Part 1: Your CRM → CollegeVine: AI Recruiter Data Sync
Notes:
This guide assumes you’re a CRM admin in CollegeVine and an admin in your CRM. If you don’t already have a CollegeVine account, you can create one using these instructions or reach out to [email protected].
If you use Slate as your CRM, please refer to this Slate-specific version of the guide.
High-level overview:
You’ll be setting up a connection between your CRM and a CollegeVine-hosted SFTP location where we will securely exchange files.
You will upload the leads you want your AI Recruiter to treat to a
to_collegevinefolder at your desired cadence, and CollegeVine will ingest them.CollegeVine will send a file(s) nightly with your leads with additional AI data points to a
from_collegevinefolder, and you will ingest them into your CRM.
Steps:
Log into your CRM and CollegeVine.
If your CRM doesn’t support SFTP integrations natively, you also likely have a “middleware” you use (e.g., Informatica, Mulesoft, Cyberduck, etc…) where you will configure your SFTP setup. Ensure you have access to that software.
Note: if you have never set up an SFTP integration before and don’t know where to start with your CRM, please notify [email protected] and we will work with you/your IT team to provide you with extra support. In most cases, we already work with another school/partner who uses the same CRM as you and can share strategies.
Create a public/private key pair using PuTTyGen (Windows), your terminal/CLI, asking your IT team, or any other preferred method.
This is used to authenticate and secure the connection from your CRM/middleware to the CollegeVine-hosted SFTP.
Note: We recommend starting with the OpenSSH format for both a public and private key, but your CRM/middleware might require a different format. We accept most formats.
In CollegeVine, navigate to AI Recruiter > Students, then click CRM sync.
You will see the basic connection information listing:The server name
A username
A path for uploading leads from your CRM to CollegeVine
A path for downloading leads from Collegevine to your CRM
A text input for the SSH public key
A text input for the source IP addresses
Paste the entire public key into the SSH public key text box. The key should begin with rsa-key…
Paste in the IP addresses for your computer/CRM/middleware that you’ll be connecting with.
If multiple IP addresses, add one IP address per line (don’t comma separate)
In your CRM/middleware, create a new SFTP integration or new SFTP user to connect to the SFTP location. Exactly how to do this varies depending on your specific CRM/middleware.
You’ll need the CollegeVine SFTP Username value (screenshot in step 3)
You’ll need the For uploads: folder location, ending in /to_collegevine (screenshot in step 3)
Paste your OpenSSH formatted private key into the appropriate location. This must begin with -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Definite the data/query for the leads you'd like to export into CollegeVine in a CSV file. You’ll need to make sure your query includes columns for the below five required fields, plus any additional ones that you’d like to include.
Required fields:First name
Last name
Email
Admission year (YYYY)
Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD)
Highly recommended fields:
Phone number (+1XXXXXXXXXX)
required to call students and gather consent to call
E.164 is the preferred format (+1XXXXXXXXXX), but can be accepted without country code for US numbers (XXXXXXXXXX)
Consents to AI phone calls (true/false or leave the value empty)
required to identify leads that have already consented to AI phone calls
Please use the following values:
true = lead has explicitly opted in
AI Recruiter will make phone calls without emailing for consent first
false = lead has explicitly opted out
AI Recruiter will neither make phone calls nor email for consent
Leave the field empty if you are missing consent information for the lead
AI Recruiter will email the lead to ask for consent and then make phone calls accordingly
Lead stage fields to indicate where in the enrollment funnel your leads are
Most partners include 1 or 2 lead stage fields, and use these fields for two main purposes:
To tell the AI Recruiter when to start/stop treating a lead
To give the AI Recruiter custom instructions on how to treat each lead (e.g., If stage = Application-Started then encourage the student to log back into their application portal at www.university.edu/apply/login)
Later, your team will work with your CollegeVine Project Manager to map your 1-2 lead stage field values to the funnel stages your AI Recruiter understands (see below) and set the logic for when to start/stop treatment.
Prospect
Inquiry
Application - started
Application - completed
Decision - accepted
Decision - rejected
Decision - waitlisted
Enrolled
If you have one stage field that maps nicely to the above options, great!
Otherwise, you can use up to two fields that, when combined, map to the funnel stages. For example, here’s what one partner did:
Field 1 (Lead Stage):
Prospect
Inquiry
Applicant
Enrolled
Field 2 (Application Status):
Started
Completed
In Review
Accepted
Rejected
Waitlisted
In this example:
Applicant + Waitlisted = Decision - waitlisted
Prospect = Prospect
Other suggested fields:
Any other fields you have that would be helpful for the AI recruiter to use to personalize messages to leads. Examples include:
Location fields: Street address, City, State, Zip code, or Country
Intended major
Gender
Preferred Name
FAFSA completed
Has visited campus
Note: In a later step, you will be able to map each of these fields to a CollegeVine default property or create a Custom Property so your AI Recruiter knows how to handle each data point.
Once the query itself is ready, schedule an export of your data to the /to_collegevine location via SFTP at your desired cadence/schedule. Exactly how to do this varies depending on your specific CRM/middleware of choice.
Note: We recommend including a timestamp in each file name
The final connection will look like: sftp://<username>@sftp-sync.collegevine.com/to_collegevine/<filename><dynamictimestamp>.csv
Replace <username> with the CollegeVine username from Step 3
Replace <filename> with whatever you want the base filename to be
Replace <dynmaictimestamp> with whatever characters your software uses to inject a dynamic timestamp.
Examples: %FT%T (Slate),%Y-%m-%d-%T (Informatica)
Activate the export process to send your first file to the SFTP location. Exactly how to do this varies depending on your specific CRM/middleware of choice.
Monitor the transfer's progress to ensure the file is successfully transferred.
After the export from your CRM is complete, navigate back to the auto-sync configuration page on CollegeVine to complete the field mapping (see step 12).
You'll see your first filename listed in the Loaded file tab and should:
A. Choose how you want conflicts resolvedB. Map columns to CollegeVine properties, or create a custom property
C. Certify communication consent (checkbox)
D. Click Next to save and move on to the next step
📣Note: If you later change/update/add new fields to the file you send to CollegeVine, you must come back to this step, update the mapping, and save the changes! Otherwise, your future imports will fail.
You can enable the integration in CollegeVine by clicking Start the integration, which will begin importing records from the files that are uploaded.
Part 2: CollegeVine → Your CRM: AI Recruiter Data Sync
Before you start: The steps below assume you’ve completed the Your CRM -> CollegeVine steps first.
Log into your CRM or middleware/SFTP software tool
Create a new import to grab files from the SFTP location: sftp://<username>@sftp-sync.collegevine.com/from_collegevine.
Exactly how to do this will vary depending on your CRM/middleware.
The file will look like: sftp://<username>@sftp-sync.collegevine.com/from_collegevine/<filename>.csv
We will send files nightly at 12:00 am ET
The files we send will be differential files (see more details in FAQ #4 below)
CollegeVine will have generated your first export file (of max 5,000 records) shortly after you started the integration (Part 1, Step 13). Any remaining batches of export file(s) will be sent starting at 12:00 am ET nightly after you activate your integration. If you’d prefer not to wait until the next day to receive all your batches, you can click “Run an export now” to trigger the subsequent export file until you have 0 new records to export.
Determine how you want to map each of the fields in the export file to your CRM records. The export file will have all the same columns, with the same names, as your import. It will also include additional AI Recruiter-specific fields as well (See FAQ #5 below for the list of AI Recruiter-specific fields CollegeVine sends back to you.)
Note: You have delete permissions in the SFTP folder, so once you’ve successfully ingested a file to your CRM, you are more than welcome to delete it from the /from_collegevine folder depending on your preferences. It is very common that CRM will automatically delete processed files from the folder by default.
🚀 That’s it! You now have a bi-directional data flow between your CRM and your CollegeVine AI Recruiter!
FAQs
1. Which records should we include in our import to CollegeVine?
Initially, you should send CollegeVine all the leads you want to treat.
Going forward, you can either send the full list every time or just the differential file (only new and updated leads since the last time you sent CollegeVine a file).
We recommend a differential file, but either will work.
You can add new leads to your import file at any time, up until you hit your contracted amount.
2. Is there a limit to how many different files we can send to CollegeVine, or how we organize which leads are in each file?
As long as all the lead files have identical column structures, there is no limit to the number of lead files you can send to CollegeVine, or how you choose to batch which records are contained in each file.
Every time CollegeVine sees that you’ve sent a new file to the SFTP folder, we will begin ingesting it.
3. How often will CollegeVine send files back to us?
CollegeVine will send back files daily around 12:00 am ET.
4. Which records are included in the files I get back from CollegeVine?
Who:
We send you leads that you’ve uploaded to CollegeVine, as well as all of your CollegeVine-sourced connections (leads) that your AI recruiter has engaged with.
How:
We send only the leads that have been updated or created since the last time we sent you a file. (i.e. delta/differential)
Files will be sent in batches of 5,000 leads per file.
For example, if 12,500 records were updated since yesterday, you will receive 3 files of sizes: 5,000 leads, 5,000 leads, and 2,500 leads.
It is expected that you will get all your records back on your very first export, and then the differential going forward.
If, at any point, you send us new data for all your leads and update your mapping accordingly, we will send you back all your leads with that new value included (we see this as an update to the record!)
5. Why can’t I see the file directories in the SFTP?
The directory files are created when files are first sent from your CRM to our SFTP.
When you create the file(s) to send to us, name it to_collegevine/your_file_name.csv which will create the directory.
Then, when you turn on the integration (Step 13 above) and we send you your first export, we'll create a file called from_collegevine/first_export_file_name.csv which will create the from_collegevine directory.
6. What columns are included in the files I get back from CollegeVine?
a. The files you receive back will include:
All of the columns that are successfully mapped in your import, using the naming convention from YOUR CRM to make it easier for you to ingest.
Example:
The field values will be updated if your AI Recruiter learns anything new while engaging with the lead.
b. Additional AI engagement data for each lead
Summary of all AI communicationsNumber of chat messages sent by AI recruiterNumber of chat messages sent by the leadNumber of emails sent by the AI recruiterNumber of emails opened by the leadNumber of emails clicked by the leadNumber of outbound phone calls made by the AI recruiterNumber of outbound phone calls answered by the leadNumber of inbound phone calls made by the leadFor those with Website Recruiter included:
Self-reported identity
This field list was last updated on: 3/11/25
If you would like for these fields to show up in your CRM, you will need to create new fields or map them to existing fields that you already have in your CRM. We recommend creating new CollegeVine specific fields in order to maximize reporting efficiency.
Notes:
Each AI engagement stat represents all-time engagement per lead
If the data you imported contains columns with exactly the same column names as the AI engagement data above (which is possible, but unlikely), the CollegeVine metric columns will take priority.
We will update this documentation as new AI engagement data fields are added in the future. We will also send an email to all our AI partners notifying them when new fields are added.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to [email protected] or your Project Manager.
7. Which of the default CollegeVine properties are required for the file to process and for each lead to be successfully imported?
First name
Last name
Email
Admission year (YYYY)
Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD)
8. I’m getting a few errors when trying to import records. Can you explain what each one means?
Date of birth missing - DoB is a required field (YYYY-MM-DD) and if a student record is missing a value in your DoB field, they cannot be imported
First name missing - First name is a required field and if a student record is missing a value in your first name field, they cannot be imported
Last name missing - Last name is a required field and if a student record is missing a value in your last name field, they cannot be imported
Email missing - Email is a required field and if a student record is missing a value in your email field, they cannot be imported
Admission year missing - Admission year (YYYY), also known as Entry or Enrollment Year, is a required field and if a student record is missing a value in your Admission year field, they cannot be imported
Invalid email format - The email address provided is not formatted as an email. This often happens when you pass a name or phone number in the email field by accident.
Unsafe email - The email associated with the record was flagged by our email validation process, which screens all emails for potential bounces before importing them. If an email is likely to bounce, we mark it as “unsafe” and exclude that contact from the import. They won’t count toward your total amount. This process helps keep your AI Recruiter’s email deliverability high and maintains a strong sending reputation. There’s no action needed on your end for these records, it’s simply a tool in our verification system to ensure your AI Recruiter email health remains in top shape!
No new data available for import - There was no new data in the SFTP folder for CollegeVine to process
Internal record creation failure - This means something went wrong during the import process on the CollegeVine side. We monitor these errors closely, but if you see this error, please flag it to your Project Manager or [email protected].
File '[name.csv]' contained unknown columns: [column names] - This means that there is at least one unmapped field detected in the file you sent and you need to go back and update your data schema configuration to ensure each of your fields is mapped a CollegeVine field. Otherwise, we won’t know how to interpret the file and the import will fail.
To update your field mapping, go to your Data Schema and click More details > Edit:
File '[name.csv]' was missing columns: [column names] - This means that the file was missing at least one field that you had previously mapped. Ensure your file has all the fields, or update your field mapping to remove the field you no longer wish to send.
Timed out: There was an issue with the import that caused it to time out. This is typically an error on the CollegeVine side and should happen infrequently. If you see this error, please flag it to your Project Manager or [email protected].
9. How do I update the fields included in my sync?
Update your query in Slate and send the new file via the SFTP connection
Note: You might receive an "error" message for that first import because you now have newly unmapped fields - have no fear - this is expected!
Go into CRM sync settings page under AI Recruiter>Students
Click "More details" in the Data schema configured section.
Click "Edit"
Find your newly added fields and map them to a CollegeVine Property or create a new Custom Property
Note: If you don't see the new fields, try waiting 5-10 minutes and then refresh the page. This should give our system enough time to read the fields of the new file you sent.
Don't forget to save by clicking "Next"
Click the button that says "Retry 1 recent failed import"
10. What happens to previously loaded files added to the to_collegevine SFTP folder in the Auto-CRM sync?
The system will keep these files unless deleted. In the event of an import (CRM to CollegeVine) attempt, the system will process the most recent file added. If the import encounters an error, the system will attempt to reprocess the failed file. Previously loaded files will not be used if a new file has already been added to the directory.
You may manually trigger a reprocess by clicking on "Retry N recent failure/s". Once an import is successful, you are unable to retry importing a previous file.