With the dematerialization of physical documents and the digitalization of the application process, electronic signatures are the natural next step to completing the digital transformation of admissions in higher education, strengthening trust in signed documents by granting them legal and cyber protection. This article explains how and why you should implement e-signing. ✍️

The digitalization of business operations and the consequent obsolescence of paper documents brought about the need for a way to authenticate the identity of signers and the integrity of the signed data – in other words, to replace wet signatures with a legally valid alternative.

E-signing – the process of authenticating an electronic transaction with an electronic signature – was then introduced, gradually becoming the new norm in a wide range of documents, such as contracts, medical certificates, powers of attorney, and others.

Electronic signatures eliminate the lengthy process of printing, signing and then scanning and/or (e)mailing paper documents, saving time, money and the environment all at once. Similarly, mandatory steps and easy prompts eradicate the risk of missing or misplaced signatures and reduce the chance of other human errors, resulting in a more efficient workflow.

That said, not all electronic signatures are created equal, and different types afford varying degrees of security. The best e-signing methods employ end-to-end encryption and tamper-proofing mechanisms like audit trails, timestamping, and secure storage to ensure data integrity, protection against fraudulent attacks, and non-repudiation.

Rest assured, electronic signatures are legally binding and enforceable in many countries around the world, including the entirety of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. 🌍

Applications can be digitally signed in Full Fabric. As we've seen from the above information, electronic signatures are backed by sophisticated encryption technology and strong regulation. Therefore, they give greater legal weight to your terms and conditions and improve upon the standard admissions process by making it more secure and reliable for all parties involved – with no detriment whatsoever to the application experience, as signing an application is quick, easy, and simple. 😃 Continue reading to learn the particulars of how electronic signing can be implemented and what it looks like for candidates.

(Psst! We plan to support electronic signing on letters in the future, so stay tuned for more exciting news! 😉)

Full Fabric has partnered with DocuSign to offer applicants the ability to electronically sign application forms. DocuSign is a leading all-in-one solution that supports all levels of electronic signatures and complies with the latest legal guidelines for the use of electronic signatures in e-commerce. DocuSign can be used anywhere, anytime, from one's computer, tablet, or mobile device.

To connect Full Fabric to DocuSign, you need a DocuSign account. The account in question must have permission to create envelopes (the packages in which applications/ letters are sent to applicants for e-signing) and request signatures.
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IMPORTANT: In order to connect it is also necessary for Full Fabric to add a redirect URL to its Docusign account to allow your instance to use Docusign. So please make sure to inform Full Fabric support and request for this before proceeding, otherwise you will be unable to authenticate Docusign.

Once you have a Docusign account, and Full Fabric has added the redirect URL for your instance, simply follow the steps below to activate the integration:

1) Press the gear on the top right-hand corner and select General settings

2) Go to Integrations

3) Choose DocuSign under Other

5) Click the button Authenticate to be redirected to DocuSign's login page

6) Lastly, enter your login credentials to sign in and complete the authentication flow

Once the integration is up and running, a Digital Signature tab will appear in each of your school's application templates, from which you will be able to enable DocuSign and insert the terms and conditions text that candidates must see and accept when signing.

NOTE: Please get in touch with us if you do not have access to the Integrations tab.

Please read the following article if you would like to use Docusign to allow applicants to sign their application - https://help.fullfabric.com/en/articles/7044356-sign-applications-with-docusign-s-esignature.

Please read the following article if you would like to use Docusign to allow applicants to sign their letter - https://help.fullfabric.com/en/articles/9577761-sign-letters-with-docusign-s-esignature.
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