How the University of San Francisco Helps Students Travel the Globe with Jotform

University of San Francisco employees joke that the school’s acronym, USF, stands for “U Stay Forever.” Allyn Nobles is living proof of that, having not only worked at the university over the past 16 years in two different departments, but also having attended the school as an undergraduate student.

These days Allyn serves as the Associate Director for USF’s Center of Global Education (CGE), a department that oversees all of the school’s study abroad programs. Studying abroad is a big deal at USF as more than 10 percent of USF’s student body embarks on international study trips every year.

With so many students applying to study abroad, Allyn needed a robust way to collect and organize their information. When students apply to study abroad, they first need to send the CGE office their passport information, area of study, emergency contact information, and details about their health insurance. Separately, the students agree to USF’s behavioral standards when they travel abroad.

If that sounds like a lot, it is. But making sure students are safe and accounted for abroad is a big responsibility, especially when the unexpected happens, such as when students studying in Japan had to evacuate in 2011’s major earthquake. Needless to say, it’s imperative to have student information organized and readily available.

Jotform made it easy for Allyn to collect and manage all of the students’ information. An initial step in the pre-departure process is for students to fill out detailed forms that ask for participant information, including emergency contacts, a behavior contract, and travel intent — all of which Allyn created without needing the help of USF’s IT department.

The Center for Global Education at USF doesn’t just find ways for their students to experience the world; they want students from around the world to experience USF, as well. USF is part of a Jesuit Education Exchange Program (JEEP) that makes it possible for students at other Jesuit schools around the globe to study for a semester at USF and experience everything that San Francisco has to offer.

This is where Jotform comes to the rescue yet again. Allyn created a JEEP student application for students at other schools to be able to come to USF. The form asks for a student’s home institution, personal information, and immigration history.

Between JEEP students coming to San Francisco, and USF students looking to study abroad, Allyn’s department processes the information for more than 500 students every year, all through various online forms. So while each student probably remembers their incredible trips slightly more than their experience filling out the forms, Jotform plays a less memorable but crucial part.

Does your school or organization use Jotform to collect applications? Let us know in the comments!