SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
TASIS-Switzerland
Moving from Paper Applications to a Faster, Clearer Enrollment Process with Finalsite Enrollment
Overlooking Lake Lugano, TASIS The American School in Switzerland is considered one of the most beautiful boarding schools in the world.
Of course, to be part of that experience atop the Collina d’Oro, or Golden Hill, it begins with the application, acceptance, and enrollment process — an experience the TASIS Switzerland admissions team wanted to feel personal and professional from the start.
At a Glance
Founded in 1956, TASIS is an international day and boarding school committed to creating global citizens through education, travel, and service.
But its former process made it difficult for families joining the school community of 740 students from nearly 70 countries. Dozens of PDFs and conditional forms created a slow and cumbersome process for parents trying to apply to TASIS. It also made it difficult for parents and the admissions team to track each applicant's progress.
Serving a highly international community, TASIS knew its admissions process must support families from many countries, cultures, and educational backgrounds. Families may be applying from another country, considering boarding options, comparing academics, or even preparing for a move to Switzerland.
With Finalsite Enrollment, the admissions team saw an opportunity to improve the experience for everyone involved: families, staff, and school leadership alike.
“Our previous application process was entirely PDF/paper-based, which created inefficiencies at every stage,” shared TASIS Webmaster and Digital Marketing Manager Brendan Shea, who’s been with the school for more than a decade. “Communication with families was often fragmented, and tracking application status was difficult. Parents constantly had to email back and forth with our Admissions team to understand where they were in the process.”
TASIS needed a modern enrollment system that could bring applications, forms, communication, and tracking into one place while still supporting the personal, high-touch experience families expect from the boarding school.
“We witnessed improved metrics in all areas of the application process: more applications, faster completion times, and greater completion rates than ever before. We cannot imagine going back to the old system!”
ALESSANDRA SCAPPA
ADMISSIONS OPERATIONS MANAGER
The Challenge
A slow process without clear next steps
Before moving to Finalsite Enrollment, TASIS responded to family questions without a shared, centralized view of each applicant’s progress. That made daily work slower than it needed to be and created more room for delays or missed information.
The process also affected prospective families. Without a clear checklist, parents didn’t always know which items were required, which materials had been received, or what still needed to be completed.
TASIS wanted its families to move through admissions with more confidence, and staff to spend less time chasing paperwork and responding to emails.
“Our primary goal was to digitize, personalize, and centralize the application process to make it more efficient, user-friendly, and transparent,” Brendan said. “This was important not only for improving internal operations within the admissions office, but also for providing a smoother and more professional experience for prospective families.”
The Solution
A more personal application journey for families
TASIS turned to Finalsite’s enrollment management system to move its application process online and create a clearer, more connected experience from inquiry through application and enrollment. And within two months, the school implemented its admissions tools and shortly after, launched its new enrollment process.
With the admission and enrollment solutions in place, the TASIS team can collect, manage, and review applications in one centralized system. Forms can be customized to match the school’s process, and communication workflows help staff stay connected with families at the right moments.
That’s because Finalsite Enrollment is designed to support both sides of the process: a parent portal that guides families through admissions and an admin portal that helps teams manage tasks, automate personal follow-up, and track progress across the funnel.
Its mobile-friendly applications, custom checklists, online scheduling, and automated communications were great for families, while its online recommendations and transcripts, and paperless file for reading and review helped staff during the busy admissions season.
For TASIS, the ability to quickly create custom forms and automate processes became one of the biggest gains.
“Finalsite’s enrollment management and forms tools enabled us to fully transition to an online application system,” shared Admissions Operations Manager Alessandra Scappa.
“The platform allows us to collect, manage, and review applications in one place, while also integrating communication workflows. The ability to customize forms and automate parts of the process has been particularly valuable.”
That shift gave the admissions team a more reliable way to manage each applicant's journey, while giving families a clearer path forward.
Since moving to Finalsite Enrollment
76%
Increase
in lead-to-inquiry conversions
96%
Increase
in applications
7 mins.
18 seconds
average time to complete an application
The Results
Speed, accuracy, and better information from the start
The move to Finalsite Enrollment changed the pace and clarity of admissions work at TASIS.
“Tracking an applicant’s status is now instantaneous,” Brendan said. “We can process applications much faster and with greater accuracy. Tracking application status, communicating with families, and retrieving documents are all much easier.”
The team also saw improvements across key areas of TASIS’ application process:
With Finalsite Enrollment, TASIS replaced its lengthy paper-and-PDF process with a faster digital experience. Families now complete the main application in an average of 7 minutes and 18 seconds, while the school has seen a 76% increase in lead-to-inquiry conversions and a 96% increase in applications.
“We witnessed improved metrics in all areas of the application process: more applications, faster completion times, and greater completion rates than ever before,” Alessandra shared. “We cannot imagine going back to the old system!”
Families have noticed the change, too. The centralized checklist gives parents a clear view of required application and enrollment items, helping them understand what comes next and submit materials on time.
“Our admissions staff feels empowered by the tools, and the feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive regarding the ease of the new digital process.”
EMILY McKEE
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
“Many parents have told us how simple and easy the process is,” said Emily McKee, Director of Admissions. Internally, the impact has been equally strong. Admissions staff feel more confident in their tools, and leadership sees a more efficient and professional enrollment process.
“Our admissions staff feels empowered by the tools, and the feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive regarding the ease of the new digital process,” Emily reported. “The response has been very positive, also by the school leadership, who acknowledge the increased efficiency and professionalism of the admissions process.”
Finalsite’s onboarding and support teams also played an important role in the transition. “The EMS onboarding team was fast, knowledgeable, and super easy to work with,” Alessandra said. “The Support team is equally responsive, always helping to resolve our tickets quickly and efficiently.”
By moving from paper applications to Finalsite Enrollment, TASIS created a better experience for prospective families and a more efficient process for its admissions team. The move was about improving operations, but it also supported the larger goal of making every family’s experience with the school feel thoughtful, organized, and personal.
“Moving to an online application system has not only improved efficiency but also elevated the overall experience for prospective families,” Brendan shared. “It aligns with our broader goal of modernizing our processes and providing a high standard of service from the very first interaction with our school.”
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