Goodbye to 'September Bureaucracy': How Electronic Signatures Unblock the Academic Secretariat

The Campus Bottleneck in September

Every start of term, universities, business schools and higher education centres face the same situation: an administrative overload.

Thousands of:

• Enrolments.
• Grant applications.
• Internship agreements.
• Assessment records.
• Degree applications.

pile up within weeks. In many institutions, the process still depends on scanned PDFs or paper documents moving between students, companies and internal departments.

In an environment where teaching is already digital, keeping analogue bureaucracy creates three structural risks:

1. Legal risk in external placements, when the student starts without a formally signed agreement.
2. Delays in justifying grants and subsidies due to incomplete documentation.
3. Weak document integrity, especially in academic records or official decisions.

Digitisation is not a cosmetic improvement: it is an operational necessity.

The Critical Case: the Educational Cooperation Agreement

The biggest administrative challenge in higher education is managing external placements.

A standard agreement involves three parties signing:

• The Student.
• The University.
• The Partner Company.

In the traditional model:

1. The university generates the document.
2. The student prints and signs it.
3. They take it to the company.
4. The company signs it days later.
5. The student returns it to the university.
6. Finally, the academic officer signs.

This process can take weeks. In the meantime:

• The student may start without formal coverage.
• Insurance may not be correctly activated.
• The file remains blocked.

What’s more, any mistake forces the whole cycle to start again.

With electronic signature integrated into the academic ERP, the process changes:

1. The university generates the agreement from its system.
2. It is sent automatically to the student for electronic signature.
3. Once signed, it is automatically sent to the company supervisor.
4. Finally, the university officer closes the process.

The result is a tripartite agreement completed in hours, with:

• Full traceability.
• Timestamping.
• Cryptographic integrity of the document.
• Automatic filing in the digital record.

The student has legal coverage from day one.

Not Everything Needs the Same Level of Signature

A common mistake in academic digitisation is to apply the same level of assurance to every process.

The key is the principle of proportionality.

1. Simple Electronic Signature: Operational Agility

Suitable for:

• Standard enrolments.
• Acceptance of internal regulations.
• Consent for use of facilities.
• Low-risk administrative requests.

Here speed and student experience come first. A “click-to-sign” flow or signing on a tablet at the office is enough to prove acceptance.

2. Advanced Electronic Signature: Stronger Legal Certainty

Recommended for:

• Company agreements.
• Grade records.
• Academic decisions.
• Applications for official degrees.
• Research contracts.

In these cases it is essential to ensure:

• Signer identity (e.g. that the person signing a record is the authorised lecturer).
• Document integrity, with no later changes.
• Certain date, via timestamping.

This is where cryptographic techniques such as hashing (SHA-256) come in, linking the signed content mathematically to the evidence produced.

Integration with the Academic ERP: The Real Change

Electronic signature must not be a separate process on an external website. In universities with 10,000 or 20,000 students, integration via API with systems such as:

• In-house academic platforms.
• University ERPs.
• Management systems like SAP or similar.

is crucial. Automation means that:

• When a record moves to “Admitted”, the agreement can be sent for signature automatically.
• Automatic reminders go to anyone who has not signed.
• Document status is updated in real time.
• The Secretariat has a dashboard with full traceability.

This removes the human risk of “forgetting to send the document” and sharply cuts administrative load.

Records, Degrees and Institutional Reputation

Beyond placements, electronic signature protects the academic core:

• Grade records.
• Disciplinary decisions.
• Grant awards or refusals.
• Degree issuance.

Here document integrity is essential. Any suspicion of tampering directly affects the institution’s reputation.

Using advanced electronic signature and timestamping makes it possible to show that:

• The grade was signed on a specific date.
• The document has not been altered afterwards.
• The signer was authorised to do so.

A Digital Experience That Matches Today’s Students

Today’s students:

• Enrol online.
• Attend virtual classes.
• Submit work on digital platforms.
• Check their grades on the virtual campus.

Making them print, sign and scan documents breaks that digital flow completely. Pioneering institutions such as UOC or ESADE have shown that 100% digital management is not only feasible but expected by students and partner companies.

Reducing paper is not the main goal; offering efficiency and traceability is.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is it mandatory to use advanced electronic signature for all academic procedures?
No. The principle of proportionality applies. For low-risk procedures, simple signature is enough; for documents with significant legal impact, advanced signature is recommended.

What if an external company is not used to signing digitally?
Modern systems allow signing from any device, with no need for complex certificates or technical setup.

Does electronic signature completely replace physical filing?
Yes, as long as the system guarantees integrity, authenticity and traceability of the signed document.

Conclusion

“September bureaucracy” is not an unavoidable problem but a result of outdated processes.

Digitising the signing of internship agreements, records and academic documentation:

• Turns weeks of delay into hours.
• Minimises human error.
• Ensures immediate legal coverage.
• Strengthens institutional reputation.

In higher education, administrative efficiency and legal rigour are not opposites. They are the basis of a university that can handle volume without sacrificing quality.