Rubric

Overview

Rubric is a modular student-engagement platform for universities, student unions, associations, and guilds. It is best suited to campus teams that need club operations and student participation records in the same system. Its broad module set is compelling, but free subscriptions do not mean every transaction is free.

Customers can choose from 28 plug-and-play modules, while the Student CRM & Engagement Tracker links events, clubs, and trainings to student profiles and engagement scores. That combination can help institutions connect day-to-day program administration with a wider view of involvement. Rubric was founded in 2017 and is operated by MySmock Pty Ltd trading as Rubric, based in Burwood, New South Wales, Australia. See our Student Engagement Software directory for the broader category.

Key features

Club administration and forms

The Club Management dashboard brings together members, hosted events, activity levels, forms, attendance rates, and member types. This is a useful operational overview for organizations managing multiple clubs. Smart Digital Forms add drag-and-drop fields, data drawn from club profiles, and approval flows, so submissions can be tied to existing records and review steps.

Events and communications

Event & Ticketing covers membership validation, recurring events, tabling, collaborative event management, a marketplace, and ticket scanning. That breadth suits organizations combining member-only access with public or recurring campus activities. Outreach Tools support SMS blasts and email campaigns with templates and real-time recipient lists, giving teams two direct channels for event and program communications.

Student engagement and integrations

The Student CRM & Engagement Tracker connects touchpoints such as clubs, events, and trainings with student profiles and engagement scoring. Rubric also supports engagement analytics and risk alerts, which can help campus teams follow participation across programs. It connects with student information systems, learning management systems, single sign-on, and experience management systems; its admin portal lists accounting, payment, identity, and student ID integrations including Xero, QuickBooks, Stripe, SAML 2.0, Google OAuth/OIDC, Microsoft Azure AD/Graph, and StudId.

Mobile access, security, and service

Rubric's campus engagement app gives students access to events and activities, and its App Store listing identifies iPhone availability. The platform runs on Android, iOS, and the web. Rubric says it uses SSL and industry-standard encryption and key-management procedures, and states that it is GDPR compliant and PCI-DSS 3.2.1 Level 1 compliant as both merchant and service provider. Production systems and backups run on Amazon EC2, with residency options in Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand.

Rubric reports 99.5% average uptime. It offers in-app chat and email support, typically responding within 24 business hours. Most users are up and running in 30–60 days, depending on package, integrations, and customization; institutions should plan for a substantial implementation rather than an immediate rollout.

Pricing

Rubric's US clubs pricing offers free monthly subscriptions across three transaction-volume tiers. The Free plan is free (12 month transaction volume below $200) and charges no fee on paid memberships, tickets, or merchandise. It suits clubs with very low annual sales. Standard is free (12 month transaction volume $200 – 20,000), with paid sales charged at 4% + 70¢. Champion is free (12 month transaction volume above $20,000), with paid sales charged at 3% + 50¢. The volume thresholds determine the applicable sales rate, so organizations with higher turnover should compare the fees against their expected receipts.

Paid sales may incur tiered selling fees, and purchases may also carry service fees that vary by payment method, basket size, and card issuer. Institutions seeking the wider campus platform are invited to book a demo or contact Rubric; that package has custom pricing.

Platforms

Rubric supports Android, iOS, and web access. Its campus app provides students with access to events and activities, while the broader system serves campus administrators and organizations.

Who it's for

Rubric is a strong fit for universities, student unions, associations, and guilds that want modular club management, ticketing, outreach, and engagement tracking. Its integrations, student profiles, and selectable modules suit institutions connecting several campus functions. A small organization that only needs one narrow task, or a campus team unable to accommodate a 30–60-day onboarding window, should consider a more focused alternative.

Pros and cons

Pros: 28 selectable modules let institutions tailor the system to campus needs rather than adopt one fixed package.

Pros: Club dashboards, forms, ticketing, outreach, and engagement scoring span both operations and student participation.

Pros: Android, iOS, and web support, plus integrations for SIS, LMS, identity, finance, and payments, suit connected campus environments.

Cons: Free subscriptions can still involve selling and service fees, which complicates the cost of paid activity.

Cons: Typical implementation takes 30–60 days, a meaningful planning commitment for teams that need a fast launch.

Cons: Rubric reports average uptime of 99.5%; institutions with stricter availability needs should weigh that figure carefully.

Alternatives

GivePulse is worth comparing for organizations that want another freemium option; its Basic Free plan is limited to 1 admin, 0 subgroups, and 5 custom fields, while Give Joy is $20 a month when billed annually with 2 admins and 1 subgroup.

InScribe is a paid alternative with Android, iOS, web, and API support; its institutional plan uses custom pricing. Modern Campus CMS is another paid option, with Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted platforms.

Suitable is a paid alternative for readers comparing another Android, iOS, and web platform. Pathify offers a paid Engagement Hub with custom pricing based on enrollment and optional add-ons.

Unibuddy is a paid option without a free plan, spanning Android, iOS, and web. Civitas Advising is another paid alternative with annual, quote-based pricing scaled to institution size and integrated systems. Early Alert is a paid web-based alternative.

Verdict

Choose Rubric if your institution wants one configurable platform for club administration, events, student communications, and engagement tracking, and can plan for implementation and transaction costs. Look elsewhere if your needs are narrower, your rollout must be rapid, or fee predictability is more important than a broad campus module set.