The verdict in three sentences
For a private university in Antananarivo, the website must become a complete admissions desk, from application upload to fee payment by mobile money, otherwise applicants from Réunion, Mauritius or the Comoros drop out along the way. On the Malagasy market, a website with an admissions module costs 20,000,000 to 60,000,000 MGA in 2026, delivered in 10 to 14 weeks, to process 1,500 to 4,000 applications a year with processing time cut by three. In Singapore, a private university pays 60,000 to 150,000 SGD for a comparable scope, mainly because of integrations and PDPA compliance.
From paper files to an online journey: what really changes
The gain is measured step by step. In a university that still receives files at the counter or by e-mail, each application passes through several hands: reception, registry, accounts to check fees, then the panel. The admissions module removes re-keying and chasing.
| Step | Manual process | Online process | Time per file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application upload | Counter or e-mail, incomplete documents in 40% of cases | Guided form, mandatory documents blocking | 12 min then 3 min |
| Document check | Visual check, phone reminders | Checklist and automatic SMS reminder | 10 min then 4 min |
| Application fee payment | Cash or transfer, manual matching | MVola, Orange Money or Airtel Money, instant confirmation | 8 min then 1 min |
| Panel review | Paper files circulated | Online scoring grid, shared comments | 10 min then 5 min |
| Notification and enrolment | Letter or call | E-mail and SMS, enrolment and payment link | 5 min then 2 min |
| Total | About 45 minutes | About 15 minutes | Cut by three |
The most underestimated point is payment. Application fees, often 50,000 to 150,000 MGA, are the first motivation filter. Collecting them by mobile money at upload reduces ghost applications and gives the registry a reliable list of serious candidates.
2026 budget: Antananarivo, Kolonell and Singapore
The "market" figures are 2026 estimates observed on comparable projects, separate from Kolonell's rates.
| Item | Antananarivo market (MGA) | Kolonell (FCFA) | Singapore market (SGD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional site, programmes and student life | 8,000,000 to 20,000,000 | Growth 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 or Premium 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 | 20,000 to 50,000 |
| Online application module | 6,000,000 to 20,000,000 | Simple application: 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 | 20,000 to 50,000 |
| Mobile money or card payment | 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 | Included in the module | 5,000 to 15,000 |
| Panel area and dashboard | 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 | Medium application: 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 in total | 10,000 to 25,000 |
| English version for international applicants | 1,000,000 to 4,000,000 | Included in the package | 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Total | 20,000,000 to 60,000,000 | 3,700,000 to 10,500,000 | 60,000 to 150,000 |
At Kolonell, the website is scoped as Growth (1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA, or 1,830 to 3,050 EUR) or Premium (2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA, or 3,050 to 5,340 EUR) depending on the number of programmes. The admissions module is a custom application: simple at 2.5 M to 4 M FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) for application, documents and payment, medium at 4 M to 7 M FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) when you add the panel area, quotas per programme and dashboards.
In Singapore, the gap comes from day rates of 1,000 to 1,500 SGD, compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act, requirements of the Committee for Private Education and integration with the student information system. The functional scope stays close.
Attracting applicants from the Indian Ocean
A university in Antananarivo targeting Réunion, Mauritius, the Comoros or Mayotte has to remove three obstacles. The first is trust: accreditation pages, partnerships, pass rates and student living costs shown clearly, with a typical monthly budget of 600,000 to 1,000,000 MGA for housing and meals. The second is language: an English version aimed at Mauritius, where English is the administrative language. The third is visibility: programme pages optimised for queries such as "business school Madagascar" or "medical studies Indian Ocean".
The site must also account for connectivity. A programme page should weigh less than 1.5 MB and the application form should save a draft every 30 seconds, so that an outage in Fianarantsoa or Moroni does not wipe out a half-completed file.
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Hery, secretary general of a hypothetical private university in Antananarivo, receives 2,500 applications a year. At 45 minutes per file, his registry spends 1,875 hours on them. With the admissions module, time drops to 15 minutes, or 625 hours: 1,250 hours freed, close to 0.8 of a full-time position.
His project includes a Growth website at 1,800,000 FCFA and a simple admissions module at 3,500,000 FCFA, or 5,300,000 FCFA (about 8,080 EUR). If he attracts 60 additional applications from the Indian Ocean with a 40% enrolment rate, he gains 24 students. At 5,000,000 MGA in annual tuition, that is 120,000,000 MGA of new revenue from the first intake.
FAQ
Which payment methods should we offer for application fees?
MVola, Orange Money and Airtel Money cover most Malagasy applicants, with a bank card for international ones. Transaction fees range from 1 to 3% depending on the operator and contract.
How long does it take to launch the admissions module?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks, including 2 weeks to formalise documents and criteria per programme. Launching 3 months before applications open leaves time to test with 50 to 100 pilot files.
Can applicants upload documents from a phone?
Yes, the form accepts photos and compresses them under 1 MB. In 2026, more than 70% of applications in French-speaking Africa are submitted from a mobile, an order of magnitude seen on admissions platforms.
How do we protect applicant data?
Documents are stored encrypted, access is limited by role and rejected files are deleted after a defined period, for example 12 months. Madagascar has a 2014 personal data protection law that must be respected.
Can the module handle several intakes a year?
Yes, each campaign has its own dates, quotas and fees. A university with two intakes and 10 programmes stays within the scope of a medium application, between 4 M and 7 M FCFA at Kolonell.
Let's scope your project. Send us your programmes, required documents and application calendar: we price the website (Growth or Premium) and the admissions module separately, with go-live in 10 to 14 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
