Self-Service Webforms and Payments at Scale for 3rd level educational institution

We extended Drupal’s visual webform builder so authorised MIC staff can assemble advanced forms through a drag-and-drop interface. Editors can add fields, conditional sections, validation, file uploads, emails and confirmation messages without asking a developer to build each workflow.

The same system supports very different journeys, including:

• Open-day registrations
• Event and conference bookings
• Scholarship applications
• Appeals and repeat-exam processes
• Programme and course payments
• Prospectus requests
• Subject-access requests
• Interactive assessments
• General and ad-hoc charges

This provides flexibility without creating a separate technical solution for every department or campaign.

We developed a custom Stripe integration that can be added to a webform when a payment is required. The amount can be fixed or calculated dynamically from the options selected by the user.

When someone proceeds to payment, the system:

1. Creates a Stripe Checkout session using the amount calculated by the form.
2. Connects the transaction to the originating form, page and submission.
3. Collects the billing information required for the payment.
4. Confirms the transaction directly with Stripe.
5. Stores the verified Stripe reference against the Drupal submission.
6. Presents a clear success or failure response.
7. Generates the appropriate email receipt, including VAT receipt variations where required.

Payment administration remains connected to the form that generated the charge. Staff can identify what was purchased, which workflow it came from and whether payment was completed without reconciling disconnected form and transaction records.

The payment layer is not tied to one form. It has been reused for conferences, workshops, programme fees, wellbeing events and ad-hoc charges.

MIC currently has 14 production payment-enabled form definitions. Six production payment forms are presently enabled, while completed and historic campaigns can be closed without deleting their structure or transaction records.

This allows teams to launch a new paid workflow by configuring the form, pricing rules and receipt requirements rather than commissioning another payment system.

Each form can apply required-field validation, conditional questions and pricing logic before the user reaches payment. This reduces incomplete submissions and helps prevent users from paying the wrong amount.

Piquant also adjusted visual and functional elements of the platform to address applicable accessibility requirements. The objective is not simply to make the form technically valid, but to ensure instructions, validation messages, mandatory fields and payment outcomes are understandable to the person completing it.

The multisite is integrated with Microsoft Active Directory through Drupal’s LDAP infrastructure. Staff access is mapped from directory roles, two-factor authentication protects administrative login, and staff profile information can be synchronised from the directory.

This gives MIC central control over who can create forms, review submissions, administer content and access sensitive workflows.

MIC’s payment infrastructure was migrated from Realex to Stripe without replacing the wider platform. This improved the user journey and made transactions easier for staff to monitor.

Git version control, Drupal configuration management, Composer and Drush provide a controlled deployment process with minimal downtime. Forms, payment logic and functional improvements can evolve while the existing content and historic submission records remain intact.