
institutions.
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Admissions
Other Procedures
Processing a Dual Degree Applicant
The following details the process that you will use to switch a student from one
program to another for fee calculation (controls monies received by your school),
academic history, etc.
NOTE: Law School must also use this to switch their internal programs because
it impacts Financial Aid.
RECOMMENDATION: We suggest that you contact dual degree students before
pre-registration starts in April to determine which school/program they will be in
for the majority of their classes for the next academic year.
This will give plenty of time to create the admissions record and re-admit the
student before pre-registration starts. If the student wants to change to another
school’s program, please contact the other school.
1. To enter a student into another Dual Degree Program, they must be admitted
via Admissions.
 If this is a brand new application for the program, then enter the student as
a new student via the instructions in this manual.
 Otherwise, create a new Admissions record with the Student Type as “D”
(for Dual Degree Returning). Be sure to use the original Catalog Year that
was used when the student was first admitted in the program (if
applicable) and delete the Communication Plan when the window pops
up. Then admit the student in order to create the new General Student
record and notify the Registrar’s Office via email so that the residency can
be changed accordingly.
2. If you get an error that a “Registration Already Exists”:
 Make note of the registrations for the student for the term in the
SFAREGS form.
 Delete each registered course by changing the Status Code to a “DD”
then select Record Remove for that course.
 Once all courses are removed, you must now delete (Record Remove)
the middle block in SFAREGS (the “EL” record).
(Continued on next page)
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Admissions
3. Once the above steps are done, you can admit the student, which will create
the General Student record. (If you get an error that a General Student
Record already exists, you must delete the SGASTDN record, along with the
Cohort and Attribute under Options, before you can admit the student.)
 Re-register the student for the courses that you just removed for that term.
 Please note that the Level Code of the newly created General Student
record will be the default level of these re-registered courses. You may
need to adjust the Level Code for some of these courses in order for them
to appear correctly in academic history.
This process will help the Financial Aid department in packaging and awarding
students. If the student changes programs between terms within the academic
year, you MUST contact Patricia Scott in Financial Aid.
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User Guide:
Admissions
Changing the Admission Term
To change an admission term to either a future or past date, it ultimately requires
entering a new application. There are differences, though, depending on which
direction you are changing it.
Changing to a Future Term
 On the existing application enter a deferred decision code.
 Re-enter the application as new using the future term date.
 Update the checklist as needed to match the other term.
Changing to a Past Term
 Copy any checklist items that exist.
 Delete the General Student record and the Application.
 Re-enter as a new application (including checklist items) using the past term
date.
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User Guide:
Admissions
Admissions Requirements - Transfer Credits
Several programs on campus require transfer credit as part of the admissions
process. Credits are entered into SIMS in different ways depending on whether
or not the transfer credit(s) should appear as part of the cumulative hours earned
on the transcript.
There are three ways to enter admissions transfer credit(s):
Option 1 – Transfer credit hours are not to count in the earned hours on the
transcript.
Option 2 – Transfer credit hours will count in the earned hours on the transcript.
Option 3 – Transfer credit hours will count in the earned hours on the transcript,
and any descriptive text you wish to enter will appear on the transcript as a Term
comment. This is a combination of Options 1 and 2.
Options 1 – 3 are covered in detail starting on Pg. 19 of this document.
Option 4 – Equating transfer courses to UMB courses. Mandatory for schools
wishing to use CAPP (degree audit). Training will be given as needed.
Commonly Asked Questions
What documents can I use for transfer credit?
Transfer credit is only granted when it appears on an official transcript from a
regionally accredited institution. Official transcripts will come in a sealed
institutional envelope and will normally include the signature of the Registrar and
the seal of the sending institution. If an institution does not use either of these
methods, they will make a statement referring to some other feature that denotes
an official transcript.
Transfer credit should not be granted based on a grade report, a copy of what
was once an official transcript, an advisement copy of a student’s record, a
departmental letter, a diploma, etc. Do not grant transfer credit based on its
appearance as transfer credit on another official transcript. In the case of
international institutions, many students will tell you that they can’t get an official
transcript. In most cases this is not true. It may be difficult, but they can get a
transcript. If you are using a credential evaluation service, insist on an official
copy of the report.
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What credit is acceptable as transfer credit?
The rules for acceptability are fairly complex depending on where the original
institution is located and whether it is public, private or has a religious affiliation.
Regardless of what the institution is, we do not use remedial or ROTC
coursework as transfer credit. The general rule of thumb is, “If the credit wasn’t
being counted at the sending institution, it is not acceptable as transfer credit
here.”
If the sending institution is a public school in the state of Maryland, the student
must have received a D or better grade in the course. If the institution is outside
Maryland, or a private school in the state of Maryland, the student must have
received a C or better grade in the course. If the student has been given a grade
of Pass, P, S, Satisfactory or some other indefinite term and the school is private
or located outside Maryland, you can not use the course as transfer credit unless
the transcript specifically states grades such as these are at least a C.
If the sending school has a religious affiliation and the course is dogmatic in
nature, it can not be used as transfer credit. Courses that are religious in nature
that are taken at public schools or private schools with no religious affiliation are
acceptable.
What about other forms of transfer credit?
We grant transfer credit from sources other than schools. These sources
include, but are not limited to, Advanced Placement (AP), the College Level
Examination Program (CLEP), and occasionally the Defense Activity for NonTraditional Education Support (DANTES).
The rules for official documents apply to these test scores as well. We use the
standards as set by UMBC as our guidelines for acceptable scores for these
tests. Those standards can be found in the UMBC catalog or at
http://www.umbc.edu/UnderGrad/Catalog/pdfs/appendices.pdf, Page 8 (“338”).
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Admissions
Entering Transfer Credits
The three options listed on Pg. 17 are detailed below. The two primary forms
used for entering transfer credits are SHATCMT and SHATRNS.
Option 1 – Transfer credit hours are not to count in the earned hours on the
transcript.
Transfer credit hours are entered as a comment on the SHATCMT form. The
comment area is free form and will print on the transcript as a Term comment.
Descriptive text may be entered to elaborate on the credit hours being
documented - for example, transfer college name, transfer course titles, etc.
Step
1
Action
Required fields:



2
ID
Level
Term
Click on Next Block three times to access Transcript Comments By
Term. This is where the data entry will take place.
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Step
3
Action
Required fields:

Comment
Level and Term codes will display after the record is saved. They will
automatically populate based on the data entered in the Key Block in
step 1.
NOTE: It is mandatory that all information be entered in UPPER CASE.
4
Enter free-form text in the Comment field in UPPER CASE. Examples
include:
ADMITTED TO THE THIRD YEAR FROM HOWARD UNIVERSITY
MEDICAL SCHOOL
ADMITTED WITH 25 SEMESTER HOUSE FROM ANNE ARUNDEL
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
5
Click on the Save icon.
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Option 2 – Transfer credit hours will count in the earned hours on the transcript.
Using the SHATRNS form, the transfer institution information is entered for the
student. You will create a generic transfer course record. It is important to note
that you are building a record of institutions for a specific student. You are not
adding to the SIMS database for all users.
Step
1
2
Action
Enter the student’s ID into the ID field.
Click on the arrow to the right Transfer Institution Number to open the
SHQTRIT form. One of two scenarios will occur:


The institution is already listed. Select it by clicking on the Sequence
Number and then click on the Select icon.
The institution is not listed.
o If other institutions are listed, note what the next available
Sequence Number is.
o Exit the form to return to the SHATRNS form.
o Enter the next available Sequence Number (a “1’ if this is the first
institution.) in the Transfer Institution Number field.
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3
Move the cursor to the Attendance Period Number field.


If this is a new institution, enter a ‘1’ in the field.
If the institution was previously added, click on the arrow to the right
of the field to access the SHQTRAM form.
o Note what the next available Attendance Period Number is.
o Exit the form.
o Enter the next available number into the field.
4
Click on Next Block to move to the Transfer Institution block.
5
If you are entering a new institution, the Institution field is required. If
you know the institution code, enter it. If it is not known, click on the
arrow to the right of the field and search for it. The search data must be
in ALL CAPS.
Foreign Institution:
If the institution is a foreign institution, they are listed generically by
country. When conducting a search, enter “UNIV IN (name of country)”.
e.g.; UNIV IN UNITED KINGDOM. To list all countries, use “UNIV IN
%”.
If you cannot find the country, use code “999999”.
6
Click on the Save icon and then Next Block to move to the Transfer
Attendance Period.
7
Required fields:
Attendance Period – This field is free form. Examples: “SUMMER
1999”, “1999 – 2001”.
Effective Term – Must match Term of Admission to your Program.
Apply to Level – Must match the Level of Admissions in your program.
8
Click on the Save icon.
9
Click on Next Block to access the SHATRNS form.
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This form is used to enter the credit hours and course title (IN UPPER CASE) for
the transfer credits being accepted.
Step
1
2
Action
The cursor will automatically default to the Equivalent Course Detail
block.
Required fields:
Hours – All fields will automatically populate except Hours. Enter the
appropriate number of hours.
Title – If necessary, change the Title according to the rules established
by your school/program.
3
If there is more than one course to be entered, press the Down Arrow
key to move to the next available row.
4
Enter Course Attribute if appropriate for your school/program.
5
Click on the Save icon.
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Option 3 – Transfer credit hours will count in the earned hours on the transcript,
and any descriptive text you wish to enter will appear on the transcript as a Term
comment. This is a combination of Options 1 and 2.
You will use Option 1 (SHATCMT) to enter detailed information about transfer
courses. In addition, you will use Option 2 (SHATRNS) to enter the generic
transfer course in order to include credits in the cumulative totals on the
transcript.
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Appendix A: Decision Codes
The following decision codes are the most commonly used codes. It is important
that you ensure you are using the correct code(s) at all times for recording
purposes.
Standard Codes





CA (Cancel Application) – The applicant removes their application from
consideration before a decision is made.
RE (Rejected Application) – The school declines the application.
DF (Deferred Admit) – Used to defer an admitted application to a future term.
DE (Deferred Non-Admit) – Used to defer a non-admitted application to a
future term.
DG (Deferred No space) – Used to defer an application due to space
limitations.
Regular Admissions
This is a two-step process. Once the offer of admissions is made, the applicant
then decides to either accept or decline the offer.
AI (Admit-Institution) – Initial offer of admissions.
AC (Accept-Cancel) – The school cancels the offer before the applicant
accepts or declines.
AR (Applicant Rejected Offer) – The applicant declines the offer.
AA (Accept-Applicant) – The applicant accepts the offer of admissions. A
General Student record is automatically created.
AX (Admit-Cancel) – The applicant initially accepts the offer of admission
but then cancels it. This will disable the General Student record.
Provisional Admissions
This is a two-step process. Once the provisional offer of admissions is made, the
applicant then decides to either accept or decline the offer.
AP (Provisional-Admit) – Initial offer of provisional admissions.
VC (Provisional-Cancel) – The school cancels the offer before the
applicant accepts or declines.
VR (Provisional Rejected Offer) – The applicant declines the offer.
AN (Provisional-Admit-Confirms) – The applicant accepts the offer of admissions.
A General Student record is automatically created.
VX (Provisional Admit-Cancel) – The applicant initially accepts the offer of
admission but then cancels it. This will disable the General Student
record.
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Dual Degree (DD) Codes
These codes are only used when re-admitting students back into your program.
You must also use Student Type of “D” for Dual Degree Returning.
DR (DD Rejected Application) – The school declines the application.
Regular Admissions
This is a two-step process. Once the offer of admissions is made, the applicant
then decides to either accept or decline the offer.
DI (DD Admit-Institution) – Initial offer of admissions.
DC (DD Accept-Cancel) – The school cancels the offer before the
applicant accepts or declines.
DA (DD Accept-Applicant) – The applicant accepts the offer of admissions. A
General Student record is automatically created.
DX (DD Admit-Cancel) – The applicant initially accepts the offer of
admission but then cancels it. This will disable the General Student
record.
Provisional Admissions
This is a two-step process. Once the provisional offer of admissions is made, the
applicant then decides to either accept or decline the offer.
DB (DD Provisional-Admit) – Initial offer of provisional admissions.
DD (DD Provisional-Cancel) – The school cancels the offer before the
applicant accepts or declines.
DN (DD Provisional-Admit-Confirms) – The applicant accepts the offer of
admissions. A General Student record is automatically created.
DK (DD Provisional Admit-Cancel) – The applicant initially accepts the
offer of admission but then cancels it. This will disable the General
Student record.
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User Guide:
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Appendix B: Curriculum Data
The following section details the steps to add a concentration and to change a
major and/or concentration within the same program. The steps to add a major
when initially admitting a student can be found on Pg. 8, step 7.
These steps are all done Field of Study form that is located on SAAADMS.
To add a concentration:





Click on the Insert Record icon. A second section under Field of Study will
become active.
Priority – Enter a “1”.
Type – Enter “Concentration”.
Field of Study – From the drop down box, select “Attached Concentrations”
and select the appropriate concentration.
o If you do not see the concentration you are looking for, check the
Catalog Term on the Curriculum block and make sure it is the
correct term.
Click the Save icon.
If you have more than one concentration to enter, set the Priority field
accordingly with the next sequential number.
Change a major and/or concentration within the same program:
In order to change a major/concentration, it is necessary to inactivate the existing
major/ concentration.






Select the record that you want to inactivate and click the Inactivate icon
Click on the Record Insert icon. A blank record will open.
Priority – Enter the same priority number as the record you are replacing.
Type – Enter “Major” or “Concentration” depending on which you are
changing.
Field of Study – From the drop down box, select “Attached
Majors/Departments” or “Attached Concentrations”.
Click the Save icon.
If your school uses a Communication Plan for letter generation, a
Communication Plan Change window will display at this point. You must Save
the Communication Plan in order to save the application.
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To add a new major or concentration:





Click on the Insert Record icon.
Priority – Enter the next corresponding sequence number using the following
groupings.
o Major 1 = Priority 1
 Concentration 1 for Major 1 = Priority 1
 Concentration 2 for Major 1 = Priority 2
o Major 2 = Priority 2
 Concentration 1 for Major 2 = Priority 3
 Concentration 2 for Major 2 = Priority 4
o Major 3 = Priority 3
 Concentration 1 for Major 3 = Priority 5
 Concentration 2 for Major 3 = Priority 6
Type – Enter “Major” or “Concentration” depending on which you are
changing.
Field of Study – From the drop down box, select “Attached
Majors/Departments” or “Attached Concentrations”.
Click the Save icon.
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Appendix C: Residency Application Procedure
The portion of each school’s application that deals with the determination of InState Residency (Residency Application) must be a separate, detachable page.
Pre-printed Residency Applications are available free of charge from the Office of
the Registrar (ORR). You may also print your own Residency Applications if you
choose to make it more closely resemble the rest of your Admissions Application,
but the content must remain the same as the ORR produced form. ORR will be
happy to provide you with the Residency Application on diskette or via e-mail.
Once you have added the Admissions Application to Banner, detach the
Residency Application, note on the form that the application is in Banner and
send the form to the ORR. Residency Applications that are received by ORR
without the application processed notation will be returned to the appropriate
admissions office unprocessed.
Residency determinations will be made by ORR based solely on the information
contained on the Residency Application. Residency Applications will be retained
by the ORR. The residency classification will be added to the system and the
applicant will be notified of the decision by the ORR.
Because the ORR will notify only those applicants for whom a Residency
Application was received, each Admissions Office must notify each applicant of
her/his residency determination at some time prior to registration. It is suggested
that this notification be made at the time of admission or earlier.
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