Overview
Applications are how students request housing for a specific housing cycle. This article teaches you what applications are, how they fit in the housing lifecycle, what the different application statuses mean, and how applications connect to profiles and residents.
What you'll learn: Where to start to build an application, what applications contain, the application lifecycle, what each status means and what happens next, how to view application details, and how application tags differ from profile tags.
Prerequisites: This article assumes you understand basic table navigation, filtering, and searching covered in PLS-1E: General UI Patterns and the list-to-detail pattern covered in PLS-1F.
What is an Application?
An application is a student's formal request for housing in a specific housing cycle (e.g., Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025).
Think of the progression:
- Profile = The person: John Smith exists in your system
- Application = Their request: John Smith applies for Fall 2024 housing
- Resident = Their assignment: John Smith is assigned to East Hall Room 201A
One profile can have multiple applications (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025). Each application is tied to exactly one housing cycle.
Where students are able to view applications in their view:
Where to start when building an Applications
First going to the left list of tables, going to Setup at the bottom > then to Forms
Next, in the upper right, going to New Form: at this stage you can pick "Create New Form" or "Duplicate Existing Form." If a brand new process or looking to start fresh, the New Form option would be best. If you are creating an Application for a common cycle, using the Duplicate Existing can be very helpful having information to start with, which you can then edit (i.e. when creating an application for Fall 2026, using the Fall 2025 form/application to start).
Building/editing the Application: Keeping in mind details in this PLS while going through.
Publish the Application -- it is very important to remember to check the Form Type is Application. It is encouraged to check while editing the form, near the top under Form Settings, having Type set to Application.
What Applications Contain
Each application includes:
- Student information: Name, email, student ID (pulled from profile)
- Cycle information: Which housing term they're applying for
- Application responses: Answers to form questions (preferences, roommate requests, special needs)
- Status: Where the application is in the review process
- Submission date: When the student submitted the application
- Application tags: Tags specific to this application (different from profile tags)
- Documents: Required contracts, forms, and signatures
- Roommate preferences: Requested roommates or preferred roommate attributes
Application Lifecycle
Applications move through several stages from submission to final decision:
- Draft: Student started but hasn't submitted yet
- Submitted / Under Review: Student submitted and awaiting admin review
- Approved: Admin approved the application; student is eligible for assignment
- Denied: Admin denied the application; student cannot be assigned
- Waitlisted: Application approved but no space available currently
- Withdrawn: Student cancelled their own application
- Converted to Resident: Student was assigned housing and became a resident
Application vs Resident: An application is a request for housing. A resident is an active housing assignment. Once you assign a room to an approved applicant, they become a resident and the application status changes to "Converted to Resident."
Application Statuses Explained
Submitted / Under Review
The student completed and submitted their application. It's now in your queue awaiting admin review and decision.
What you can do: Review the application, approve it, deny it, or mark it as waitlisted.
Approved
You reviewed the application and approved it. The student is now eligible for housing assignment.
What happens next: The student can participate in room selection (if self-selection is enabled) OR you can manually assign them a room OR they can be included in auto-assignment workflows.
Denied
You reviewed the application and denied it. The student is not eligible for housing.
What happens next: The student receives a notification that their application was denied. They cannot select rooms or be assigned housing unless you change the status back to Approved.
Waitlisted
The application is approved but you don't have space available right now. The student is in a holding queue.
What happens next: If space becomes available, you can change their status from Waitlisted to Approved and proceed with assignment.
Withdrawn
The student cancelled their own application through the resident portal.
What you can do: If this was a mistake, you can manually change the status back to Submitted or Approved.
Converted to Resident
The student was assigned housing and is now a resident. The application served its purpose and is now part of their historical record.
What you'll see: The application detail page shows the assigned room, bed, and residency start date.
Accessing Applications
Navigate to Applications from the main navigation sidebar. You'll see a table with columns for name, email, student ID, cycle, status, submission date, and tags.
Use standard table features to manage applications:
- Search: Find applications by student name, email, or ID
- Filter: Narrow by cycle, status, submission date, tags, or form responses (save common filters as views like "Fall 2024 - Awaiting Review")
- Export: Download filtered application lists including form responses
- Bulk actions: Approve/deny multiple applications, assign tags, or send messages
Common filters: "Fall 2024 + Status: Submitted" shows all applications awaiting your review. "Fall 2024 + Status: Approved" shows all students eligible for assignment.
Viewing Application Details
Click a student's name to open their application detail page with these tabs:
Overview Tab
Shows summary information:
- Student name, email, student ID
- Application status and submission date
- Housing cycle
- Quick actions: Approve, Deny, Assign Bed
Application Tab
Shows all form responses the student submitted:
- Roommate preferences (sleep schedule, study habits, etc.) - Tags from the Student Bio form
- Special requests or accommodations
- Building or room type preferences
- Any custom questions you added to the application form
Roommates Tab
Shows roommate information:
- Requested roommate names (if student specified roommates)
- Roommate group status (pending, confirmed, rejected)
- Roommate match score (if using AI matching)
Documents Tab
Shows required documents and signatures:
- Housing contract status (signed or pending)
- Code of conduct acknowledgment
- Any additional required forms
- Uploaded attachments (medical documentation, etc.)
Tags Tab
Shows all tags assigned to this application. You can add or remove application-specific tags as needed.
Activity Tab
Shows audit log of all changes to this application:
- When submitted
- Status changes (Submitted → Approved)
- Who made changes and when
- Edits to application responses
Understanding Application Tags vs Profile Tags
Tags can be assigned to both profiles and applications, but they serve different purposes:
- Profile Tags: Permanent labels about the student themselves (Athlete, International Student, Transfer Student). Profile tags persist across all housing cycles.
- Application Tags: Labels specific to this application for this housing cycle (First Choice: East Hall, Priority Assignment, Special Accommodation Approved). Application tags are cycle-specific.
Example: John Smith's profile has a tag "Student-Athlete" (permanent). His Fall 2024 application has a tag "Early Move-In Approved" (cycle-specific). His Spring 2025 application might have different application tags, but his profile tag stays the same.
When Applications Become Residents
An application becomes a resident when you assign housing:
- Student submits application → Status: "Submitted"
- Admin reviews and approves → Status: "Approved"
- Admin assigns a bed OR student self-selects a room → A new Resident record is created
- Application status changes to "Converted to Resident"
- The student now appears in the Residents section with an active housing assignment
Once converted, the application becomes part of the student's historical record. All future housing actions (check-in, room swaps, check-out) happen in the Residents section.
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: Bulk Reviewing Applications for Fall 2024
You need to review all new applications submitted for Fall 2024 housing.
Solution: Filter by Cycle: "Fall 2024" + Status: "Submitted" → Review each application → Select multiple applications with checkboxes → Bulk Actions → Approve All (or approve individually as needed).
Scenario 2: Finding All Students Ready for Assignment
You're ready to start assigning rooms and need to see who's eligible.
Solution: Filter by Cycle: "Fall 2024" + Status: "Approved" → Save this filter as a custom view: "Fall 2024 - Ready to Assign" → Use this view when manually assigning or running auto-assignment.
Scenario 3: Checking Roommate Request Status
A student calls asking about the status of their roommate request.
Solution: Search for the student's name → Click their application → View the Roommates tab → Check if their roommate request was confirmed, is still pending, or was rejected → Explain status to the student.
Scenario 4: Generating an Applications Report
Your director needs a report of all applications submitted in the last 30 days.
Solution: Filter by Submission Date: "Last 30 days" → Export to Excel → The export includes all form responses → Share with director.
What's Next
Continue your Product Learning Session 2 journey:
- PLS-2C: Understanding Residents—Learn what residents are, residency statuses, and how to track active housing assignments
- PLS-2D: Managing Inventory—Learn operational inventory tasks like blocking rooms and updating statuses
- Complete PLS-2: Product Learning Session 2: Managing Your Housing Data