This article gives a simple overview of the features in the Scholar Admin. More in-depth information about the features of Scholar Admin can be found in the links to KB articles throughout this article.

Navigating to Scholar Admin Dashboard

After you log in to your site, click on the Scholar Admin dropdown menu and select Dashboard. This will direct you to the Scholar Admin dashboard.

Click on the sandwich button in the upper left-hand corner which will display the following options in a side menu:

Dashboard
Batching
- Pending Updates
- Batch Uploads
- Batch Downloads
- Completed Batched
RTI
Analytics
Configuration
- Form Management
- Approval Workflows
- Requests
- Templates
- Staff Management
- Site Settings
- Account Settings
- Email Templates

Scholar Admin > Dashboard

Dashboard Overview

The Dashboard is the landing page allowing the User to access sponsorship requests, pending records, active records, inactive, and alerts. You will also see the option to start a new sponsorship request, search for a scholar in the Search by Name field, and export to Excel.

Note: For more information on starting a new sponsorship request, refer to the following article Scholar Admin: Scholar New Sponsorship Request.

The Dashboard has the following features:

Sponsorship Requests: Individuals in the initial phase of sponsorship request whose visa eligibility has not yet been determined or confirmed by the ISSS Admin.
Pending Records: Scholars who have not yet begun the active phase of their employment or research, including J-1 Scholars in Initial status or H-1Bs in a petition phase, who have not met their start date, or have USCIS Decision marked.
Active Records: Scholars in the active phase of their employment or research. This will also include F-1 OPT/STEM scholars here.
Inactive: Access your historical scholar records. Inactive status includes the following:
- Sponsorship requests - Ineligible
- J-1
  - Rejected
  - Completed
  - Deactivated
  - Terminated
  - Inactive
  - Transferred
  - Waitlist
  - Withdrawn
  - Canceled
  - No Show
  - Invalid
- H-1B
  - Prevailing Wage
    - Voided
    - Withdrawn
    - Not Applicable
  - LCA
    - Denied
    - Withdrawn
    - Voided
    - Invalidated
    - Rejected
  - USCIS Petition
    - Denied
    - Rejected
    - Portability, End Program

Sorting Profiles

Admins have the ability to sort profiles by selecting their sort option from the Sort By dropdown in the top left of the Scholar Dashboard:

Selecting both options from the dropdown menu enables compounded sorting:

If you would like to sort by both last name and start date, the scholars will first be sorted on last name, then sorted on program start date. .

Note: To open multiple profiles, right-click and select open in new tab. At this time the search filters are not sticky; search filters will be lost if the user navigates away from the page.

Filtering Dashboard Results

The Scholar Dashboard offers filterable search at the top of the page. To access filter options, select the caret to the right of the search bar:

Filter options include:

Visa Type
Country of Birth
Department
Date (Options)
Scholar Portal Access
Ready to Review
HR Updates
With Tags
Without Tags

Note: When you select a tag in the With Tags dropdown, it will no longer be available in the Without Tags dropdown, and vice versa. Additionally, selecting multiple tags in the Without Tags filter will broaden your search results, rather than narrowing them. The list of tags is specific to the Scholar environment; the dropdown will not display tags configured in ISSS Student.

If the J-1 or H-1B via type is selected from the Visa Type filter, additional downstream filter options will be presented to the admin.

If the J-1 visa type is selected, the following downstream filters will be presented:

EV Category
SEVIS Status
Subject/Field of Study
Site of Activity Name

If the H-1B visa type is selected, the following downstream filters will be presented:

Case Type
Processing Phase
Processing Phase Status

Admins can filter the Scholar Dashboard for multiple visa types in a single search. To see this new feature in action, navigate to the Scholar Dashboard, and expand the Visa Type dropdown menu within the search bar:

Within the Visa Type dropdown, select all visa types that you would like to filter for:

In the example shown in the photo above, the search will return results for H-1B and H-1B Extension and H1-B Amendment visa types.

Note: If multiple visa types are selected, downstream search filter options, (provided for J-1 or H1-B visa types), will not be presented to the admin. For example, if the admin selects J-1 and A-2 and H-1B no additional search filters will be presented. However, if only J-1 only is selected, downstream J-1 search options will be returned:

Alerts Tab

From the Dashboard, you also have the Alerts tab, which has the following features:

My Tasks Assignments: task assignments that have been assigned to you via the task assignment tab of the Requests configuration.
All J-1 Requests: any J-1 request that is still pending regardless of who it is assigned to or if it has been assigned to an advisor for review.
Alerts: Alerts to active scholars eligible for an extension.

Scholar Admin > Batching

By clicking on Pending Updates, Batch Uploads, Batch Downloads, or Completed Batches, you will be directed to the SEVIS Admin to manage your Exchange Visitor batch records. Click on the items listed below for more information on Batching:

Scholar Admin > RTI

RTI-Connect allows designated officers to log in to SEVIS RTI to access and download data from SEVIS into Terra Dotta ISSS, making daily work more streamlined. Clicking on RTI will direct you to SEVIS RTI via RTI-Connect, where you can manage your Exchange Visitor SEVIS records. Review the KB Article SEVIS Admin: RTI Connect Actions > Overview for more information on RTI Connect.

Scholar Admin > Analytics

The Analytics experience allows you to create visually appealing charts representing scholar data. Share how many H-1B scholars filed Premium Processing cases. Or which scholars are starting within the next 15, 30, or 60 days. This is just the beginning of the possibilities with Analytics! For more information on Analytics, check out this KB article.

Scholar Admin > Configuration

From the Configuration section, you have access to Form Management, Approval Workflows, Requests, Templates, Staff Management, Site Settings, Account Settings, and Email Templates. Below you will find more information on each of these features and KB articles:

Form Management: Allows ISSS Admins to set up questionnaires, learning content, and related workflows.
- Sponsorship Request > Questionnaires, Instructions, Workflows
- H-1B > Questionnaires, Instructions, Workflows
- H-1B Extension > Questionnaires, Instructions, Workflows
- H-1B Amendment > Questionnaires, Instructions, Workflows
- J-1 > Questionnaires, Instructions, Workflows
Approval Workflows: Set up an approval workflow for a scholar sponsorship request. This process can be helpful if approval from HR or Dean is required before a request can be processed.
- Workflows
- Inactive Workflows
Requests (Configure J-1 Requests): Review standard SEVIS requests, or create and maintain requests to effectively serve specific J-1 scholar needs in a timely manner.
- Requests
- Task Assignments
Templates: Allows the ISSS Admin to prefill information into two tabs of the H-1B request.
Staff Management
- Groups (Departments or Academic Units)
  - Add Group: Add or edit a group
- Users (Departmental Admins)
  - Add User: Add, edit, or delete a Departmental Admin
Site Settings: Information you enter here will control the look of the portal for scholars, departments, and your ISSS Admin site.
- General Configuration
  - Primary Color
  - Secondary Color
  - Institution Login Welcome Text
  - Institution Login Button Text
  - Login Page Logo Image
- H-1B Request Settings
  - Tab Configurations
  - H-1B Expiration Configurations
  - Document Configuration and visibility to department, scholar, and with document name and description.
- J-1 Request Settings
  - TD Connect Configuration
  - Program Configuration
  - Request Configuration
    - Ability to Initiate: Department or Scholar
    - Request Name
  - Tab Configuration
    - Expose to departments Form DS-7002 for J-1 Student Interns
- Import Data: Excel templates are provided for Department/Department Admins and H-1B imports.
  - Departments and Department Admins
  - Import H-1B Scholars
  - Import J-1 Scholars: facilitated by Initial/Active J-1 list scrape from SEVIS via RTI Connect.
Account Settings: Employer information needed by USCIS for an H-1B petition
- Petitioner Information
  - Mailing Address of Organization
  - Contact Information
- General Information
- Fee Exemption and/or Determination
Email Templates: out of the box and custom email templates that can be used to email department admins and scholars.

The Knowledgebase

ISSS Scholar: Scholar Admin Overview