Arbiter Registration FAQ

General Registration FAQs

Who can create an Arbiter Registration account?

Only students who are 18 or older may create their own Arbiter Registration account. A legal parent or guardian must create a Family Account for any student under 18.

How many accounts should a family have?

Each family should have one Family Account. It can be used to register all family members for any programs, regardless of school, organization, or program type.

Does a student’s information follow them from year to year?

Yes. All registration data remains in the system from year to year, regardless of whether a student participated, quit, was cut, or only tried out. This ensures proper liability coverage and provides quick access to digital records when needed. 

Administrators can easily: 

• Mark a student-athlete as unapproved
• Cancel a registration
• Assign them to the appropriate team by using section options (Learn more here)
• Generate roster reports to share with coaches (Learn more here)

Account & Profile FAQs

Do families have to re-enter information every year?

No. Once a family member is registered for the first time, their profile information is stored. Future registrations will auto-populate with existing data, making the process faster and ensuring information stays accurate.

Can a student belong to multiple schools or programs?

Yes. A Family Account can register participants for multiple organizations or program types.

Program & Team Assignment FAQs

What happens if a student is cut or doesn't make the team?

The student’s registration remains in the system for records and liability purposes. Administrators can simply update their status or cancel the registration as needed.

How are rosters finalized after tryouts?

After tryouts, administrators can assign athletes to the correct team in the system and generate roster reports for coaches. This can be done by using section options (Learn more here)

Where can we find the Arbiter Registration site link?

From the Programs tab, each program displays a Links bubble. Clicking this reveals the landing page link and button codes for both the overall registration site and the specific program. The landing page link and button code serve as direct access to your Arbiter Registration site. (Learn more here)

How can I preview a program before it goes live?

You can preview a program at any time before registration opens by clicking on the program title or selecting the Preview button in the top-right corner of the program editor.

How do I test a program before opening it to the public?

Administrators can run a test registration while keeping the program private:

1. In Step 8: Publishing, set the program to Open.

2. Scroll to the bottom and click Approve and Save.

3. Click the Links bubble and copy the Registration Form link.

4. Switch into your Family Account.

5. Paste the copied link into your browser and submit a test registration.

Is Arbiter Registration compliant with accessibility laws?

Yes. Arbiter’s base registration design is fully compliant with ADA, VPAT, and WCAG standards, meeting Colorado Accessibility Mandate requirements. However, schools may upload their own images, content, or color schemes. These customizations may impact accessibility, and Arbiter does not monitor individual site changes.

Adding Discount Options to a Program

Arbiter Registration simplifies the process of applying discounts for qualifying registrants through the Add-On feature. This add-on can be displayed for parents to select during registration. When eligibility is required, parents must provide information to confirm their qualification for the discount.

Administrators also have the option to create this add-on without applying the discount during registration. Instead, they can create a hidden discount add-on, allowing admin staff to apply the discount manually after the registration is submitted. Learn more about add-ons by clicking here)

What is an Add-On in Arbiter Registration?

An Add-On in Arbiter Registration is an additional item, option, or fee—such as discounts, extra purchases, waivers, or required forms—that can be attached to a program. Add-ons can be made visible to registrants or hidden for administrative use only. (Learn more about add-ons by clicking here)

How do I restrict an Offline Payment Method to specified users?

Arbiter Registration allows admin staff to create an Other Payment Method that can be restricted to designated registrants. This option lets specific users pay at a later time, ensuring admin staff can apply any qualifying discounts before payment is submitted. (Learn more about restricting payment methods by clicking here.)

Can I create custom questions on my program?

Yes. Custom fields can be created under the Participant section when editing your program. These fields allow you to collect any additional information your organization needs. Custom fields can be configured as:

• Text fields 
• Number fields 
• Phone number fields
• Single‑choice (radio buttons)
• Multiple‑choice (checkboxes)
•  File upload fields

 This flexibility allows you to tailor each program to gather the exact data required. (Learn more here)

Importing Students from SIS – Invitations

Prepare Student Data

Before importing students or sending invitations, export the necessary student information from your SIS or preferred database.

Add the data to a CSV file containing the following required columns:

• One Invitation Email (Parent Email)
•  Participant First Name
•  Participant Last Name
•  Student ID
•  Date of Physical (mm/dd/yyyy)
• Participant Birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy)
•  Gender
•  Parent First Name
• Parent Last Name
• Parent Email
•  Parent Cell Phone

Tip: Ensure formatting is clean—no extra spaces, merged cells, or multiple emails in one field—to prevent upload errors.(Learn more here)

Create and Send Invitations

Once your CSV is ready:

1. Upload the CSV file into Arbiter Registration. 

2. Map each field from your CSV to the appropriate system field during the upload process.

3. Choose the type of invitation you want to send: 

• Invite families to register for any of your open programs, or
•  Invite them to create an Arbiter Registration account  

Invitations will be sent to the email address listed in the Parent Email column, guiding the family directly to their next required action. (Learn more here)

Internal Fields (For Admin Use Only)

Internal fields allow administrators to track key information without displaying it to families during registration. These fields support internal workflows, communication, compliance, and student management across programs.

Create Internal Fields

Administrators can create internal fields for any information that needs to be tracked internally but should not appear on the public registration form. These fields help staff coordinate safely and efficiently without sharing sensitive information with families.

Common examples include:

• Medical Alert – Nurses’ Notes to Coach

Allows sharing essential, high‑level medical notes with coaches (e.g., “Severe asthma – inhaler in backpack”) without exposing the full medical questionnaire. 

• Eligibility notes
•  Transportation requirements
•  Clearance flags
•  Administrative reminders
•  Expiration Date
•  Trackers

Track expirations such as physicals, insurance, or other requirements. These can include automated notifications, customizable to the school or district’s needs. (Learn more here)

Assign Internal Fields to Programs

Once created, internal fields can be assigned to specific programs where they are needed. This allows staff to limit visibility to only the programs relevant to that information.

Examples:

• Assign medical alert fields to Athletics programs only 
• Assign transportation or after‑school notes to Clubs or Activities
•  Assign behavior or eligibility notes to Academic or Extracurricular programs  

Visibility & Confidentiality

Internal fields are visible only to admin staff by default, ensuring confidentiality.

However, administrators can optionally choose to make specific internal fields visible to parents or participants when appropriate—controlled through field settings. (Learn more here)

This flexibility allows programs to maintain privacy while improving communication and internal coordination