Important Note: This article discusses classic functionality. For information on the modern applicant experience, refer to the Applicant Experience Knowledgebase article.
Overview
Scholarship programs can be implemented as a part of the program catalog allowing applicants to complete requirements and forms for specific scholarships in tandem with other applications on the same site. These programs function with the same style of interface and process elements as the other program types, but with a few distinct properties.
To utilize the scholarship program type, it must be downloaded and checked as active within Programs > Program Types.
A scholarship program is created and configured in the same manner as the other program types:
- Go to Programs > Create New
- Provide the name of the scholarship, and select the 'Scholarship' program type
- You will want to leave the scholarship program as inactive at this time
- Go to the 'terms' tab of the program builder and assign the terms for which applicants will apply for the scholarship
- Go to the 'brochure' tab of the program builder and develop the program brochure page to describe the scholarship for potential applicants.
- Note: As the software does not programatically 'restrict' potential applicants, you will likely want to make the eligibility requirements clear in the program brochure's content.
- Go to the 'dates' tab of the program builder and create program date records for the app cycles that will properly reflect the application deadline and decision date of the scholarship application process. There are usually a bit different than what is assigned to the app cycle defaults since those are made with travel-related program applications in mind.
- Program parameters usually don't need to be assigned to scholarships, but if there are program parameters that you have built with scholarship assignment in mind, the values can be assigned to the program in the same manner that they are assigned to other program types.
Your scholarship program is now properly configured, but it is not yet ready to be made active since the application process for the program has not yet been developed. You will go to Process > Questionnaires/Materials for this part of the implementation.
Scholarship questionnaires and materials are kept separate from the Outgoing/Incoming process elements. They have their own tab at the top of the listings, but they are created and deployed in the same manner. Just like the other program types, scholarship applications go through the phases of pre-decision and post-decision, and if start/end dates are implemented, abroad and returnee. However, in most cases, you will not desire to implement start/end dates for scholarship program date records.
After the process elements have been created (and assigned to the app cycle process maps appropriately), then the scholarship program can be made 'active' through the program builder's 'General' tab. This will make the brochure page of the scholarship public, the site visitors will be able to find it through the program search, and they can create their applications for this scholarship program.
Note: The decision-process for scholarship applications is identical to the process for outgoing/incoming applications, however, most institutions won't desire to use the 'accepted/committed' statuses for the scholarship applications. The most common practice is to create a status alias for 'committed' called 'awarded' for scholarship applications.
The distinct differences between scholarship programs and outgoing/incoming programs are:
- A scholarship program does not require a location to be assigned the way that the outgoing/incoming programs do.
- A scholarship application does not count toward the 'max # of apps allowed per app cycle' restriction for applicants (Example: If you only allow 1 application for applicant per cycle, they can apply to an outgoing program AND a scholarship program in the same app cycle).
- Scholarship applications are filtered out of the advanced application search results by default (similar to the way that risk management applications are). The option to search the scholarship program applications appears in the 'Show:' criteria of the advanced application search.