ModulesFinance
Fee Structures
Configure what your school charges, for whom, and when.
Fee Structures
Fee structures allow you to define exactly what each group of students should be charged for a specific academic term.
Fee Components
A fee component is a named charge category. These are the building blocks of your financial system.
| Component Type | Code | Example | Applies To |
|---|---|---|---|
| TUITION | TUITION | Term 1 Tuition | All students |
| BOARDING | BOARDING | Boarding Fee | Boarders only |
| FEEDING | FEEDING | Mess Fee | Boarders only |
| TRANSPORT | TRANSPORT | Bus Route A | Assigned students |
| PTA_LEVY | PTA | PTA Annual | All students |
| ICT | ICT | Computer Lab Fee | All students |
| EXAMINATION | EXAM | BECE Registration | JHS 3 only |
Standard fee components in Ardent SMS
Building a Fee Structure (Step by Step)
- Navigate to Finance → Fee Structures → New Structure
- Select the Academic Year and Term.
- Choose the Scope: You can apply a structure to all classes, a specific class level (e.g., All Primary), or a specific class (e.g., JHS 3B).
- Boarding Settings: Mark as "Boarding students only" if the fees apply exclusively to boarders.
- Add Items: Select fee components and enter their amounts in GHS.
- Review: Verify the total amount is correct.
- Click Publish.
Published fee structures cannot be edited. To correct a published structure, you must unpublish it first. Note: Unpublishing is not allowed if any invoices have already been issued against the structure. In that case, you must create a new structure and re-issue affected invoices.
Scholarship and Discount Rules
Ardent SMS supports flexible concession rules to handle financial aid and loyalty programs.
| Concession Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarship | Merit-based or need-based aid. | Full tuition waiver for top athletes. |
| Bursary | Financial assistance from the school or a third party. | NGO-sponsored students. |
| Sibling Discount | Automatic discount for families with multiple children. | 10% off for the second child. |
| Staff Child | Discount for children of school employees. | 50% discount for teaching staff. |
Sibling Discount
The platform includes automated sibling discount logic:
- Configuration: Set from which sibling onwards the discount applies (default: 2nd child onwards).
- Rate: Set the percentage or fixed amount discount (default: 10%).
- Detection: The system automatically detects siblings by matching the Guardian Phone Number across student records.