Applicant Tracking and Management System with Decision Support for the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program at St. Paul University Philippines

This study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a web-based Applicant Tracking and Management System with Decision Support for the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program at St. Paul University Philippines. The project was undertaken in response to the identified challenges in the existing manual process, which relied on word processing software for storing applicant information and generating reports. The manual system posed risks of inefficiency, data inaccuracy, and delayed decision-making. Using the Agile Scrum Methodology, the system was iteratively developed to automate application tracking, provide real-time status monitoring, and deliver decision support tools. Four key features were integrated into the system: the Priority Alerts and Reminders Dashboard, Application Status Overview, Comparative Reporting Tools, and Applicant Profile Summaries. System evaluation based on the ISO/IEC 25010 Software Quality Standards showed that the system achieved a very great extent of compliance across all eight quality characteristics, including functional suitability, performance efficiency, usability, and security. Additionally, user acceptance was measured using the Technology Acceptance Model, with results showing strong agreement on the system’s ease of use, usefulness, intention to use, and overall satisfaction. The findings confirm that the system successfully addressed the existing challenges by improving data management, process efficiency, and decision- making for ETEEAP applications. The system offers a sustainable digital solution that enhances administrative operations and user experience, positioning it as a practical tool for institutional adoption. Recommendations for future enhancements include adding document upload features, role-based access control, and expanded reporting options.