📚 Part of the series Application Building Phase II: The Slate-hosted Application

Application fee waivers can be an important part of making the admissions process more accessible. In Slate, fee waiver codes provided to applicants by the institution, can be collected directly within a Slate-hosted application using a free text field. This approach gives flexibility, allows for personalized outreach, and ensures that eligible applicants can easily redeem their fee waivers during the application process.

How the Fee Waiver Code Process Works

This process begins by creating a system field in Slate that contains a prompt list of valid waiver codes that you plan to distribute.

Next, you will place an unmapped free text field on the Slate-hosted application page and add the key of that system field. This allows applicants to manually enter their individualized waiver code during the application process.

When configured correctly, Slate will evaluate the applicant’s entry against the prompt list tied to the system field.

What Happens When a Student Enters a Code?

• If the applicant enters a waiver code that matches an existing prompt value:
  The value will automatically save to the system field as a prompt when the applicant clicks Continue or navigates to another page in the application.
  Case sensitivity is not enforced—as long as the entered value matches a prompt in the list, it will be recognized and saved.

• If the applicant enters a value that does not match an existing prompt:
  No value will be saved to the system field, and the fee waiver will not be applied.

Managing the Process

Many institutions include a qualifying question in the application, such as, “Do you have a fee waiver code?” The Fee Waiver field is then conditionally displayed based on the applicant’s response.

Using filter criteria, the Fee Waiver field is hidden when the applicant selects “No.” If the applicant selects “Yes,” the field dynamically displays, allowing the applicant to enter their waiver code.

Submission Requirements should also be configured so that if an applicant selects “Yes,” the Fee Waiver field is required before the application can be submitted. This ensures the field is completed whenever a waiver code is indicated.

Creating the fee waiver code prompts and field

To create the prompts:

1. Go to Database → Prompts.

2. Select New Prompt Key.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter Fee waiver code

   • Key: Enter a computer-friendly name, like waiver_code.

4. Select Save. You’re directed to the prompt key overview page.

5. Select New Prompt.

6. Enter a Value (a fee waiver code).

7. Select Save.

8. Repeat for as many fee waiver codes as you need.

*Select the force-refresh the cache link to make the prompts available for use immediately.

To create the field:

1. Go to Database → Fields.

2. Select New Field.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Scope Category: Records

   • Scope: Application

   • ID: app_fee_waiver or similar computer-friendly ID.

   • Name: Application Fee Waiver or similar

   • Field Type: Single Value

   • Prompt:

4. Create a single value application-scoped field.

5. Create a list of prompts and associate it with the field.

*Select the force-refresh the cache link to make the field available for use immediately.

Adding the field to an application page form

Once the field is created and available for use, add the field to a form.

1. Add a select list form field and use the System Field selector to select your waiver code field.

2. Copy the entire Export Key, including sys:.

3. Select Cancel on the field. Do not add this field to the form as a select list.

4. Now, select a text field.

5. Give the field a Label.

6. Do not map to a System Field.

7. Paste the Export Key previously copied into the Export Key setting.

8. Click Save.
   

This allows applicants to type in their provided Fee Waiver codes rather than searching through a prompt list and it will save the value to the same system field.