Overview
In this module, you'll configure the application phase—how students apply to your housing cycle and how applications connect to the broader housing process.
What you'll learn:
How to set application phase dates
How to assign YOUR application form (from PLS-5)
How to assign YOUR ruleset (from PLS-4)
How to configure auto-accept settings and application limits
Time: 10 minutes
Prerequisites Check: Before configuring this tab, ensure you've completed PLS-5 homework (application form published) and PLS-4 homework (ruleset created). You'll need these components ready to assign to your cycle.
The Application Settings Tab
The Application Settings tab controls how students apply to your housing cycle. This is where you connect the application form you built in PLS-5 and the ruleset you created in PLS-4 to organize applications, roommate matching, and room assignments within this cycle.
Navigation: In the cycle editor, click the Application Settings tab.
Application Phase Dates
Application phase dates define the activity window when students can submit housing applications. Remember: these are phase dates (activity windows), not residence dates (the housing period).
Application Phase Start Date (Required)
Field: Application Phase Begin Date
This is when the application window opens and students can begin submitting applications.
What happens on this date:
Students see "Apply for Housing" button in their portal
The application form becomes accessible
Students can begin filling out and submitting applications
Timing considerations:
Typically 4-6 months before the residence period starts
Example: March 1, 2025 application phase for August 15, 2025 residence start
Coordinate with academic calendar (avoid finals, breaks)
Allow sufficient time for application review before the next phase begins
Active Cycle Trigger: When this date passes, your cycle becomes ACTIVE and most configuration locks. Only set dates in the past when you're ready for your cycle to go live and you've verified all settings are correct.
Application Phase End Date (Required)
Field: Application Phase End Date
This is when the application window closes and students can no longer submit new applications.
What happens on this date:
The "Apply for Housing" button disappears from student portals
Students who haven't submitted cannot start new applications
Students with in-progress applications may lose access
Best practices:
Set 2-4 weeks before the next phase opens (allows time for review and approval)
Example: April 15, 2025 application close if roommate or room selection opens May 1, 2025
Communicate the deadline clearly to students multiple times
Consider building in buffer time for late submissions or exceptions
Buffer Time Matters: Allow at least 5-7 days between application close and the next phase (roommate or room selection). This gives you time to review applications, resolve issues, and ensure students are properly approved before they can proceed.
Assigning Your Application Form
Field: Application Form
This is where you assign the application form you built in PLS-5 to your cycle. The form becomes the data collection tool for this specific housing period.
Selecting Your Form
Click the Application Form dropdown
You'll see a list of all published application forms
Select the form you created in PLS-5
Example: "Fall 2025 Housing Application"
What this means for students:
When students click "Apply for Housing," they'll complete the form you selected
All questions, sections, and conditional logic from your form will appear
Form responses save to their application record within this cycle
Form Must Be Published: Only published forms appear in the dropdown. If you don't see your form, navigate to Admin › Setup › Forms and verify it's published, not in draft status.
Can I Change the Form Later?
Only if the cycle is not yet active. Once any phase starts, the application form locks and cannot be changed.
Why this locks: Changing forms after students have submitted would create data inconsistencies. Students who submitted using the old form would have different questions and answers than those submitting the new form, making data comparison and reporting unreliable.
Planning Tip: Finalize and test your application form thoroughly in PLS-5 before assigning it to your cycle. Test all conditional logic, required fields, and tag assignments to ensure the form works exactly as intended before students begin applying.
Assigning Your Ruleset (Resident Cycles Only)
Field: Ruleset
This is where you assign the ruleset you created in PLS-4. Rulesets define the matching logic and assignment rules that power roommate compatibility and room visibility throughout your cycle.
What Rulesets Control
The ruleset assigned to your cycle determines:
Roommate compatibility: How students are matched based on questionnaire responses and preferences
Auto-assignment logic: Which students can be automatically assigned to which rooms
Room visibility: Which inventory appears to students during room selection
Hard rules: Must-match requirements that cannot be violated (e.g., gender identity must match)
Soft rules: Preferences that improve match quality but can be overridden (e.g., sleep schedule should match)
Selecting Your Ruleset
Click the Ruleset dropdown
Select the ruleset you created in PLS-4
Example: "Fall 2025 First-Year Matching Rules"
Required for Resident Cycles: You cannot save a resident cycle without selecting a ruleset. If you see a validation error when trying to save, verify you've selected a ruleset in this field.
Non-Resident Cycles: The Ruleset field does NOT appear in non-resident cycles. Non-resident cycles don't involve room assignment or roommate matching, so matching logic isn't needed.
Can I Change the Ruleset Later?
Only before the cycle becomes active. Once any phase starts, the ruleset locks.
Impact of changing rulesets: If you change rulesets before running auto-assignment, you'll get different matching results based on the new rules. If you change the ruleset after assignments are already made, existing assignments remain unchanged—only future assignments use the new ruleset.
Auto-Accept Applications
Toggle: Auto Accept Applications
This setting controls whether applications are automatically approved upon submission or require manual admin review.
When Enabled (Auto-Accept ON)
Behavior:
Student submits application
System immediately changes status from "Under Review" to "Approved"
Student can immediately proceed to next phases (roommate selection, room selection)
No admin intervention needed
Use when:
All students who meet applicability tags should automatically qualify for housing
You don't need to manually review applications for eligibility or completeness
You want a streamlined, fast process for students
Housing is guaranteed for all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria
When Disabled (Auto-Accept OFF)
Behavior:
Student submits application
Application status remains "Under Review"
Admin must manually approve each application before students can proceed
Students wait for approval before accessing roommate or room selection phases
Use when:
You need to review applications for completeness or eligibility
Limited housing availability requires selective approval
You verify special accommodations or requirements manually
Institutional policy requires human review of housing requests
Best Practice: Most institutions disable auto-accept to maintain quality control. Even if housing is guaranteed, manual review catches incomplete applications, verifies special accommodation needs, and ensures data quality before students proceed to the next phase.
Application Limits and Restrictions
Max Submitted Applicants
Field: Max Submitted Applicants
This setting limits how many times a single student can submit applications to this cycle.
Common values:
1: Students can only submit one application (most common)
2-3: Allow resubmission if students need to update information
Unlimited: No restriction on application submissions
Use case for allowing multiple applications:
Students can update information if circumstances change during the application window
Correction workflows where students resubmit with fixes after initial review
Testing environments where multiple submissions help verify workflows
Most common setting: 1 - Students submit once, then contact housing staff directly if changes are needed.
Max Reselection Attempts
Field: Max Reselection Attempts
Controls how many times students can change their room selection after initially selecting a room.
Common values:
0: No reselection allowed (students are locked to their first choice)
1-3: Limited changes allowed during the selection window
Unlimited: Students can change selections freely during the active selection phase
When to restrict reselection:
Prevent students from "room hopping" and creating assignment instability
Reduce administrative overhead from frequent changes
Encourage thoughtful, intentional decision-making during room selection
When to allow reselection:
Build student confidence by allowing room changes during the selection period
Accommodate changing roommate groups or preferences
Provide flexibility during the initial selection window
Max Reselection in Days
Field: Max Reselection in Days
Sets a time window during which reselection is allowed after the initial room selection.
Example:
Student selects a room on April 20
Max reselection in days: 7
Student can change rooms until April 27
After April 27, the selection locks even if the selection phase is still open
Use when: You want to allow changes immediately after initial selection but lock choices as move-in approaches, providing stability for planning and logistics.
Reselection Strategy: Many institutions allow 2-3 reselection attempts within the first 7-14 days of the selection phase. This balances student flexibility with operational stability as move-in approaches.
Saving Your Application Settings
After configuring the Application Settings tab:
Verify form is assigned: Confirm your application form appears in the dropdown
Verify ruleset is assigned (resident cycles only): Confirm your ruleset is selected
Review phase dates: Ensure application phase dates align with your overall cycle timeline
Review auto-accept setting: Confirm it matches your institutional review process
Click "Save" or navigate to the next tab
Application Phase Complete: Students can now apply to your housing cycle using the form you built. The ruleset you assigned will power roommate matching and room visibility. Next, you'll configure how students find and form roommate groups.
Key Takeaways
Application Settings connects your form and ruleset to organize applications within the cycle
Application phase dates define the activity window when students can submit applications
Phase dates occur months before the residence period begins
Your application form (from PLS-5) must be published before it appears in the dropdown
Resident cycles REQUIRE a ruleset to power matching and assignment logic
Non-resident cycles do NOT have a ruleset field (no room assignment or matching)
Auto-accept immediately approves applications; most institutions leave this OFF for quality control
Reselection limits control how many times students can change room selections
Application form and ruleset lock when the cycle becomes active
Common Questions
I don't see my application form in the dropdown. Why?
Forms must be published to appear in the dropdown. Navigate to Admin › Setup › Forms, find your form, and verify its status is "Published" (not "Draft"). If it's in draft status, publish it first, then return to your cycle configuration.
What happens if I enable auto-accept?
Every student who submits an application is immediately approved without admin review. They can proceed to roommate selection and room selection right away. Use this carefully—once auto-approved, you cannot easily reject applications without manual intervention.
Can I change the application form after students have submitted?
No. Once the cycle is active, the form locks. Changing forms mid-process would create data inconsistencies between students who submitted different versions. Finalize your form in PLS-5 before assigning it to your cycle.
What's the difference between application phase dates and residence dates?
Application phase dates define the activity window when students can submit applications (typically March-April). Residence dates define the housing period when students actually live on campus (typically August-May). Phase dates occur months before the residence period begins.
Do I need different rulesets for different cycles?
Not necessarily. You can reuse the same ruleset across multiple cycles if the matching logic and assignment rules are the same. However, if first-years have different rules than upperclassmen (e.g., different hard rules or inventory visibility), create separate rulesets and assign them to the appropriate cycles.
What if I set the application start date to the past?
Your cycle immediately becomes active when you save. All configuration locks except phase dates and release dates. Only set dates in the past when you're ready to launch and all settings are finalized and tested.
Can students apply to multiple cycles at the same time?
Yes, if they meet the applicability tag requirements for multiple cycles. However, use applicability and exclusion tags carefully to ensure students only see cycles relevant to them (e.g., first-years shouldn't see upperclassmen cycles).
What's Next: PLS-6C
Now that you've configured how students apply for housing, you're ready to set up how they find and form roommate groups.
In PLS-6C: Roommate Phase Configuration, you'll learn:
How to assign your bio/questionnaire form
How to set roommate group size limits
How to create roommate phases with dates and applicability