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Kailash Srinivasan

Similar to how we use technology to simplify our personal routines—whether it's our phone reminding us about a meeting, a calendar sending a nudge to book an appointment, or a voice assistant setting a timer while we cook—SFU IT is also finding new ways to streamline work. One powerful tool in this shift is automation, which is helping reduce repetitive tasks and minimize delays—in line with the What's Next: The SFU Strategy and our digital transformation goals.

For a while now, eligible employees applying for tuition waivers had to navigate a manual process—downloading PDF forms, collecting approvals, scanning documents and emailing them to Student Services. This approach was time-consuming, inconsistent and sometimes caused delays and errors. In some cases, late processing even led to interest charges on student accounts.

To address these challenges, SFU IT partnered with Application Services (Automation Services team) and Student Accounts (in Student Services) to fully automate the tuition waiver process.

SFU Tuition Waiver Program

The SFU Tuition Waiver Program allows eligible employees (and, in some cases, their dependents) to enroll in SFU credit courses with waived tuition fees (student fees must still be paid separately). However, the manual submission process created significant challenges.

On average, SFU processes more than 1,100 tuition waivers per year, with each application taking up to 10 minutes to review and approve.

The new automated process:

• Introduces a secure, web-based form that replaces the old PDF-based system.
• Ensures quick and secure approvals using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• Uses Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automatically handle application processing—significantly reducing errors and processing time.

Other improvements

While not an automation project, SFU has also streamlined the process for Professional Development (PD) Fund and Tuition Reimbursement claims to continue supporting the career growth, learning and development of employees. APSA and APEX employees are eligible for PD Funds of up to $1,100 per year (with carry-forward options), and CUPE employees can access $500 annually through the CUPE PD Fund. APSA/APEX employees are also eligible for tuition reimbursements of up to $1000 per year. SFU IT collaborated with Finance to improve the submission process.   

• Faculty and staff can now submit claims directly through (SFU’s Financial Information System, used for managing financial transactions across the university).
• The updated system allows for receipt uploads and real-time tracking.
• This change simplifies the experience, reduces processing time and improves transparency.

(Note: The CUPE Learning Opportunity Fund (LOF) continues to follow a separate process).

For more information about the tuition reimbursement funds and process, visit the Learning and Development page.

These changes are part of SFU IT’s commitment to modernizing university systems and improving the SFU experience—by making administrative processes simpler, faster and easier for the community to navigate.

Here are a few more examples of the kind of automation projects the team has been working on:

• Application Services created an Out-of-Office automation that lets staff submit time-off requests (e.g. vacation, sick days). Once approved, it automatically logs the leave in a central list, updates a shared calendar and notifies admins to record it in the HR system.
• A new automation is in development to generate Approved Leave Letters for students—once a form is submitted, the system will automatically create and email a personalized PDF letter.

• We're also working on Robotic Process Automation solutions to eliminate manual data entry tasks for administrative teams.

Many more automation projects that aim to make repetitive, manual processes more efficient are in progress. If your team is looking for ways to work differently, you’ve got a partner in SFU IT. Reach out to your Business Relationship Manager to explore what's possible.

Related articles:

• Using automation to drive innovation and efficiency 

• Transforming the SFU experience through digital improvements - Key Initiatives in Progress