Beyond School: Tertiary Complexity
Colleges and universities need everything schools do, plus:
- Course registration across semesters
- Credit accumulation and transfer
- Prerequisite management
- Research project tracking
- Faculty course load management
- Multiple qualification pathways
The Unique Challenges
Student Independence: Tertiary students make their own choices. Systems must guide without controlling.
Complex Scheduling: Evening classes, weekend sessions, flexible attendance. Traditional school models don't fit.
Financial Integration: Student loans, scholarships, per-credit pricing. Fee management becomes significantly more complex.
Graduation Requirements: Tracking progress toward degrees with major/minor combinations and electives requires sophisticated logic.
Why School Systems Fall Short
Software designed for primary or secondary education lacks the flexibility tertiary institutions require. The data models, workflows, and assumptions don't translate.
Tertiary institutions need tertiary solutions. Adapting school software creates more problems than it solves.