Extended Profile

Overview

Some CASs include an Extended Profile page in the application. This typically appears in or directly after the Create an Account page. Applicants must select answers that then affect parts of the application from appearing or hiding. For example, if an applicant identifies as an international applicant in the Extended Profile page, then a Visa section appears in the application, asking the applicant to provide their Visa details. If the applicant identifies as a domestic applicant, then they do not see this Visa section. Extended Profile can also affect which programs applicants can view and apply to, as well as their application fees to those programs.

What parts of the application can the Extended Profile section affect?

The Extended Profile section can affect the following items:

Additional questions appearing in the Extended Profile page (e.g., Degree Credential question appears if an applicant indicates that they do not plan to take college coursework)
Sections appearing in Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information (e.g., Visa section for international applicants, Colleges Attended section for applicants with college coursework, Documents section for required document uploads, etc.)
Questions appearing in Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials (e.g., Visa type and number for international applicants, etc.)
Documents appearing in Supporting Information and Program Materials (e.g., Visa document upload for international applicants, etc.)
Programs appearing in the Add Program page (e.g., graduate programs only for applicants who earned an undergraduate degree, etc.)
Program fees (e.g., alternate fees for military applicants, etc.)
Program deadlines (e.g., extended deadline dates for military applicants, etc.)

Should I use Extended Profile?

It's important to note that your CAS may already be using Extended Profile. If so, applicants must follow the application behavior decided by the CAS for the Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information sections. For example, the CAS can decide to only show the Visa section to international applicants. Therefore, when you review applications, you may only see Visa data for international applicants, not domestic applicants. To learn if your CAS uses this feature, contact a member of your account team.

If your CAS uses Extended Profile, you can use these questions in your program configurations. Review Extended Profile in the Configuration Portal below for more guidance.

Opportunities with Extended Profile

The Extended Profile is a useful feature if you want to create a customized application experience for select groups of applicants. By having the ability to display only specific documents, programs, deadlines, or use specific fees for select groups of applicants, you can be sure that they complete and submit their application to your requirements. It also simplifies the application for applicants who are not included in that select group, as they will not see content that does not apply to them.

When deciding to use Extended Profile, it is important to ask several questions:

What types or groups of applicants are using this application?
If there are several groups, how do the applicant groups break down? For example, how many international applicants apply to your program versus domestic applicants?
Are there specific documents, programs, deadlines, or fees that should only be visible to or required for a specific group of applicants, or do those items apply to all applicants?

Obstacles with Extended Profile

In some instances, Extended Profile may not enhance the applicant workflow. If your program doesn't have many specific documents, programs, deadlines, or fees that should only be visible to or required for a specific group of applicants, then leaving them as part of your main program configurations may be a best practice.