What are Program Settings?

Program settings

Program settings is where Admins create terms, add deadline and other term information like cost and credits, and associate applications and forms for Travelers to fill out. After an Admin fills out the program content they can then fill out the program settings section of the brochure. 

Within program settings, there are no fields required to publish the brochure, however, there are several fields required to allow Travelers to successfully start applications. (Remember, programs must be in the Published state in order to be visible to Travelers and Visitors) In addition, term start date and end date are factored into Via‘s proprietary Program Matching algorithm and used to determine Tracking Step for Committed applications.

Program settings includes the following fields (*indicates a field required to allow travelers to successfully start applications and **indicates a field that is never visible to travelers):

• Term name
• Start date*
• End date*
• Show exact dates
• Tag(s)**
• Application Template*
• Application deadline date & time*
• Decision release timeline
• Ask travelers for alternates?
• Form Template(s)
• Form deadline date(s)
• Minimum credits
• Maximum credits
• Currency code
• Minimum cost
• Maximum cost
• Cost information
• Program administrator(s)**
• Program contact
• Admin-only Program notes**
• Admin-only Program documents**
• Publish status
• Allow authorization by other institutions**
• Archive the program**

Visitor link

A link that Admins can share with non-account users to view the program brochure. This link can be shared with anyone, prospective students, parents, faculty, staff, etc. 

Duplicate as a new draft

Clicking this link makes a draft copy of the program.

Edit program content

Clicking this link returns admins to edit program content.

Term name

A dropdown field that allows Admins to add a term name to a term for Travelers to view, search, and filter programs. Only one term name can be selected per term. Term names are created in settings by Admins with permission.

Start date*

A date field that allows Admins to choose a start date of a term. In order for Travelers to successfully start an application to a program term, a future start date as well as a future end date must be selected (and an application template must be attached). The start date can be edited after it’s been saved, however, we recommend editing with caution as changing dates can have negative implications on historic data.

End date*

A date field that allows Admins to choose an end date of a term. In order for Travelers to successfully start an application to a program term, a future end date as well as a future start date must be selected (and an application template must be attached). The end date can be edited after it’s been saved, however, we recommend editing with caution as changing dates can have negative implications on historic data.

Show exact dates

The slider that allows Admins to display exact dates of a term. If show exact dates slider is on for a term:

• Travelers will see the term in the following format: August 20, 2022 - December 16, 2022
• Via will use the exact start and end dates of a term to move Travelers with Committed application status from the Pre-Departure tracking step to the On-site tracking step to the Alumni tracking step
• example – if a term is August 20, 2023 – December 16, 2023 and show exact dates is turned on, the traveler will move to the On-Site tracking step on August 20, 2023, and will move to the Alumni tracking step on December 17, 2023

If show exact dates slider is off for a term:

• Travelers will see the term in the following format: August 2023 - December 2023
• Via will use the first day of the start date month to move travelers from the Pre-Departure tracking step to the On-site tracking step (rather than the exact start date)
• Via will use the next date after the last day of the end month to move travelers from the On-site tracking step to the Alumni tracking step (rather than the exact end date)
• example – if a term is August 20, 2023 – December 16, 2023 and show exact dates is turned OFF, the Traveler will move to the On-site tracking step on August 1, 2023, and will move to the Alumni tracking step on January 1, 2023
  
  

In instances such as with bilateral exchanges where program dates are not released until soon before the program actually starts, our recommendation is to estimate the dates and have show exact dates turned off; then, as soon as the concrete program dates are released, head back to program settings to update the dates and turn show exact dates on.

Tag/s

The multi-select field that allows Admins to choose one or more tags relevant to a term. There is no limit on the amount of tags that can be added per term. Tags are only visible to Admins and are used to filter for programs and/ to curate a basket of options to use for program alternates. Tags are created in settings by Admins with permission.

Application template

A single-select dropdown field that allows Admins to associate one published application template with a program term. Only one application template can be selected per term.

Application deadline date & time

A combination of a date field and a time picker that allows Admins to select when an application is due. Application deadline dates & times prevent Travelers from starting new applications or submitting previously created applications.

Decision release timeline

A combination of a date field and a time picker that allows Admins to select when Travelers are notified when their application status is changed to a protected status. Once a decision release timeline date & time passes, decisions are released - application status notifications are sent and Travelers see the 'new' status of their application. Click here for more info on Decision Release Timeline.

Ask Travelers for alternates?

Alternates must be turned on for the account in settings in order for Admins to set up program alternates in program settings. In program settings, there is a slider that Admins can enable to ask Travelers for alternates for that program term. If the slider is turned on, Admins can then choose to offer either the entire program portfolio of future terms, or, a specific subset of programs and terms for Travelers to choose from. Alternates allow Travelers to:

• Indicate interest in other programs
• Specify the order of their interest
• Provide Admins with other program options in case their desired program/term is at full capacity, is very competitive, gets cancelled, and/or they don’t meet the program’s eligibility requirements

Alternates allow Admins to:

• Collect more user-generated data from Travelers
• Identify alternate preference trends
• Be able to, upon reviewing the original application, place Travelers in other programs based on capacity and/or eligibility

Form template/s

A multi-select field that allows Admins to associate one or more published form templates with a specific form deadline. There is no limit to the amount of form templates that can be associated with a program term. An Admin can select the desired form template/s and choose a deadline, then, if there are other form templates that would require a different deadline, the Admin can simply add that group separately.

A form template can be deleted from a term at any time, however, by deleting a form template, all copies of the form will be removed from all historic and current Travelers’ profiles, and, all associated form data on started, submitted, and accepted forms will be deleted and not recoverable for that term. We recommend removing form templates from program terms with caution.

Form deadline(s)

A date field that allows Admins to select the date a form is due. Form deadlines do not prevent travelers from editing or submitting their forms.

Minimum credits

An open text field where Admins can add the minimum amount of credits, if desired. If no content is added to this field, ‘please inquire’ will be displayed for that field on the program brochure for Travelers, Admins, and Visitors.

Maximum credits

An open text field where Admins can add the maximum amount of credits if desired. If no content is added to this field, ‘please inquire’ will be displayed for that field on the program brochure for Travelers, Admins, and Visitors.

Currency code

A dropdown field where Admins can select the currency code relevant to the program cost, if desired. If Admins don’t intend to add a minimum or maximum cost, it’s recommended that currency code not be selected.

Minimum cost

An open text field where Admins can add the minimum amount cost, if desired. If no content is added to this field, ‘please inquire’ will be displayed for that field on the program brochure for Travelers, Admins, and Visitors.

Maximum cost

An open text field where Admins can add the maximum cost, if desired. If no content is added to this field, ‘please inquire’ will be displayed for that field on the program brochure for Travelers, Admins, and Visitors.

Cost information

An open text field where Admins can add additional cost information, if desired. If no content is added to this field, ‘There are no additional cost notes' will be displayed for that field on the program brochure for Travelers, Admins, and Visitors.

Program administrator(s)**

A program administrator is an Admin user in Via. Program administrators are not displayed on the program brochure and do not receive any program-specific mailers. There is no limit to the amount of program administrators that can be assigned on a program brochure.

Being a program administrator as an Occasional User allows the Occasional User to see all Travelers who have favorited or applied that particular program; if an Occasional User is not assigned as a program administrator on any programs, they will not be able to see any Travelers or associated program data. 

Program contact

A program contact is an Admin user in Via that is displayed on the program brochure as the point of contact. Only one program contact can be selected per program. The program contact receives all mailers connected to that program including when:

• An application is started
• An application status changes
• A Traveler requests to apply
• A Traveler asks a question

Admin-Only Program notes**

The open text field that allows Admins to add admin-only notes relevant to the program. Neither Travelers nor Visitors can see program notes. Program notes are only available to Admins with permission.

Admin-Only Program documents**

A field where Admins can upload documents that are only visible to Admins with permission. Neither Travelers nor Visitors can see program documents added in program settings.

Publish status

The slider that allows Admins to publish the program brochure. Keep in mind that, in order to publish a program brochure, all required content must be filled out.

Allow authorization by other institutions

The slider that allows Admins to make the program available publicly to other organizations. If the slider displays ‘allowed,’ any organization with a Via Global license can authorize it into their account. If the slider does not display ‘allowed,’ the program brochure is unavailable to be authorized by other organizations.

Archive the program

The action that allows Admins to archive the program brochure. Once a program is archived, it cannot be unarchived or published ever again – archive with caution.