Application form templates

Create and manage reusable application form field layouts in Settings so administrators can start new forms faster across application programs.

Application form templates are institution-wide field layouts stored in Settings. When an administrator creates a new application form inside an application program, they can select a template in the Create form sheet. Fuxam copies the template’s fields into a new draft form that they customize in the form builder.

Templates answer a common admissions operations problem: many programs reuse the same baseline questions — contact details, prior education, motivation statement, document uploads — but each intake still needs its own form with cohort assignments, deadlines, and publish state. Templates capture the shared skeleton once; each program form remains independent after creation.

Why it matters

Universities run parallel intakes — bachelor’s, master’s, continuing education, international tracks — that often share 70–80% of their questionnaire structure. Without templates, every new form starts empty and staff re-add the same fields manually, which slows setup and invites inconsistent labels or missing questions between programs.

Templates reduce that repetition at creation time. They are not live-linked to published forms: changing a template does not retroactively alter forms already built from it. That separation is intentional — published forms are versioned admissions records, while templates are starting blueprints for new drafts.

For questions that must stay synchronized across many live forms, use the question catalog in OrgHub instead. Templates and the catalog solve different reuse problems; both are documented below under Key concepts.

How it fits

Templates feed the Create form step. The question catalog feeds the builder after the form exists. Application programs provide the container; Apply portal settings is where template administration lives alongside portal enablement.

The OrgHub-facing workflow for choosing a template at form creation is also described in Form templates. This page focuses on the Settings administration side; that page focuses on the OrgHub usage path.

Key concepts

Term	Meaning
Application form template	A named field layout in Settings — question types, labels, and options saved as a reusable starting layout.
Template snapshot	Fields copied into a new form at creation; later template edits do not change existing forms.
Question catalog block	Reusable live section in OrgHub, synchronized across forms that enable the block.
Create form sheet	The dialog when adding a form to a program — includes optional Template dropdown.
Saved field layout	The questions, labels, and options stored in the template; same field types as the application form builder.

Reuse mechanism	Lives in	Updates existing forms?	Best for
Application form template	Settings	No — snapshot at creation	Standard intake layouts, new program setup
Question catalog	OrgHub	Yes — shared blocks stay in sync	Policy questions that must match everywhere
Duplicate existing form	OrgHub Create form sheet	N/A — copies another form	Cloning a prior intake’s full form

How to open templates in Settings

Go to Settings → Application form templates.

Browse or search the template table.

Viewing requires permission to view application programs. Creating, editing, or deleting templates requires permission to create, edit, or delete application programs as appropriate.

How to manage templates

Action	Steps
Create	Select Create template, name it, add fields, and save.
Edit	Select a template name to open the editor and adjust fields.
Duplicate	Use row actions to copy a template for a variant intake.
Delete	Remove unused templates. Existing forms are not affected.

Create a template

When building a new template, follow the same field types and structure you would use in the application form builder:

On the Application form templates page, select Create template.

Enter a Name and optional Description.

Add fields using the same field types as the application form builder.

Save the template.

Name templates clearly by intake type or audience — for example “Master default layout” or “International applicant baseline” — so form designers can find the right starting point in the Create form dropdown.

Edit, duplicate, and delete

Edit — Open a template by name, adjust fields, and save. Existing forms created from this template keep their copied fields unchanged.
Duplicate — Use row actions to copy a template when a variant intake needs a similar but separate baseline (e.g. a master’s template forked for a continuing-education track).
Delete — Remove templates no longer in use. Deletion does not affect application forms already created from the template.

What templates include and exclude

Templates store a saved layout of questions (types, labels, and options). They do not include:

Cohort assignments or eligible intakes
Submission deadlines
Publish state or visibility (Public vs internal)
Question catalog block enablement (configure in the builder after creation)
Program-specific integrations configured per form

Configure those settings on each form after applying a template — see Build an application form and Configure program settings.

How to use templates in OrgHub

When creating a form inside an application program, select a template in the Create form sheet. Fuxam copies the template fields into a new draft form you can customize in the form builder.

Open an application program from OrgHub → Management → Applications → Forms.

Select Create form in the toolbar.

Enter Title and optional Description, select Eligible cohorts, and optionally set Submission deadline.

Choose a Template from the dropdown before creating the form.

Select Create. Fuxam opens the form builder with the template fields pre-populated. Adjust cohorts, deadlines, catalog blocks, and custom fields as needed.

After customization, preview and publish the form so it appears on the Apply portal for the assigned cohorts.

Best practices

Align template scope with intake families — One template per broad form shape (undergraduate, graduate, short course) rather than one mega-template for every program.
Pair templates with the catalog — Put stable, policy-driven sections (data protection consent, document checklist) in the question catalog; use templates for the per-intake field ordering and program-specific custom fields.
Duplicate before major experiments — When testing a substantially different layout, duplicate an existing template rather than editing the production baseline in place.
Document naming conventions — Admissions teams with many templates rely on consistent names and optional descriptions so the Create form dropdown stays scannable.
Review after copy — Templates accelerate setup but do not replace program-specific checks: verify cohorts, deadlines, and required blocks before publishing.

Common pitfalls

Expecting live sync — Editing a template does not update forms already created from it. Update those forms in the builder, or use catalog blocks for synchronized content.
Confusing templates with the catalog — Templates are one-time snapshots; catalog blocks stay linked. Choosing the wrong reuse tool causes either stale forms or unnecessary re-work.
Omitting post-template configuration — A template does not assign cohorts or deadlines. Applicants will not see a form until you complete program-specific settings and publish.
Deleting the only baseline — Keep at least one template (or a duplicated variant) for your standard intake before removing older versions.

FAQ

Will editing a template change existing application forms?

No. Templates copy fields at form creation time. Existing forms retain their own field definitions until you edit them in the form builder.

Should I use a template or duplicate an existing form?

Use a template when starting a new intake shape from a standard baseline. Duplicate existing form in the Create form sheet when you want to clone a specific prior form — including settings beyond the raw field list — for a new cohort or year.

Can applicants see templates?

No. Templates are administrator-only resources in Settings. Applicants only see published application forms on the public portal.

What permissions do I need?

Viewing requires permission to view application programs. Creating, editing, and deleting require permission to create, edit, or delete application programs respectively.

Form templates

OrgHub workflow for choosing and applying templates when creating forms.

Build an application form

Customize a form after applying a template in the form builder.

Manage the question catalog

Shared question blocks synchronized across live forms.

Apply portal settings

Enable Apply and other institution-wide admissions configuration.