In this section, you can add custom questions that are not included in the common sections of the application or that are specific to your school or program. These questions can be either required or optional for applicants.
Common question examples include:
You can also use these questions as reminders to ensure applicants fulfill your requirements. For example:
Before adding your custom questions, review your application to determine what questions you need to add. We also recommend reviewing any supplemental applications your school or program may use as these custom questions may eliminate the need for supplemental applications.
If your CAS offers Question Rules (e.g., rules allowing for questions that are only visible under certain circumstances, or questions with variable answer options), you can configure them after you create your questions.
Question Sets can be used to group questions together in a specific category (e.g., “Research Interests,” “Graduate Assistantship Questions,” etc.). You must create at least one Question Set to use the custom question functionality.
Once your question set is added, you can:
Once you create a Question Set, you can add questions to it. There are several question types you can choose from, depending on the format in which you expect applicants to answer each question.
Once your question is added, you can
Questions can be single or multiple answer.
After you add your answer values, you can reorder them by dragging and dropping or sorting alphabetically in ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) order.
When working with multiple choice questions, you can also create codes to pair with the answers. This can be done by enabling the Export Code option when creating a new question and entering your desired codes.
The Export Code feature may be useful for programs that need to import WebAdMIT data into another system. This option can be used to store internal codes along with (or instead of) the full text of the applicant's selected answer to a multiple choice question.
You can also choose to upload a .csv file containing the answers you'd like to offer applicants, rather than entering each value manually. To do this, select Upload CSV, and browse for the desired .csv file. You can also drag and drop the .csv file into the provided window.
To configure the .csv file, ensure that each answer value is entered into column A of your file. If desired, you can also enter corresponding Export Codes into column B. Be sure to save the file as a .csv.
You can also add expiration dates for answer values. Once the expiration date has passed, the answer value won’t be available to applicants. This is an optional feature, and if no expiration date is selected, the answer value is always available to applicants. Note that you can’t include expiration dates for every answer value; one answer value must always be available. Click the calendar icon then Clear to remove any expiration dates.
Expiration dates are based on the CAS time zone. For example, if all program deadlines expire at 11:59 PM PT, then the answer values also expire at 11:59 PM PT. You must also select expiration dates in the future.
Questions appear with a text box where applicants can type their response. You can set the maximum number of characters that applicants can enter. If you want the question to appear as a short, one-line answer, set the character limit to 50 characters. If you want applicants to enter a longer answer, set the character limit to 250 characters or more.
Questions appear with radio buttons where applicants can choose from two responses. After you add your answer values, you can reorder them by dragging and dropping.
A block of instructional text that you can insert to provide applicants with additional information. This is not an actual question so applicants will not be able to enter any responses. We recommend only using this option if you have a very specific use case.
Questions appear with a text box where applicants must enter their response in date format via a calendar picker.
Questions appear with a text box where applicants must enter a number. You can set whether decimal points are allowed, the maximum number of characters (not including any decimal points, if applicable), and to automatically format numbers over 999 with proper commas.
For some CASs, you can choose to configure program- or organization-level questions. If you choose program-level questions, then you can configure questions for each individual program. This is useful if you have specific questions geared toward certain programs (e.g., completing an essay for masters programs or naming an advisor for doctoral programs). If you choose organization-level questions, then you configure questions once and they are applied to all the programs you offer. This is useful if you gather the same information regardless of program, degree, or concentration (e.g., identifying legacy information).
You can configure your program-level questions following the steps above. To configure organization-level questions, follow the steps below. Note that editing organization-level questions is only possible when you have no active programs. Once a program is available in the application, applicants can complete both the organization- and program-level questions.
If desired, you can configure Question Rules for your organization-level questions. Once you've finished configuring your program- and organization-level questions, you can preview them. Note that the program- and organization-level questions have separate previewing options under Program Settings, though both types of questions appear under the Questions section in Program Materials.
When it comes to the number of questions you ask applicants, balance is important. Some programs have found that adding many questions may lead to a decrease in applications, as it requires more effort from applicants. Review your program questions and determine their importance in relation to your admissions process. Remove unnecessary questions that increase applicant effort to submit to your program.
Remember to update questions as necessary each cycle. If you ask any year-specific questions, make sure that your question and answer options are up-to-date.
If your program requires items that are optional on the core application, you can use the Questions area to prompt applicants to complete those items. For example, if your program requires three evaluations while the core application only requires two, you might ask, "We require a third evaluation. Have you submitted all three?"
Finally, if you have a required question that may not apply to all applicants, include an answer choice of “Not Applicable."
Review this checklist when creating your program questions:
All Question Types
Organization-level Questions
Program-level Questions
Question Rules
Poor Questions (duplicated questions from core application):
Good Questions (program-specific requirements):