Application and onboarding forms let you collect information from learners using questions you design yourself. You build a form once, then use it in one of two ways:

• As an application form. Learners complete the form when they apply for a program. Your team reviews their answers before deciding whether to enrol them.
• As an onboarding form. Learners complete the form as part of a program's onboarding, after they've been enrolled.

This article explains why you might use each type of form and what learners see, then walks you through creating forms and adding them to your programs.

Why use application and onboarding forms

Application forms help you make sure the right people join the right program. They're useful when a program has eligibility requirements, limited places, or a cohort you want to shape carefully. With an application form, you can:

• Ask applicants about their role, experience and goals before they're enrolled
• Collect supporting documents, such as a resume or a letter of support
• Give every applicant the same questions, so applications can be compared fairly
• Enrol suitable applicants, or refer them to a program that's a better fit

Onboarding forms help your Program Team get to know learners before the program starts. You might use one to ask about accessibility needs, current role, team size or what learners hope to get out of the program. Your team can then plan sessions, coaching and support around the people in the room.

Both types of form are reusable. You can link one form to as many programs as you like, so you only need to write your questions once. If you turn on prefilling for an onboarding form, learners who've completed the same form on another program don't need to answer the questions again from scratch.

What learners see

Application forms

When a program requires an application, learners apply from the program's enrolment page instead of enrolling straight away. They complete your application form and submit it for review.

Depending on how you set up the form, learners see all of your questions on one page, or work through them one at a time. If you've asked for a LinkedIn URL, it appears above your questions and is filled in from the learner's profile when they have one.

If a learner starts an application but doesn't submit it, Academy can remind them before applications close. Once your team makes a decision, the learner receives an email letting them know the outcome.

Onboarding forms

Onboarding is the series of pages learners work through when they first start a program. When you add a form to a program's onboarding, its questions appear on the More About You page. Learners answer the questions, then select Continue to move to the next onboarding page.
 

Required questions must be answered before learners can continue. Optional questions are marked (Optional) next to the question title.

Where to find your forms

You manage all of your forms in one place. Navigate to Program Admin in the main left navigation menu, then select Application & Onboarding Forms under Open Enrolment Admin.

The list shows every form on your platform. For each form you can see its status (Draft, Active or Archived), whether it's used for an Application or for Onboarding, and how many programs it's linked to. Use Search by Name or the filter button to find a specific form.

How to create a form

New forms are built in three steps: Settings, Questions and an optional Preview. The steps are listed down the left side of the form so you can move between them at any time.

1. Select Add Form in the top right of the forms list.
2. Enter a Form Title. This is the name you'll see when linking the form to a program.
3. Choose an Application Question Display option. This controls how questions appear to learners:
   1. All At Once shows every question on a single page. This suits short forms, as learners can scan everything and move between questions freely.
   2. One By One (Next Button Only) shows one question at a time. Learners can't go back to earlier questions once they continue.
   3. One By One (Next and Back Buttons) shows one question at a time, and lets learners go back to review or change their answers. This suits longer forms.
4. If you'd like to add custom codes for internal reporting, turn on Enable Codes.
5. Select Save & Continue to move to the Questions step.
    

You can select Save as a Draft & Exit at any point to save your progress and return to the form later.

Tip: Forms can be linked to as many programs as you like. Where possible, write questions that work across similar programs or cohorts. A reusable form saves time, keeps the learner experience consistent and makes future updates easier.
 

How to add questions to a form

1. On the Questions step, select Add Question.
2. Choose a Question Type. The available types are:
   • Single Line – a short text field for brief answers, such as a job title or ID.
   • Open Ended – a larger text area for detailed answers, such as goals or reflections.
   • Single Answer – learners choose one option from a list.
   • Multiple Choice – learners can choose more than one option from a list.
   • Likert Scale – a rating scale, such as strongly disagree to strongly agree. You can also turn on Enable 'Not Applicable' to give learners an N/A option.
   • File Upload – learners upload a document or file. You can choose which file types are allowed (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, mp4, mp3 or Image) and how many files learners can upload, up to 5.
3. Enter a Question Title. This appears above the question and can be up to 50 characters.
4. Enter the Question Prompt. This is the question learners answer.
5. Add Instructions if learners need extra guidance. This is optional.
6. Questions are required by default. If you'd like the question to be optional, turn off Required.
7. For Single Answer, Multiple Choice and Likert Scale questions, select Question on the left of the panel and enter your options. Select Add Option to add more.
8. Select Save, then select Done to return to your form.

Your questions appear as a list on the Questions step. Each question shows whether it's required and its question type.

To change the order of your questions, drag them using the handle on the right of each question. To edit, duplicate or remove a question, select the three dots next to it.

How to preview and activate a form

Before learners can see your form, you need to activate it. Only Active forms can be linked to programs.

1. Select Preview in the left side of the form. You'll see the form as learners will see it.
2. Check your questions and the display layout. Anything you enter in the preview isn't saved or included in reporting.
3. Select Save & Activate.

You can also select Activate under the form's status on the left side of the form at any time.

How to duplicate or archive a form

You can manage any form from the forms list. Select the three dots next to the form's name to see the available actions:

• Edit opens the form.
• Preview shows the form as learners will see it.
• Duplicate creates a copy of the form. This is a quick way to create a new form based on an existing one.
• Archive removes an active form from use. Archived forms no longer appear when linking forms to programs.
• Delete permanently removes a draft form. This option only appears for forms that haven't been activated.

How to use a form as an application form

Application forms are used with application programs, where people apply to join a program and your team reviews their application before enrolling them.

First, set the program up as an application program:

1. Open the program and select Edit.
2. Select Details & Settings in the left menu.
3. On the Details tab, under Delivery & Access, set Application Program – Learners Must Apply First to Yes.

This adds an Application page to the program's left menu. On the Key Dates tab, Last Enrolment Date becomes Application Close Date. Setting this date lets Academy remind applicants about applications they've started but not submitted.

Next, choose the form and set up how applications are managed:

1. Select Application in the program's left menu.
2. Choose your form from the Application Form drop-down. Only active forms appear in the list. Select Preview to check the questions.
3. Turn on Ask Applicants for a LinkedIn URL if you'd like applicants to share their LinkedIn profile. Turn on Make It Required if they must provide one. The LinkedIn field appears above the form's questions and is filled in from the applicant's profile when they have one.
4. Under Editing Pending Applications, choose who can change an application after it's been submitted but before a decision is made: Applicants, Reviewers, or both.
5. Under Application Management and Notifications, check who can manage applications for the program. To choose who's notified about new applications, select the three dots next to a person and select Enable On Each Application Notifications or Enable Daily Summary Notifications.

• Note the roles that have permission to manage/process applications. In the Platform Role, this can be set to:
  • Manage ALL applications
  • Manage ONLY applications for programs where the user has the Program Coordinator role.

Manage Applications

The Application Inbox is available in the Program Delivery area to any user who has permission to manage applications for at least one program. You can view and process submitted Applications here. 

You can also access submitted applications in the Program itself, in Deliver view - Manage Cohorts - Applications. Here, you can also take action on applications and run reports.

Process Applications

To process an application, click the three-dot menu and ‘Open Application’ to open the details screen.

To take action on an application, click the three-dot menu next to the Applicant's name and select Take Action; you will then be taken to the Application page. Here you can see the applicant's responses, data about the Application, a Summary of any previous learning the Applicant has completed on the platform, any Notes which have been left by other Program Team Members, an Activity Log, and you can choose how you would like to proceed regarding this Application submission:

• Approve & Enrol Applicant - Applicant is enrolled in the program and cohort they applied for
• Withdraw on Behalf of the Applicant - Withdraws the application, usually an action taken at the request of the applicant, who can also withdraw themselves if they wish to do so
• Refer Applicant to Another Program - Rejects the application, but allows you to edit an email suggesting another program they may be more suitable for
• Unsuccessful Application - Notify the applicant their application has been unsuccessful, with no further actions

How to add a form to a program's onboarding

You add onboarding forms in the program's onboarding settings, on the More About You page.

1. Open the program and select Edit.
2. Select Onboarding in the left menu, then select More About You.
3. Make sure the More About You toggle is turned on. If it's off, learners won't see this page.
4. Update the page title and add an introduction in the text editor if you'd like.
5. Choose your form from the Enrolment Form drop-down. Only active forms appear in the list.
6. Turn on Prefill Form if Previously Completed if you'd like to save learners time. When a learner has already completed the same form on another program, their previous answers are filled in for them.

To check what learners will see, select Let's Get Started in the onboarding menu and open the preview. You can step through each onboarding page as a learner would.

How to edit a form that's in use

You can edit an active form at any time. When a form is linked to programs, you'll see a message at the top of the Settings step showing how many programs use it. Select View the list of linked programs here to see which programs they are.

Any changes you make to a linked form apply to every program that uses it. If you need a different version for one program, duplicate the form and link the copy instead.

Some editing restrictions apply to questions that are already in use. This keeps the form consistent for everyone completing it, so applications and responses can be compared fairly. If you can't edit or delete a question, you can archive it instead.

Common questions

Why can't I see my form in the Enrolment Form drop-down? Only active forms appear. Open the form and activate it, then try again.

What happens if I switch a program to a different application form? The new form applies to new applications. Applications that have already been started keep the questions from the original form.

Can I link one form to more than one program? Yes. You can link a form to as many programs as you like. The Program applications and Onboarding programs columns in the forms list show how many programs use each form.

What does prefilling do the first time a learner completes a form? Nothing. Prefilling uses a learner's answers from the last time they completed the same form on another program. If they haven't completed it before, the form starts empty.

Will learners see the question title or the question prompt? Both. The question title appears as a small heading above the prompt.