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Getting Started with Enrollment Applications

September 9, 2025

By Corey Johnson

Enrollment ApplicationsTraining

The Enrollment Applications module lets your school collect, track, and process student applications end-to-end. This guide covers three foundations: 1) what the module is and how it fits into your workflow, 2) how to configure application settings, and 3) how to navigate the Dashboard, Application Forms, and Settings.

1) Overview: How Enrollment Applications fits your workflow

What you can do

  • Publish application forms for each school year (and registration windows such as Earlybird vs Standard).
  • Collect submissions online; each applicant’s status is tracked (Open, Submitted, Accepted, Rejected).
  • Communicate automatically with built-in email templates (invites, acceptances, rejections).
  • Handle fees & payments with flexible processing options (ACH, card, Apple/Google Pay, or offline).

Typical lifecycle

  1. Set up global settings (email templates, fees, accepted payment methods).
  2. Create a form for the new school year; set pricing windows and who pays fees.
  3. Share the form link with families (website, email, social, etc.).
  4. Monitor submissions on the Dashboard; filter by year or status.
  5. Review & decide (accept/reject or request more info); send emails as needed.
  6. Move accepted students forward to enrollment/tuition processes.

Role notes

  • Admins/Owners: own settings, fees, and templates; publish forms.
  • Registrars/Office Staff: monitor dashboard, review applications, update statuses, communicate with families.

2) Application Settings (global configuration)

Where: Enrollment Applications → Settings
(See screenshot: “Application Settings” — email templates, processing fees, accepted payment methods.)

Application Settings apply across all your application forms unless otherwise noted.

A. Email Settings

You’ll find three tabs:

  • Application Invite – used when inviting someone to apply.
  • Acceptance Email – used when admitting the student.
  • Rejection Email – used when declining an application.

Each template includes:

  • Merge fields (chips) you can insert into the subject/body, such as:
    • Student First Name, Student Last Name, Recipient First Name, Recipient Last Name,
      Organization Name, Organization Email, Application School Year
  • Subject – the email subject line.
  • Body – the full message sent to families (rich text).

Recommended setup flow

  1. Click a template tab (e.g., Application Invite).
  2. Click merge-field chips to insert personalization tokens where needed.
  3. Write a concise Subject (e.g., “You are invited to apply”).
  4. Write a friendly, action-oriented Body.
  5. Click Save template.
  6. Repeat for Acceptance and Rejection.

Example copy (you can adapt)

  • Acceptance Subject: Your application for {{Application School Year}} has been accepted
  • Acceptance Body (opening lines):
    Hi {{Recipient First Name}}, We’re thrilled to let you know that {{Student First Name}} has been accepted for the {{Application School Year}}. Please review the next steps below to complete enrollment.

Tips

  • Keep subjects under ~60 characters for better open rates.
  • Use at least one merge field in the greeting for a personal touch.
  • Save after editing each template tab (look for Save template).

B. Processing Fees

Control who pays the transaction costs and platform application fee.

  • Charge users Stripe processing fees (toggle)

    • On: processing fees are passed through to applicants.
    • Off: the school absorbs processing fees.

  • Applicants pay the $25 platform application fee (toggle)

    • On: the $25 platform fee is added to the applicant’s total.
    • Off: the school absorbs the platform fee.

Important These toggles apply to all applications (global). If you change them mid-season, your “Charged to applicant” totals on forms will update accordingly.

C. Accepted payment methods

Select which methods families can use when paying application fees:

  • ACH Bank Transfer (shows estimated fee, e.g., 0.8% up to $5)
  • Credit Card (shows typical card fee)
  • ApplePay / GooglePay (inherits card rails/fees)
  • Cash / Check / Other (offline option paid directly to your school)

Prerequisite for online methods If your school accepts online payments, ensure your payments setup (e.g., Stripe) is connected at the organization level. If not connected, use Cash / Check / Other until setup is complete.

3) Navigation Tips

There are three tabs inside Enrollment Applications. Each serves a distinct purpose.

A. Dashboard

(See screenshot: “Dashboard” — year filter, status chips, empty state.)

  • Filter by application type/year (dropdown): choose the school year you want to view (e.g., 2025 School Year).
  • Status chips:
    • All / Open / Submitted / Accepted / Rejected — each shows a count.
  • Application list:
    • Click an application to view details (appears in the right pane).
    • Empty state appears until you have forms and submissions.

Daily workflow on the Dashboard

  1. Choose the correct school year.
  2. Click a status chip (e.g., Submitted) to triage new items.
  3. Select an application to review and update its status.

Tip
Use the Dashboard for day-to-day monitoring (counts, quick filters, and drill-down).

B. Application Forms

(See screenshot: “Application forms” — Accepting applications toggle, pricing windows, share link.)

Each Form Card typically includes:

  • Accepting applications? (toggle) – quickly open/close the form.
  • Description – indicates the school year.
  • Pricing windows – e.g., Earlybird and Standard Registration tabs, each with:
    • Price active from (date range)
    • Base Fee (the fee you set)
    • Platform fee paid by (Applicant or School; pulled from global settings)
    • Processing fee paid by (Applicant or School; pulled from global settings)
    • Charged to applicant (what the family pays, inclusive of fees, based on your settings)
    • Net (what the school nets after applicable fees)
  • Share – a direct application URL + Copy URL button to distribute.

Set up a form (typical flow)

  1. Confirm Application Settings are correct (fees, emails, payment methods).
  2. Open Application Forms and select the school year form.
  3. Configure pricing windows (e.g., Earlybird dates & Base Fee).
  4. Verify “Charged to applicant” and “Net” reflect your fee policy.
  5. Turn Accepting applications On when you’re ready to go live.
  6. Use Copy URL to share the link on your website and emails.

Notes

  • The Charged to applicant amount is dynamic and reflects your global Processing fees toggles and the Base Fee for the active window.
  • If you later change fee responsibilities in Settings, the numbers on this card update.

C. Settings (recap)

(See screenshot: “Application Settings” — email templates, global fee toggles, payment methods.)

  • Use Settings whenever you need to adjust templates or who pays fees.
  • Changes here affect all application forms and future submissions.

First-time setup checklist

  • [ ] Verify school year form exists in Application Forms.
  • [ ] In Settings → Email settings, edit and Save each template (Invite, Acceptance, Rejection).
  • [ ] In Settings → Processing fees, choose who pays Stripe fees and the platform application fee.
  • [ ] In Settings → Accepted payment methods, select ACH/card/Apple/Google Pay and/or Cash/Check.
  • [ ] In Application Forms, set pricing windows (Earlybird/Standard) with dates and Base Fee.
  • [ ] Confirm Charged to applicant and Net look correct.
  • [ ] Toggle Accepting applications? to On.
  • [ ] Copy URL and publish the link on your site or send invites.

Examples

Example 1 — Earlybird window

  • Base Fee: $80.00
  • Processing fee: Applicant pays
  • Platform application fee: Applicant pays
  • Result (example shown on card):
    • Charged to applicant: calculated total (e.g., $107.62 as shown)
    • Net: $80.00 (school receives the base amount)

Example 2 — School absorbs fees

  • Base Fee: $80.00
  • Processing fee: School pays
  • Platform application fee: School pays
  • Result:
    • Charged to applicant ≈ $80.00
    • Net ≈ $80.00 – fees (school nets less than $80 due to fees)

Interpretation
“Charged to applicant” is the family’s checkout total. “Net” is the school’s after-fee amount for that transaction.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Our “Charged to applicant” doesn’t match what we expected.
A: Check Settings → Processing fees. If you changed who pays fees, totals update immediately. Also confirm which pricing window (Earlybird/Standard) is active.

Q: Families say the link doesn’t work.
A: Make sure Accepting applications? is toggled On for that school year and that you’re sharing the current URL from the Share section.

Q: We don’t see card/Apple/Google Pay at checkout.
A: Verify your payments setup is connected at the organization level and that those methods are enabled under Accepted payment methods.

Q: Our emails look generic. How do we personalize them?
A: In Settings → Email settings, insert merge-field chips (e.g., Recipient First Name, Student First Name) into the Subject/Body, then Save template.

Q: What’s the difference between Dashboard and Application Forms?
A: Dashboard is for monitoring & reviewing applications by status. Application Forms is for building and configuring the application itself (fees, dates, share link).

Next step

Proceed to Building Application Forms for a complete walkthrough of form creation, required fields/sections, and sharing best practices.

👉 Building Application Forms »