Getting Started With Study Abroad: 4.3 - Decision Letters

Terra Dotta Software for Study Abroad allows administrators to customize the letters applicants will receive once a decision has been made regarding an application. Whether accepting, rejecting, or waitlisting an application, a customized decision letter can be created and deployed. In this lesson, we will customize the "Accepted" decision letter, which will be the default letter that all applicants will receive if they are accepted to study abroad. 

Watch the video and complete the steps below to customize this letter on your own site.

Customizing the Accepted Decision Letter

1. From the Navigation Menu of the Admin Console, locate your main search bar. Click on the icon displayed to make sure you are searching "Navigation". Then, type "notifications" in the search field. A navigation path to the Process > Notifications menu will appear. Click the arrow icon to be directed there.
   
   
2. Navigate into the 'Decision Letters' tab. 
   
   
   
   
3. Click the edit pencil next to Accepted.
   
   
   
4. Select the Salutation in the dropdown. 
   
   
   
   
5. For the 'Message Body' setting, choose one of the options (use the default, Terra Dotta-provided message, use a combination of default and custom, or use the custom text only). In this lesson, we chose the following option: 
   • Use only custom text below.
     
     
     
     
6. Populate the custom decision letter text in the WYSIWYG editor. Example of custom text:
   • Congratulations!

     You have been approved to study abroad for [app cycle] on the program you applied to: [program name]. Now that you have been approved, you have further steps to take and more information to provide to our office. Please continue forward to the next page, where additional items have appeared on your application.

     If you have any questions, please reach out to our office at oip@tdu.edu.
     
     
     

7. Replace the items in brackets (app cycle and program name) with content merge fields.
   
   
   
8. Set the email address as a hyperlink.
   
   
   
9. Select the Closing and assign the sender, which is typically the account name. 
   
   
   
   
10. Save the changes. 

Previewing the Decision Letter

1. First, ensure that the test application has a status of Pending. Then, change the status to Accepted.
   • This can be done via the Application Finder. For a review on these steps, please see Lesson 3.2 on Changing the Application Status.
     
     
     
2. Navigate to the Applicant Home via the menu in the top left .
   
   
   
   
3. Click into the application.
    
   
   
4. For a newly-accepted application, the decision letter should immediately appear in a pop-up upon clicking into the accepted application. If you have viewed the decision letter in the past, the letter may not appear at this point. In that case, click into the Program Info tab and click the eye icon to see the letter. 
   

The decision letter will look something like this: