Track what platforms your applicants are using to submit their applications by creating a custom field to store their application type. You can use this data point in tandem with other data, such as Origin Sources, to identify subsets of applicants by application type, such as “stealth applicants.”

🤔 What’s a stealth applicant?

A stealth applicant is an applicant who enters your admission funnel for the first time via an application, as opposed to other recruitment efforts. Combine the “application type” field from this article with the Application Creation Origin Source to track stealth applicants by application type.

Create the field

See also: Custom Fields

To create a custom field to track application source:

1. Go to Database. Then select Prompts. 

2. Select Insert. Configure the following settings:

   • Key: Give this a computer-friendly, descriptive name like app_source.

   • Value: Enter one of your application sources. For example, Imported Application, Application Creation Form, or Standard Slate Application.

3. Select Save.

4. Repeat the previous two steps until you've created a prompt in your chosen key for each of your application sources. 

5. Go to Database, then select Fields. (Alternatively, follow the link in the right sidebar of the Prompts tool for Fields.) 

6. Select New Field. Configure the following settings:

   • Scope: Application

   • Name: Application Source

   • Field Type: Multiple Values

   • Prompt: Select the prompt key you created in Step 2 (e.g. app_source)

7. Select Save. 

Tie field to applications

To use the field you’ve just created, you’ll need to tie it and the appropriate prompt value to each of your application types.

• For imported applications, use a static mapping to set the field and prompt values.

• For applications created using the Slate application or an application creation form, use a hidden field or a rule. 

Use-case: stealth applicant reporting

With both an Application Creation origin source and an Application Type field configured, stealth applicants can be separated by application type in a query or report. In a query or report, combine the filters for Origin Source, Source Type: "Application Creation" and the Application Type with your desired types selected.

✨ Reminder

Origin Source calculations update overnight on all records in your Production database that have been updated in the past year. To reset Origin Source values for older records, run a Retroactive Refresh.