Managing contracts is an important part of the student enrollment process, but many institutions still rely on printed documents, handwritten signatures, and manual document storage.

With ampEducator's contract management tools and digital signature integrations, institutions can manage the entire process electronically—from creating contract templates and generating student-specific agreements to collecting digital signatures and storing completed contracts automatically.

Whether you're creating enrollment agreements, payment plans, refund policy acknowledgements, or other student documents, ampEducator provides a complete workflow for managing contracts from creation to completion.

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

By the end of this guide, you'll understand the complete contract workflow and be ready to implement digital contracts at your institution.

Before creating contracts, it's important to understand how the contract workflow works in ampEducator.

Contracts move through four main stages: creating a template, assigning the contract to a student, generating the completed document, and collecting signatures.

1. Contract Templates: Contract templates serve as the foundation for your contracts. They define the content, structure, and signature requirements of the document and can be reused for multiple students.

2. Student Contracts: Once a template has been created, it can be assigned to a student. At this stage, contract-specific details such as dates, signers, and other information can be reviewed and updated.

3. Generated Contracts: When a contract is generated, ampEducator combines the template with student information to create a completed contract document. Dynamic fields such as names, program information, and fees are automatically populated.

4. Digital Signatures: Generated contracts can be sent electronically for signature. Once all required parties have signed, the completed contract is automatically stored within ampEducator for future reference.

Contract templates serve as the foundation for all contracts generated within ampEducator. Once created, a template can be reused for multiple students and programs, helping ensure consistency and reduce manual work.

To create or manage contract templates, navigate to Home → Contracts

The Contracts page displays all contract templates available to your institution.

From this page, you can:

To create a new contract template, click the New Contract button.

The New Contract window will appear, allowing you to enter the basic contract information and configure access permissions before creating the contract.

Complete the following fields:

Once all required information has been entered, click Add to create the contract.

The contract will now appear in the Contracts list and is ready to be configured.

After a contract template has been created, it can be opened for editing and design.

From the Contracts page, click the contract name or the edit icon beside the contract you want to update.

The Contract Designer consists of two main areas:

The Contract Details section allows you to control how the contract looks, who can access it, and when it can be used.

Access settings determine who can view, edit, and use the contract template.

The Appearance & Formatting settings control how contracts are displayed when generated. Use these options to apply branding, customize document layout, and configure page formatting.

These settings allow you to align contracts with your institution's branding and document standards.

Contracts can be restricted to specific programs, courses, or locations.

This is useful when different agreements are required for different programs or campuses.

Some institutions require signatures from individuals other than the student, such as parents or guardians or employers

Enabling Use Custom Fields allows the contract to pull a third party's name and email address from Student Custom Fields.

This can be used when a contract requires additional signatures beyond the student, such as a parent signing on behalf of a minor student or a sponsor acknowledging financial responsibility.

The Design section is where you build the contents of your contract.

Contracts are organized into sections, which can contain student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, custom text, and other contract elements. Sections can be added, removed, reordered, and customized to meet your institution's requirements.

When a new contract is created, ampEducator automatically includes several commonly used sections to help you get started. These sections can be customized, reordered, or removed depending on your institution's requirements.

Student Info: The Student Info section is used to display information from the student's record. This information is automatically populated when the contract is generated and may include details such as the student's name, contact information, program, academic session, and other student record fields.

Fees: The Fees section displays fee information associated with the student's enrollment. This may include tuition, application fees, material fees, and other charges depending on how your institution has configured student accounts.

Payment Plan: The Payment Plan section can be used to display scheduled payments and instalment information. This is commonly used when students are paying tuition over multiple payments rather than in a single payment.

Signatures: The Signatures section is used to collect digital signatures and acknowledgements. Signature sections can be configured to require signatures from students, third parties, or other designated signers.

These default sections provide a foundation for many common contract types, but they can be fully customized to meet your institution's needs. In the next section, we'll look at how to edit and configure contract sections.

The Student Info section is typically the first section that institutions customize.

To add information from a student's record, click New Field within the Student Info section.

The Add Contract Field window will appear.

The options available in this window will vary depending on the selected field type.

One of the most commonly used field types is Display Student Info. This field type allows you to automatically populate information from the student's record when the contract is generated.

After selecting Display Student Info, choose the student fields you would like to display. Multiple student fields can be added to create a complete Student Information section that automatically populates when contracts are generated.

After selecting your student fields, they will be added to the section. Each field displays as a separate block within the contract designer.

The Fees section allows you to display tuition, fees, and other charges on the contract.

You can either:

If your institution has fees configured within Programs, Academic Sessions, or Courses, click the dropdown arrow icon.

Select the fee schedule you would like to use, and the fee items will automatically be added to the contract.

If fees are not configured elsewhere in the system, click the Add New Fee (+) icon to create a fee item manually.

A new line item will be added to the fee table.

Editing Fee Items

After adding a fee, click the Edit icon beside the line item.

The following fields can be configured:

Saving Fee Items

Once all fee details have been entered, click Save Item to add the fee to the contract.

After saving, the fee will appear in the fee table and be included in the contract total.

Multiple fee items can be added to a contract. Repeat the process as needed to include tuition, application fees, material fees, technology fees, housing fees, or any other charges required by your institution.

The Payment Plan section allows you to define when and how fees will be paid. Payment plan items can be added manually to create a schedule of installments that will appear on the contract.

To add a payment plan item, click the Add Payment Plan Item (+) button.

A new payment plan row will be added.

The following fields can be configured:

Once all payment details have been entered, click Save Item to add the payment to the contract.

After saving, the payment will appear in the payment plan table and be included in the payment plan total.

Multiple payment plan items can be added to create installment schedules, deposit structures, monthly payment plans, or any other payment arrangement required by your institution.

The Signatures section controls who must sign the contract and how signatures are displayed.

By default, contracts can be configured to collect signatures from students, staff members, and third-party signers such as parents, guardians, sponsors, or agents.

Use the Signature Recipients dropdown to determine who is required to sign the contract.

Available options include:

Enable Show Current Date to automatically display the signing date beside each signature.

This helps provide an audit trail showing when the contract was signed.

When Staff is included as a signature recipient, additional options become available.

Choose how staff signatures should be handled:

Fixed Signatures

When using a fixed signature, you can configure:

If your contract requires signatures from parents, guardians, sponsors, or agents, select Third Party as a signature recipient.

Third-party signers are configured through the Third-Party Signers section of the contract template.

Each contract section can be customized to control how it appears within the generated contract.

To edit a section, click the Edit icon in the upper-right corner of the section.

After clicking the Edit icon, the Edit Contract Section window will appear. This window contains the settings used to control how the section is displayed within the contract.

The available options will vary depending on the section type, but common settings include:

For General sections, additional options may be available:

Once your changes have been made, click Save to update the section.

In addition to editing a section, you can also:

In addition to the default contract sections, you can create custom sections to collect additional information, display policies, or capture acknowledgements from students and third-party signers.

To create a new section, click New Section.

The New Contract Section window will appear.

All section types support the following options:

General sections also include:

Once a section has been added, fields can be added to the section to display information or collect responses.

There are three section types available: General, PDF Document, and Signatures.

General sections are the most flexible section type available in a contract. They can be used to display information, collect responses, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details from students, third parties, and staff.

Unlike PDF Document sections, General sections support interactive contract fields that can be completed during the contract process.

Contract fields can be added to any General section. To add a field, open the General section and click New Field. The Add Contract Field window will appear.

From here, select the desired Field Type and configure any available options. Depending on the field type selected, additional settings may be available such as labels, option lists, field mapping, required fields, or automatic population from student records.

After configuring the field, click Add to save it to the section.

Contract fields can be used to display information, collect responses, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details as part of the contract completion process.

Contract fields allow you to display information and collect responses directly within a contract. They can be used to show student information, gather acknowledgements, and capture additional details from students, staff, or third-party signers.

Depending on the selected field type, additional options may be available such as required responses, predefined selections, field mapping, and automatic population from existing student records.

Display Student Information

The Display Student Information field allows information from the student's profile to be displayed directly within a contract.

One or more student profile fields can be selected, allowing existing information such as contact details, addresses, or emergency contact information to appear automatically within the contract.

This field is display-only and does not require the student or staff to enter information.

Text Fields

Used when information needs to be entered manually.

Checkbox Fields

Used to collect acknowledgements or yes/no confirmations.

Date Fields

Used to capture a date within the contract.

Selection Fields

Used when the signer must choose from predefined options.

Initials

Certain Student and Third-Party field types support field mapping. Field mapping allows information entered into a contract field to be copied to a field within the student's profile.

For example, a Student Text, Date, Checkbox, or List field could be mapped to a student profile field such as Gender, Phone Number, Date of Birth, or a custom student field.

The Map to Field option specifies which student profile field should receive the information collected in the contract.

If a field is mapped but Auto Map is not enabled, the information can be reviewed and applied manually when processing the completed contract.

The Auto Map option automatically applies the selected field mapping when the contract is completed.

When enabled, information entered into the contract field is automatically copied to the mapped student profile field without requiring manual review.

PDF Document sections allow you to include existing PDF files within a contract. This can be used for policies, disclosures, handbooks, housing agreements, refund policies, or other supporting documents.

To attach a PDF, select Choose File, select the PDF from your device, and then click Update New File.

After uploading, the PDF will be attached to the contract and available when the contract is viewed or printed.

Signature sections can be added to collect signatures elsewhere within the contract.

Once added, Signature sections are configured in the same way as the default Signatures section included with new contract templates.

For more information on signature recipients, fixed signatures, third-party signers, and signature settings, refer to the Signatures section earlier in this guide.

Before using a contract, you can preview it to review the layout, formatting, and field placement.

Selecting Preview opens a sample version of the contract using the current template settings.

This allows you to verify that sections, fields, signatures, and supporting documents appear as expected.

Selecting Download generates a PDF copy of the contract.

This can be useful for reviewing the final document, sharing it outside the system, or keeping a local copy for reference.

Once a contract template has been created, it can be assigned to individual students.

Contracts are managed within the student's profile. To access a student's contracts, navigate to Students Profile / Profile Tab / Contracts Section.

The Contracts section displays all contracts associated with the selected student and provides options to create, generate, send, and manage contracts throughout their lifecycle.

To add a contract to a student click New Contract. The New Contract window will appear.

Use the available filters to narrow the list of contract templates by Program, Course, or Location if needed.

Select the desired Contract, enter the Date, and then click Add.

After the contract has been added, it will appear in the student's Contracts section with a status of Pending.

At this stage, the contract record has been created but has not yet been generated or sent for signature.

After a contract has been added, it will appear in the student's Contracts section with a status of Pending. The actions available for a contract are displayed to the right of the contract.

The available actions are:

Before a contract can be sent for signature, it must first be generated.

Once a contract has been added and reviewed, select Generate (⚙️) from the Document column.

The system will generate the contract using the selected template and populate any configured student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, and contract fields.

After generation is complete, the contract PDF will appear in the Document column and additional actions become available.

The available actions are:

Once a contract has been generated and reviewed, it can be sent to the student and any configured third-party signers for completion.

To begin the signing process, click Sign Contract icon.

This window is used to either upload a completed contract that has already been signed, or send the contract for digital signature through ampEducator.

Two signature methods are available:

Select Upload when the contract has already been signed outside of ampEducator and you would like to store the completed document in the student's record.

To upload a completed contract:

The uploaded PDF will be attached to the contract record and marked as completed.

Select Digital to send the contract electronically for signature.

When Digital is selected, additional options become available:

After reviewing the settings, click Sign.

After clicking Sign, the contract is sent to the student and any configured third-party signers.

The contract status will update to Digital Pending, indicating that the signature request has been sent and is awaiting completion.

While the contract is in a Digital Pending status, staff can:

The contract will remain in a Digital Pending status until all required signatures have been completed.

When the contract is sent for digital signature, the student receives an email with a link to review and sign the contract.

If an Email Template was selected when sending the contract, the student will receive the selected template instead of the default email.

After selecting Review Document from the email, the contract opens in the student's web browser.

The student can review the contract contents, including any student information, fees, payment plans, policies, acknowledgements, and other contract sections configured by the institution.

Navigation controls are available to move between pages, refresh the document, or download a copy of the contract for personal records.

Any required signature or initial fields are displayed directly within the contract.

When a student selects Sign Here, the Sign Document window opens.

Students can choose between two signature methods:

After choosing their signature method and entering their signature, students click Sign to apply it to the document.

After a signature has been applied, it is immediately displayed within the contract.

The signature field will be marked as completed, and a verification code is included with the signature for audit and validation purposes.

Once all required signing actions have been completed, the student clicks Complete at the top of the page to finalize the contract.

Before the contract is finalized, the student will be presented with an electronic signature consent confirmation.

This confirmation:

Students click Complete to finalize the signing process.

After the contract has been successfully submitted, the student can download a copy of the signed contract directly from the signing page for their records.

The student will also receive a confirmation email indicating that the contract has been successfully signed. This confirmation serves as a receipt of the completed signing action and provides assurance that the signed document has been received by the institution.

If the contract includes staff or third-party signatures, the signing process follows the same workflow for each recipient.

In this example, the student signs the contract first. Once their signature is submitted, the staff signer receives an email notification containing a secure link to review and sign the document.

Each signer receives a unique signing link and can only complete the signature fields assigned to them.

Once the final signer has completed the document, the contract status is automatically updated to Signed.

Once all required recipients have completed their signatures, the contract status is automatically updated.

The contract will display a Signed Digital status, indicating that all required signatures have been collected and the signing process is complete.

At this stage:

The contract can be opened at any time to review the completed document and signature history.

If you need to send the same contract to multiple students, ampEducator allows you to generate and send contracts in bulk directly from the student list.

Navigate to Students. Select the students you want to generate contracts for. Click More Actions → Generate Contracts.

The Generate Student Contracts window will open.

From this window you can:

If With Digital Signature is not selected, ampEducator generates a personalized PDF for each selected student and emails the completed contract directly to them.

When With Digital Signature is enabled, additional signing options become available, including:

After clicking Generate Contracts, ampEducator automatically:

This allows institutions to distribute contracts to an entire cohort in just a few clicks.

To view contract details and signing activity, click the View icon beside the contract.

This icon can be accessed at any point during the contract lifecycle. Whether a contract is pending, awaiting signatures, or fully completed, this page provides real-time visibility into the contract's status and signing progress.

Contract Information

The Contract Information section displays key details about the contract, including its status, dates, owner, generated document, and signature settings.

Digital Signature Recipients

The Digital Signature Recipients section shows everyone involved in the signing process, their signing order, current status, and completion dates. This allows you to quickly identify who has signed and who is still awaiting action.

Digital Signature Activity

The Digital Signature Activity section provides a complete audit trail of the signing process. You can review when the signing request was created, when notifications were sent, and when recipients completed their signatures. This information is available throughout the entire signing process and can be used to monitor progress or troubleshoot signing issues.

Contract Preview

The lower portion of the page displays the generated contract itself, including student information, fees, payment plans, signatures, and any custom content included in the document.

In addition to viewing contracts from an individual student's profile, ampEducator provides a centralized Status Tracking page where you can monitor every generated contract across your institution.

Navigate to Home → Contracts and select the Status Tracking tab.

The Status Tracking page displays all generated contracts in one place, making it easy to monitor progress, identify outstanding signature requests, and access generated documents whenever needed.

From this page, you can:

The Status Tracking page provides a convenient, institution-wide view of your contract signing process, allowing staff to monitor contract completion without needing to open each student's profile.

Every contract signed through ampSign includes a Digital Signature Certificate that provides a complete audit trail of the signing process.

The certificate records all activity associated with the signing process, including recipient information, document views, signature completion dates, electronic signature consent, IP addresses, and a complete event history. This information can be used to verify the authenticity of a completed signature request and support institutional compliance requirements.

In addition to the audit trail, ampSign applies a digital signature directly to the completed PDF document. This protects the document from being modified after it has been signed.

When a completed contract is opened in a compatible PDF reader, such as Adobe Acrobat, the document's digital signature can be validated.

A valid document will display a confirmation indicator, such as a green checkmark, confirming that the document has not been altered since it was signed.

If changes are made to the document after signing, the digital signature becomes invalid and the PDF reader will display a warning indicating that the document's integrity can no longer be verified.

ampEducator's Contracts and Digital Signatures tools allow institutions to generate contracts, collect electronic signatures, track signing activity, and verify completed documents from a single workflow. All contracts remain attached to the student record, providing a secure and auditable history of the signing process.