Digital transformation of central applicant and student administration

Context/reason:

The Online Access Act (OZG) standardized the framework conditions for access to digital public administration services and defined maturity levels for the digital transformation (paperless, without media discontinuity, platform-based, etc.). In the university context, the OZG particularly requires the transformation of "central" student administration services, for which the Admissions Office is institutionally responsible. The Admissions Office in the Department of Student and Academic Affairs has been working in close cooperation with ITS since December 2020 on the successive OZG-compliant service transformation along predefined milestones:

Goals/(planned) results:

• Milestone 1: Digital processes without media discontinuity in all reference processes of central student administration (application, admission, enrolment, re-registration, leave of absence, de-registration) including quality assurance, digital file
• Milestone 2: Digital identity, digital administrative act, platform centralization if necessary
• Milestone 3: ePayment

Status/implementation:

In addition to the application processes, the enrolment process and thus all customer processes (front end) were successfully digitalized in time for the start of the campaign for the summer semester 2023 (application, enrolment, re-registration) on 01.12.2022. By creating the legal framework (adapted Imma statutes), neither a written application nor the submission of physical documents are now required for a successful application. The written form and therefore a separate digital signature are now obsolete. With the start of the campaign for the winter semester 2023/24 (application, enrolment, re-registration) on 1 June 2023, file management via a document management system (DMS) and thus all internal processes (backend) have also been digitized. Milestone 1 has thus been successfully completed.

The focus currently remains on implementing the task packages from milestone 2. The processes for the digital administrative file were tested in parallel with the 2025 summer semester campaign and went live at the start of the winter semester campaign. This means that it is now possible to carry out legally compliant customer communication (in particular the delivery of notifications) exclusively digitally within the campus management platform. It is also being examined whether a connection to the "Benutzerkonto Bund" (BundID) for digital, automated identity verification appears feasible, which would eliminate the need for verification by presenting an analog ID document. Integration appears realistic for the 2027 summer semester campaign at the earliest.

The School of Art and Design in Kassel is currently piloting the integration of aptitude assessment processes for a degree course (Visual Communication). The aim here is to digitally map the artistic aptitude process. The process is mapped via the campus management system. In this respect, it is a platform centralization project. Considerations of greater standardization and process simplification also play a major role here. On 1 February 2026, a simple and highly standardized version of the process will go live for the pilot degree programme. In a next step, the expansion to all artistic degree programs and the previously excluded integration of the assessment processes in the context of the aptitude assessment is planned by February 2027.

With regard to milestone 3, it is becoming apparent that the ePayment task package will be delayed due to, among other things, further clarifications still outstanding with regard to usable payment services and their integration into the campus management software used. It is therefore not currently possible to plan a timeline