Form templates

Manage reusable application form field layouts in Settings for faster form creation — and understand how templates differ from the question catalog.

Application form templates are institution-wide field layouts stored in Settings. When you create a new application form inside an application program, you can start from a template instead of an empty form builder — Fuxam pre-populates the new form with the template’s fields so you customize cohorts, deadlines, and catalog blocks rather than rebuilding common questions from scratch.

Templates solve a different problem than the question catalog. Templates give you a starting point at form creation; catalog blocks give you ongoing synchronization across live forms. Understanding both — and when to use each — is central to efficient admissions form management.

Why it matters

Every intake cycle, admissions teams create new forms: new cohorts, revised deadlines, occasionally new programs. Much of the field structure repeats — contact details, motivation letter prompts, document upload slots. Without templates, administrators rebuild identical layouts manually or duplicate old forms and strip unwanted configuration.

Templates standardize that starting layout institution-wide. A well-maintained template library means a new form begins with validated field types, sensible labels, and consistent section structure — reducing setup time and lowering the risk that one program’s form omits a field others include. Templates do not replace thoughtful form design: you still assign cohorts, enable catalog blocks, configure platform mapping, and preview before publish.

How it fits

Templates live in Settings, separate from OrgHub form management. At form creation, selecting a Template copies its fields into a new draft. After that, the form is independent — editing the template does not change existing forms. For content that must stay synchronized across forms, use the question catalog instead.

The portal settings page Application form templates documents the same feature from the Settings navigation perspective.

Key concepts

Comparison: templates and catalog blocks

Many institutions use both: a template for the baseline custom-field layout, plus catalog blocks for institution-wide sections like declarations or document checklists.

How to open form templates

Viewing templates requires permission to view application programs. Creating or editing templates requires permission to create or edit application programs.

How to create a template

Template fields support the same types as the form builder: Text, Email, Phone, Date, Long text, Number, Dropdown, Card selection, Radio, Checkbox, and File upload. Build the layout you want every new form of a given type to start with — you can always add program-specific fields after applying the template.

How to use a template when creating a form

After creation, the form is a normal draft in the form builder. Enable question catalog blocks, configure platform mapping, set required rules, and publish when ready. Template fields and catalog block fields coexist on the same form.

How to duplicate or delete templates

From the templates table row actions:

• Duplicate — copy a template as a starting point for a variant.
• Delete — remove a template. Existing forms created from the template are not affected.

Duplicating is useful when two programs need nearly identical starting layouts with small differences — copy, adjust, and save as a new template name.

Best practices

• Templates for structure, catalog for shared content — Put repeatable live sections in the catalog; put baseline custom-field skeletons in templates.
• Do not expect template edits to update existing forms — If a field label must change on all live forms, update catalog blocks or edit each form directly.
• Pair templates with program publish workflow — A templated form still needs cohort assignment, preview, form publish, and application program publish.
• Audit templates seasonally — Remove obsolete templates to keep the dropdown manageable for form creators.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming templates include catalog blocks — Templates copy custom fields only. Enable catalog blocks separately in the form builder.
• Choosing the wrong template at creation — Template selection happens in the Create form sheet. Changing the starting layout later means editing fields manually or creating a new form.
• Duplicating forms when a template would suffice — Duplicating an Existing form copies program-specific configuration (cohorts, deadlines, publish history context). Templates are cleaner for a fresh intake with the same field structure.

FAQ

Related pages