Populi

Populi is positioned as an all-in-one solution that aims to streamline operations and enhance the educational experience for colleges and universities. According to the vendor, Populi combines features of a student information system, learning management system, billing software, financial aid management, and CRM for admissions. It caters to institutions of various sizes, from small colleges to large universities, and serves the higher education industry, including colleges, universities, online education providers, and vocational schools.

Key Features

Recruit: According to the vendor, Populi offers a CRM feature that stores all communication in a timeline format, allowing institutions to manage inquiries and prospects. It enables the acceptance of inquiries from multiple channels and provides the ability to automate actions based on specific events. The system also offers the capability to track and analyze leads in the recruitment pipeline, as well as send personalized or bulk SMS, emails, or letters to prospects.

Admit: Populi provides an online application process for prospective students, allowing them to easily apply. The system integrates application fees, enabling payment prior to submission. It offers customizable and savable reports to support the admissions team's focus. Additionally, Populi allows for the secure request and receipt of applicant references. Applicants can submit questions directly through the application, and colleges can follow up using in-app messaging, as per the vendor's claims.

Teach: Populi integrates a full-featured Learning Management System (LMS) with the student information system (SIS) to facilitate course delivery. According to the vendor, the LMS supports online test proctoring and plagiarism checking in assignments. It also allows for live video lectures with cloud-based recording, online test and quiz administration, secure electronic assignment submission, and integrated grading. The system further supports file management, enabling the upload of files, videos, and audio for use in assignments and lessons.

Administer: The vendor claims that Populi offers a unified student profile across the entire platform to support the student life-cycle. The system automatically builds transcripts and provides degree audit functionality. It allows for the creation of custom reports, including IPEDS reports. Populi also offers powerful online registration features, including prerequisites and scheduling. Additionally, the system allows for what-if scenarios and the customization of flags to identify struggling students.

Aid: Populi claims to provide fully-integrated aid processing, allowing institutions to process financial aid without relying on third-party servicers. The system enables the download of documents from the SAIG mailbox, synchronization of awards to COD, and resolution of responses. It supports the tracking of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and the flagging of students in danger of losing aid eligibility. According to the vendor, Populi also integrates information from FAFSA directly into profiles and aid applications. The system offers the ability to schedule disbursements using preset timetables and disburse awards in batches. Institutions can also connect with third-party servicers using the financial aid API.

Account: Populi provides features for payment plan management and the acceptance of payments from any device, as per the vendor. The system allows for the design of enrollment agreements triggered by student registration. It offers the capability to reconcile transactions and run exports for accounting software. Populi also facilitates the creation of tuition schedules and the ability to invoice individually or in bulk. The system includes an aging report to track receivables.

Advance: According to the vendor, Populi includes a donor CRM to track donor profiles and annual giving, as well as print statements. The system enables online and mobile donations, making it easy for supporters to contribute. It also supports regular communication with supporters through various channels, including SMS, email, and print. Populi offers campaign management features to set goals, create donation pages, and track fundraising projects. Additionally, the system allows for the continued building of relationships with alumni and the updating of contact information.

Connect: Populi provides integration capabilities through a Web API, allowing institutions to connect with existing systems and develop custom solutions. The system also supports LTI integration with various learning tools and content providers. According to the vendor, Populi offers the ability to receive real-time notifications and data updates through webhooks.