Starting at a new school used to be about standing in lines, printing folders of documents, and going on campus tours. Today, in many schools, the enrollment process looks very different. Lots of things can be done online – and sometimes the first time you and your child will step foot in the new school will be on the actual first day. For expats and their kids, this is a trend that works in their favor. Because now they can explore, apply, interview, tour, and even enroll in a school before they are even there. Here's how it works.
It starts right here. Most schools today have well-developed online application portals where you can go through all or at least some of the application process: upload documents, pass initial tests, etc.
Some schools take this a step further and take the whole schooling experience online.
For instance, the Stanford Online High School is an accredited college-prep school for grades 7 to 12 that runs fully online. Students start by submitting academic records and test information online for enrollment. And once they've been accepted, all instruction and class participation happen online. There are offline events too, but these are mostly limited to summer meet-ups and graduations.
Some schools and cities take the online enrollment portal idea further and develop official mobile applications for enrollment and more. For example, the city of New York has an official mobile app for families in the city's public school system. Here, parents and legal guardians can sign in, view student information, check attendance and grades, and access district enrollment tools directly.
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Chatbots
Now, this may be an issue of contention for a lot of people. As helpful as chatbots sometimes are, they are also, let's be honest, quite annoying. And they are also very well-trained at making you waste time going over the same information over and over again.
For schools, however, chatbots can be highly effective at reducing administrative workload. And if you are after some basic information and guidelines on school admissions and policies, they can be very useful.
Quite a few schools are using chatbots like the schoolchatbot to help manage general questions about admissions and enrollment.
Campus tours can be a great way for both students and parents to get to know a school before they start. Instead of traditional open houses, a lot of schools now offer immersive online tours. This can be of particular interest to expat families who may want to see a school they are considering before relocation.
A good example is the Ecole Française Internationale de Riyad in Saudi Arabia. It offers a 360° virtual tour of classrooms, common areas, and school spaces — and families can get an immersive walk-through before applying.
Some schools also host digital open houses. These are live online events where parents and students can meet with teachers, school management, and admission staff in real time.
Walden School in the United States, for example, offers regular open houses where students and parents can join livestream classroom sessions. Once again, this option can be very useful for expat families as it gives children a chance to pre-meet teachers, classmates and get an idea of what the learning environment is like even before arriving.
Parent forums and hubs
These are spaces where parents talk to the school and each other, usually before, during, and even after their children are enrolled. They may operate in different formats: discussion boards, messaging groups, announcement feeds, etc.
Some schools, such as the Collegiate International School in Dubai, offer special parenting portals. Here, parents can receive academic updates, speak directly with teachers, get information on school events, and more. But this is meant for parents of students who are already enrolled.
Another example is the Shenzhen American International School, which uses a ManageBac parent portal where parents can get updates from teachers, read class announcements, view attendance and academic records, and so on.
Some schools level up their onboarding experience by making it into almost a game. New students can complete tasks to earn badges, unlock content, and go on different missions to learn more about the school.
What's next for onboarding and enrollment?
While not all countries and schools are currently on board with doing things online, the trend seems quite clear. Things are becoming more digital, more tech-based, and more remote access-friendly. But beyond online applications and chatbots, there are more experiments ahead.
AI-powered assessment and placement
Some schools have reportedly started using AI tools to pre-screen applicants. These tools can help build comprehensive student portfolios and analyze data much more quickly than humans can. They can then use this information to refer a student to a specific grade or level.
Similar tools can also be used for college selection – even by students themselves. Students could potentially upload their grades, test results, information on what they are interested in, career aspirations, etc. – and use AI tools kind of like guidance counselors to see which college and program fits them best.
Digital verification systems
Applications are a lot about paperwork. Sure, you can move some of this paperwork online, but this doesn't really cut down on the time for document verification. And expats have more paperwork to deal with: things to be officially translated, apostilled, stamped, etc.
There is now some talk about digital credential verification systems, and sometimes even blockchain-based academic records are mentioned. Potentially, these systems could replace stamped papers, certified copies, and other papers that now take a lot of time (and resilience) to obtain.
Remote onboardings
Some international schools are experimenting with online onboarding. Say, you can't make it to your new destination at the start of the school year and will arrive a month or two later. Some schools may allow your child to join all or some of the classes remotely, making for a smaller academic gap and a smoother transition.
Emotionally-friendly onboarding
This is a quieter, less tech-related trend, but it has the most potential impact. More and more schools are now starting to assess not only academic readiness during enrollment but also emotional well-being of a student. Schools can do it via surveys, video check-ins, online counseling sessions, etc. Once again, this trend can be of great benefit for expat families where children have to deal with the stress of relocation, new language and environment in addition to the stress of exams and new school.
So, if we were to sum up, the future of onboarding and enrollment definitely looks more mobile. Schools are now adapting to a reality where a lot of families are no longer stationary, and relocation is becoming very common.
What this means for expats
Online enrollment and digital applications mean that you may now be able to secure a place for your child before you relocate. You may actually confirm the placement months in advance – and manage one of the biggest stress factors for your relocating family.
How to use this: You can start school search early, even before your visas and housing are finalized.
Virtual campus tours, open houses, and parent forums mean that you can now evaluate schools remotely and have your pick early. This saves lots of time, money, and energy.
How to use this: you can shortlist schools in your new destination and start with those that offer live Q&A sessions and virtual tours.
Remote or hybrid onboarding lets students join classes, meet teachers and get an introduction to the new environment before they arrive. This is great for minimizing academic gas and can make the whole relocation much less overwhelming.
How to use this: ask your shortlisted schools right away if remote or hybrid relocation models are available.
Digital portals make submitting documents easier. But verification can still take time, especially between countries. You may need translations, apostilles, cross-border records – and a lot of these still can't be done online.
How to manage this: prepare digital copies of all the papers early — and start verification early.
As we've mentioned, some schools now also include well-being check-ins for new students. These can be in the form of longer orientation sessions, counseling support, video calls, etc. These can be very useful for relocating students.
How to use this: ask early on if your chosen school provides any relocation support for new students. And if not, maybe it would be possible to request it.
But are there any downsides to enrollment becoming so digitalized?
The first downside that comes to mind is that when things become more digital they also tend to become less personal. Talking to people face to face and physically visiting your school before attending are important milestones, something you and your child may remember for a long time. Taking these experiences online is definitely convenient — but could also be less memorable.
There is also the risk of over-automation. Let's be honest: when we have questions, we prefer to talk to real people. As useful as chatbots and AI Q&A may be, they often fail to deliver the answers you need. This makes people frustrated, and the whole process becomes more stressful instead of less.
Technology can be unpredictable. Websites crash, applications take time to load… We've probably all been in this situation: you fill out a lengthy online form, and then the page gets stuck or refreshes, and you have to do it all over again. This can make time-sensitive deadlines even more sensitive and, once again, cause avoidable stress, especially for people who may not be too used to doing things online.
Another potential concern is access. Not all families have reliable Internet connections or even the devices needed to apply online. For families who live in places with a limited infrastructure, a fully digital application process can actually be very difficult to go through.
Finally, there is the issue of privacy. Enrollment and onboarding typically require a lot of sensitive data. You need to upload IDs, academic and medical records, psychological assessments, etc. Not everyone will feel comfortable with having this information online. And while most schools take data protection very seriously, as we all know, accidents still happen. And for expats, this may be an even more sensitive issue, as different countries may have different data protection laws.
So, what do we know? We know that the digitalization of enrollment and onboarding is underway — and it's probably an irreversible process.
It comes with lots of benefits in convenience, especially for expat families.
But we should also keep in mind that technology is failable, and it may be a good idea to keep a hard copy of all paperwork, just in case.
Natallia holds a degree BA (Honours) in English Language and Simultaneous Interpreting and worked as a writer and editor for various publications and media channels in China for ten years.
