Project Description
I need a full-stack web application that streamlines how our school collects and tracks tuition fees. Students must have a secure login that opens to a personal dashboard showing outstanding balances, recent payments, downloadable invoices, and real-time payment status. From there they will be able to settle fees instantly through PayPal; if we decide to expand later, I would like the code structured so Stripe or Square could be added with minimal refactoring.
On the back end, the admin dashboard will be shared by admins and teachers. It should surface key metrics at a glance and let users drill down with search and filter tools. For launch, I only require a Student Enrollment report that cross-references payments, but the reporting module should be flexible so additional report types can be slotted in.
Because some parents still pay in cash, staff need an interface to post manual payments that automatically update student balances and trigger receipt emails. All transactions—online or manual—must generate sequential invoices and PDF receipts, archived in the database and downloadable by both staff and students.
Core expectations
• Clean, responsive UI that performs quickly on mobile and desktop
• Proper database schema design, migrations, and indexing for scalability
• Secure authentication, role-based authorization, and protection against common web attacks
• Email notifications for successful payments, overdue reminders, and manual entry confirmations
• One-click export of filtered data sets to Excel or CSV
• Simple deployment script or guide for either a VPS or shared hosting environment
Preferred tech stacks are Laravel, React, Node.js, or Django; choose the one you can deliver most efficiently while meeting the above requirements. Please outline milestone deliverables, unit or feature tests you plan to include, and any third-party packages you anticipate using.
Acceptance criteria will be a fully functional, deployed site passing a walkthrough of every feature listed, clean code pushed to a private repository, and concise documentation covering installation, configuration, and everyday use.