Design of a Digital Admission Processing System for IMT Enugu

The administration of student admissions in Nigerian polytechnics has remained largely paper-based, resulting in delays, data loss, and inefficiencies that undermine institutional effectiveness. Recent studies have highlighted the urgent need for digital transformation in tertiary education management across sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in institutions facing growing applicant volumes. This study aimed to design a digital admission processing system tailored to the operational structure of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu. The system was developed using a structured systems development lifecycle (SDLC) methodology, incorporating requirements analysis, system design, and prototype implementation. PHP, MySQL, and HTML/CSS were adopted as the core development tools, enabling a web-based platform capable of handling applicant data entry, document upload, shortlisting, and admission letter generation. Findings from system testing revealed that the proposed platform significantly reduced processing time, eliminated manual record duplication, and improved data retrieval accuracy compared to the existing manual approach. User acceptance testing conducted among sampled IMT administrative staff indicated a high satisfaction rate with the system's interface and functionality. The study concluded that digitising the admission process at IMT Enugu would enhance administrative efficiency, improve applicant experience, and align the institution with contemporary e-governance practices in Nigerian tertiary education. It is recommended that the system be integrated with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) portal for seamless data exchange.

Keywords: digital admission, IMT Enugu, web-based system, tertiary education, administrative efficiency