Tuition Fee Structures & Scholarship Management

1. Overview & Business Value#

This comprehensive operational guide details the architecture, business workflows, configuration parameters, and execution steps for Tuition Fee Structures & Scholarship Management within SmartERP.

Configure credit-hour tuition rates, laboratory fees, institutional scholarships, government cost-sharing, and student financial aid.

{screenshot:tuition-fee-structures-and-scholarships-overview-dashboard}

2. Prerequisites & Security Access Groups#

• Required Modules: smarterp_higher_education, smarterp_student_records
• Security Groups:
  • Admissions Officer (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_admissions_user)
  • Registrar / Academic Dean (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_registrar_manager)
  • Faculty Member / Instructor (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_faculty_user)
• Master Data Dependencies: Faculties, departments, ECTS modular curricula, academic semesters (Ethiopian/Gregorian calendar), tuition fee schedules, and student master files.

3. Step-by-Step Configuration & Execution#

Step 1: Navigating to the Module Interface#

1. Log into your SmartERP instance at https://smarterp.et/odoo.
2. Open the main App Switcher (grid icon in the top-left corner).
3. Select the Higher Education app icon.
4. From the top navigation bar, open Higher Education → Academic Registry → Students / Admissions / Courses / Grading.

{screenshot:tuition-fee-structures-and-scholarships-app-switcher-navigation}

Step 2: Creating and Parameterizing Records#

1. Click the New button in the top-left control panel.
2. Complete the mandatory fields in the record form:
   • Student ID Number (Mandatory): Unique institutional student registration identifier
   • Full Name & National ID (Mandatory): Legal name matching Ministry of Education (MoE) enrollment records
   • Academic Program & Faculty (Mandatory): Approved undergraduate or postgraduate modular program
   • Semester Term (Mandatory): Active academic term adhering to ETA curriculum guidelines
3. Configure optional operational parameters and localized tags as required:
   • Course Prerequisite Override (Optional): Authorized waiver for advanced module enrollment
   • Tuition Sponsorship (Optional): Cost-sharing agreement or private employer corporate sponsorship
   • Dormitory & Campus Facility (Optional): Assigned residential block and meal plan access
4. Click the Save icon in the control bar to commit the record.

{screenshot:tuition-fee-structures-and-scholarships-record-creation-form}

Step 3: Validating and Processing Transactions#

• State Transitions: Execute operational state progression (Applied → Admitted → Registered / Enrolled → Active Study → Grades Finalized → Graduated).
• Ledger & System Impact: Semester registration automatically generates student tuition invoices in Accounts Receivable; fee settlement via Telebirr/CBE Birr marks student financially cleared.
• Audit Verification: Automated recording of author ID, timestamp, and immutable revision history.

{screenshot:tuition-fee-structures-and-scholarships-transaction-processing-state}

Tuition Fee Architecture#

SmartERP supports dynamic tuition models tailored to diverse student populations:

• Per-Credit-Hour Billing: Tuition calculated by multiplying registered credit hours by the departmental credit rate.
• Flat Semester Program Fee: Fixed semester charge applied regardless of course count.
• Service Fees: Registration fee, technology lab fee, library fee, health clinic fee, and student union dues.

Configuring Credit-Hour Pricing Matrices#

1. Navigate to Higher Education > Finance > Fee Structures and click New.
2. Define fee structure parameters:
   • Structure Name: e.g., Postgraduate Evening MBA Fee Schedule (2026/2027).
   • Target Program: Master of Business Administration.
   • Student Category: Extension / Self-Sponsored.
3. Add fee breakdown components:
   • Tuition Fee per Credit Hour: 1,850.00 ETB / Credit.
   • Semester Registration Fee: 1,200.00 ETB / Term.
   • Computer Lab & Case Study Fee: 1,500.00 ETB / Term.
   • Thesis / Dissertation Defense Fee: 15,000.00 ETB (One-time).

Government Cost-Sharing Protocol (Public Universities)#

For regular public university students enrolled under government sponsorship:

1. Tuition, boarding (dormitory), and cafeteria expenses are tracked under the statutory National Higher Education Cost-Sharing Scheme.
2. The student signs a legal cost-sharing contract upon admission.
3. SmartERP computes cumulative accrued debt per academic year.
4. Upon graduation, the student's cumulative debt certificate is exported for the Ministry of Revenues and employer tax withholding tracking.

Scholarship & Financial Aid Allocation#

1. Open Higher Education > Finance > Scholarships & Grants.
2. Create scholarship programs:
   • Merit-Based Scholarships: Automated 100% or 50% tuition waiver for students achieving $\text{CGPA} \ge 3.80$.
   • Need-Based Financial Aid: Woreda-verified low-income student support.
   • Corporate / Embassy Sponsorship: Third-party invoicing linked to corporate partner accounts.
3. Approved waivers apply automatically as credit notes against the student's semester invoice.

4. Advanced Configuration Points#

• Automated Actions & Scheduled Tasks (Crons):
  • Education: Compute semester GPA and cumulative CGPA (smarterp_higher_ed.ir_cron_cgpa_calc): Runs at the end of each examination period to compute student academic standing
  • Finance: Generate semester tuition fee invoices (smarterp_higher_ed.ir_cron_tuition_invoices): Runs prior to semester registration deadline
• Custom Print Templates & Reports:
  • Official Student Academic Transcript (MoE & ETA Standards)
  • Semester Course Registration & Clearance Slip
  • Student ID Card with Cryptographic QR Verification
  • Examination Results & Faculty Grade Distribution Ledger
• Multi-Company Rules: Record-level security isolation under Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.), preventing cross-company ledger leakage across parent and subsidiary legal entities.

5. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Matrix#