Update General Application

Your General Application includes questions meant for all applicants, along with data from your user import.

Use the General Application to collect information relevant to all awards in your system (e.g., GPA, major, hometown, release of information, etc.).

For the vast majority of applicants, filling out the General Application will be their first action in your system.

From there, they'll be:

  1. Directed to fill out relevant conditional applications (if qualified and configured)

  2. Directed to fill out applications to relevant apply-to opportunities (if qualified)

  3. Automatically submitted as candidates for auto-match opportunities (if qualified)

Tip: To allow applicants to apply for an award without filling out a General Application, create a flexible application. For more details, see Set up flexible applications.

  1. Go to Opportunity, General Applications, Details.

  2. Fill out relevant information and select Update General Application.

  3. On the Questions tab, add questions applicable to all applicants

    • For more guidance on questions, see Add questions

    • For more on selecting the best type of questions for qualifications, see Qualification best practices

      Tip: For General Application questions that need to be updated every cycle (i.e., Major, GPA), select Clear Each Cyle.

  4. If you added questions or changed their order, select Update Questions.

  5. If you added new information to your applicant data import, go to Questions, Import Data.

  6. Add a new question for each new column in your applicant data import. For more guidance, see Add new user import data.

With certain subscriptions, you can add Calculated questions to your General Application.

Potential uses include calculating living expenses, total income, total need, etc.

These questions allow you to perform the following calculations between two number fields:

  • Add, subtract, multiply, and divide values

  • Compare values (>, =, <=)

  • Use if/then statements

To add a calculated question:

  1. Contact Blackbaud Support, including the following information:

    • Question text

    • Question audience (applicants or admins)

    • Reviewer visible?

    • Stewardship visible? (if your subscription includes Stewardship Management)

    • Your calculation formula

  2. After receiving confirmation from Support, go to Opportunity, General Applications, Questions.

  3. Add the question to your General Application.

  4. Select Update Questions.

Tip: For more guidance on Create Users Upon Import (CUUI) systems, search the Blackbaud Knowledgebase.