This article covers which fields you need to include when sending student records to CollegeVine — both the fields that are required for records to process, and the additional fields that significantly improve your AI agent's effectiveness.
You can always add or adjust import fields as needed.
Required fields
These fields must be filled in on every record you send to CollegeVine through a CRM sync. Records missing any of them won't import.
Field | Format |
First Name | Text |
Last Name | Text |
Email Address | Valid email format |
Unique Identifier | The column you choose as each record's ID when you set up your sync. This is email by default. We recommend a stable ID from your CRM or SIS, such as a CRM ID or student ID. It's how CollegeVine matches updates to the same student, and how you match export files back to your CRM. |
Manual uploads: first and last name are always required. The upload screen also asks you to pick a unique identifier (email by default), and that column must be filled in on every row.
📌 These requirements apply to records you import. Constituents created by an agent during a cold inbound interaction (for example, a student who calls from a number that is not yet on a record) are created with only the details captured during that interaction, so they may not have all of these fields.
Highly recommended fields
These fields are not required but significantly improve your agent's ability to personalize outreach and operate effectively. Focus on fields that are accurate and consistently populated — sending incomplete or unreliable data can create conflicting signals for your agent.
Field | Format / notes |
Mobile Phone | E.164 preferred: |
Consents to AI phone calls |
|
Existing opt-out fields | Map your current CRM opt-out fields here — these can proactively suppress students from AI outreach before the sync begins. |
Lead stage / Application status | 1–2 fields indicating where the student is in the enrollment funnel. Used to guide agent behavior and start/stop treatment logic. |
Program / Major of Interest | Text. Tailors academic conversation. |
Self-Reported Identity | Text. Required if you have a website recruiter or chatbot. |
Fields for Missions
Your AI agent can send targeted communications — called Missions — to a specific subset of your students. To enable this, the relevant fields need to be included in your import so your agent can identify the right audience.
Think about which targeted campaigns you want to run, then make sure the fields needed to define those audiences are included in your import.
Examples:
Has registered for Open House — use this to send a Mission inviting unregistered students to your open house
Scholarship eligibility or application status — use this to reach students eligible for specific scholarships and drive them to apply
Any other field that defines a meaningful subset of your student population
💡 These fields will be mapped to CollegeVine properties during setup. Work with your CollegeVine Implementation Manager to identify which are most useful for the campaigns you have in mind.
A note on data volume
More data isn't always better. Sending too many fields, especially fields that are inconsistently populated or redundant, can create conflicting information and reduce the quality of your agent's interactions. Only include what is accurate, relevant, and useful to the student experience you want to deliver.