Configure Question Rules

Question Visibility

The Question Visibility rule allows you to hide specific questions until an applicant enters an answer and/or meets specified conditions. You create conditions for a Trigger Question that display additional questions, known as Affected Questions, based on the applicant’s answers.

For example, if “Other” is an answer option for a “How did you hear about us?” question (Trigger Question), you can set a secondary question of “If Other, please explain” (Affected Question) to appear when an applicant selects “Other.”

To configure question visibility:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule.
3. Select Question Visibility from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Select the Affected Question or Question Block. This is the Question or Question Block that you want to hide until an applicant answers a separate Trigger Question. Question Blocks appear in bold text and Questions are listed under the Question Block they belong to. Use the Search bar to quickly locate a specific Question or Question block.
   
   
6. Next, select Any or All from the operator drop-down. If you select Any, the Affected Question appears once the applicant meets any of the conditions you specify. If you select All, the Affected Question appears once the applicant meets all the specified conditions.
7. Select your Trigger Question from the drop-down. This is the question that the applicant must answer to show the Affected Question. All configured questions with selectable answers are available.
   
   
8. Then, select your answer option from the next drop-down. This answer will trigger the display of the Affected Question.
   
   
9. Click Add Condition to continue adding conditions, as needed.
10. Click Save.

Once saved, the rule appears on the Question Rules page and can be edited or deleted, as needed.

Conditional Answer Options

The Conditional Answer Options rule allows you to display different answer options based on an applicant’s answer to a program-specific question. In other words, you can “link” questions together so that an applicant’s answer to Question 1 (Linked Question) changes the answer options that appear for Question 2 (Affected Question).

For example, you want to ask applicants “What is your Major?” (Linked Question). You want the answer options to the subsequent question, “What is your Concentration?” (Affected Question) to change based on the applicant’s answer to Question 1. So, if an applicant selects “Biology” for the Linked Question, the options for the Affected Question will be “Microbiology,” “Cellular Biology,” etc., and if an applicant selects “Chemistry” for the Linked Question, the options for the Affected Question will be “Inorganic Chemistry,” “Organic Chemistry,” etc.

Note that Linked and Affected questions must be part of the same Question Block.

To configure conditional answer options:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule.
3. Select Conditional Answer Options from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Select the Affected Question. This is the question whose answer options will change based on the answer to a separate Linked Question.
6. Select the Linked Question. This is the question that will be answered first and will change the answer options of the Affected Question selected in the previous step.
   
   
7. Next, create Conditional Answer Sets for both the Linked Question and the Affected Question. Select the answer option for the Linked Question on the left that will change the answer options available for the Affected Question on the right. You can use the search field and batch check/uncheck all features when selecting answer options.
   
   
8. Click Add Answer Set to add more answer sets, as needed.
9. Click Save. Once saved, the rule appears on the Rules Overview page and can be edited or deleted, as needed.

Change Deadline

The Change Deadline rule allows you to create multiple deadlines per program and display the correct deadline based on an applicant’s answer to a program-specific or Extended Profile question (if available in the CAS). This allows you to create fewer programs in the Configuration Portal while still giving you the flexibility to establish different deadline dates. For example, one program can be created with different deadlines based on an applicant’s answer to a citizenship or military status question.

To configure change deadlines:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule. 
3. Select Change Deadline from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Select if you're building a program-specific rule (i.e., Create Program Rule) or an organization-level rule (i.e., Organization Shared Rule). If you select Organization Shared Rule, then you can select which programs you want to apply it for. By default, all programs will be selected, and you can remove any that you don’t want the rule to apply to.
6. Click Continue.
7. Under Name, enter a name for the deadline that only you and your program see (e.g., US applicant deadline).
8. Under Conditions, select the alternate deadline and how it displays to applicants in the Applicant Portal from the drop-down (e.g., deadline date, an earlier date, or as Rolling).
9. Select if you want the alternate deadline to occur based on any or all of the conditions you establish. 
10. When establishing the question triggers, select the appropriate question group. You can choose whether the applicable question is a program-level, organization-level, or Extended Profile (if available in the CAS) question from the first drop-down.
11. In the second drop-down, select the question.
12. In the third drop-down, select the answer that changes the deadline for the applicant.
13. Click Add Condition to add additional question triggers for this alternate deadline.
    
    
14. Click Save.

Continue adding alternate deadlines. Once completed, reorder your deadline rules into highest to lowest priority. If an applicant selects answers that qualify them for multiple deadlines, then the deadline that you select as highest priority displays.

1. From the Rules Builder page, click Prioritize Deadline Order.
   
   
2. Click and drag the deadline rules into your preferred order.
3. Click Save.

Change Fee

The Change Fee rule allows you to configure alternate program fees based upon an applicant’s response to a program-specific or Extended Profile question (if available in the CAS). For example, you can choose to offer an adjusted fee if an applicant selects Yes to your program question "Are you a Military Dependent?"

To configure an adjusted fee:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule. 
3. Select Change Fee from the Select a Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Enter a name for your alternate fee.
   
   
6. Enter the amount of the alternate fee in the Change fee to field.
7. When establishing the questions that are linked to your alternate fee, select the appropriate question group. You can choose whether the applicable question is a program-level, organization-level, or Extended Profile (if available in the CAS) question from the first drop-down.
8. From the second drop-down, select the applicable question, and from the third drop-down select the response that qualifies the applicant for an alternate fee.
9. To add more conditions, click Add Condition. If you've added several conditions, remember to select ANY or ALL from the drop-down above.
10. Click SAVE.

Your alternate fees can be reviewed from the program home page.

Fee Waiver Qualification

The Fee Waiver Qualification rule allows you to configure an automatic program fee waiver based upon an applicant’s response to a program-level question. For example, you can choose to grant a fee waiver if an applicant selects Yes to your program question "Are you a US Veteran?"

Note that you can have only one Fee Waiver Qualification rule per program.

To configure a fee waiver qualification:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule. 
3. Select Fee Waiver Qualification from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. In the first drop-down, select the question. Then in the second drop-down, select the answer that qualifies the applicant for an automatic fee waiver.
   
   
6. Click Add Condition to continue adding conditions, as needed. You can add as many questions and answers that qualify the applicant for a fee waiver. If you add multiple conditions, note that fee waivers are awarded if any of the conditions are met.
7. Click Save. Once saved, the rule appears on the Rules Overview page and can be edited or deleted, as needed.

Program Availability

The Program Availability rule allows you to choose to show or hide your programs based on an applicant’s response to a program-specific or Extended Profile question (if available in the CAS). For example, you can choose to only display a program if an applicant selects International to an Extended Profile citizenship question. By default, programs will display to all applicants unless a program has an availability question rule associated with it.

To configure program availability:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule. 
3. Select Program Availability from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Select if you're building a program-specific rule (i.e., Create Program Rule) or an organization-level rule (i.e., Organization Shared Rule). If you select Organization Shared Rule, then you can select which programs you want to apply it for. By default, all programs will be selected, and you can remove any that you don’t want the rule to apply to.
6. Click Continue.
7. Under Name, enter a name for the program availability only you and your program see (e.g., International Applicants program).
8. Under Conditions, select if the program will or will not be available based on the conditions you establish.
9. Select if you want the program availability to occur based on any or all of the conditions you establish. 
10. When establishing the question triggers, select the appropriate question group. You can choose whether the applicable question is a program-level, organization-level, or Extended Profile (if available in the CAS) question from the first drop-down.
11. In the second drop-down, select the question.
12. In the third drop-down, select the answer that changes the program availability for the applicant.
13. Click Add Condition to add additional question triggers for this program availability.
    
    
14. Click Continue.
15. Enter an explanation for why a program may be removed from the applicant's application if they change their response to the triggered question. For example, if the applicant changes their citizenship status from International to US Citizen, this program is automatically removed from their application.
    
    
16. Click Save. Once saved, the rule appears on the Rules Overview page and can be edited or deleted, as needed.

Show Document

The Show Document rule allows you to choose to request or require a document upload based on an applicant’s response to a program-specific or Extended Profile question (if available in the CAS). For example, you can request that applicants upload a Shadowing Hours document type if they report in a program question that they completed more than 10 hours of shadowing experience.

When a program configures Documents, all document types display for applicants. However, if this question rule is activated for a document type, the document type will be hidden until the applicant’s answer matches the question rule’s configurations.

To configure document visibility:

1. Click Rules Builder under Settings.
2. Click Add Rule. 
3. Select Show Document from the Rule Type drop-down.
   
   
4. Click Continue.
5. Under Name, enter a name for the document visibility only you and your program see (e.g., Shadowing Hours).
6. Under Conditions, select the document type you are requesting or requiring.
7. Select if you want the document visibility to occur based on any or all of the conditions you establish. 
8. When establishing the question triggers, select the appropriate question group. You can choose whether the applicable question is a program-level, organization-level, or Extended Profile (if available in the CAS) question from the first drop-down.
9. In the second drop-down, select the question.
10. In the third drop-down, select the answer that changes the document visibility for the applicant.
11. Click Add Condition to add additional question triggers for this document visibility.
    
    
12. Click Save. Once saved, the rule appears on the Rules Overview page and can be edited or deleted, as needed.