Frequently asked questions about ‘Build PGI Application Forms’
Build PGI Application Forms
Q/ What is ‘Build PGI Application Forms’?
A/ ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ is a facility to allow departments to create and publish their own postgraduateinstructional application form for applicants to apply online.
Q/Who does this in the department?
A/Departments need to nominate a member of staff to be the Application Form Builder. This is done by contacting Student Experience Systems team who will grant access to the facility via a link‘Build PGI Application Forms’. This link will appear in Pegasus under the Administration tab / PGI Application Group banner.
Q/ What does a ‘PGI Application Form Builder’ actually do?
A/Very basically the application form builder puts together an Application Form by:-
- -accessing the link
- -using templates already provided for them to create the Application Form
- –optionally they may add sections and questions to the Form that are not part of the original template
- –optionally they may also incorporate other functionalities e.g., Key Features, Programme conditions, Reference Forms & Checklists etc.
- -attaching programmes to the Application Form
- -attaching people to the programmes and giving them a range of Actions( tasks) and Responsibilities / Roles
- -consequently setting people up with access to *‘PG Management’ through these Actions and Responsibilities / Roles to manage online applications.
- -publishing the Application Form for applicants to apply online.
- -liaising with the web team to ensure the ‘Apply’ link for their programme will appear on the department web page.
- -maintaining the Application Form after publication adding / removing staff / programmes/ questions etc.
*PG Management is a facility to allow departments to manage postgraduate instructional applications online. This link will appear under Pegasus/Administration tab/admissions banner.
NB: Departments must notify Student Experience Systems team if the Application Form Builder is being replaced and nominate someone else to be set up with access to this facility. Departments will be given assistance from Student Experience Systems team to create or amend any Application Form. ______
Key Features
Q/What are Key Features?
A/From the ‘Overview’ page in ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ the department can opt to set up ‘Key Features’ when building the application form. Key features may consist of any of the information provided in the personal or programme details of an application form. For example, name qualifications, nationality, gender , funding etc. They can also consist of questions the department has added to the application form themselves. These ‘Key Features’ are located on the ‘Key Features / Recommend’ tab within ‘PG Management’. The purpose of key features is to assist the department selector / administrator when reviewing the applicant’s details in ‘PG Management’, helping them to see at a glance any information they consider to be key in making a decision on an application on the one page without having to search for it on different tabs sections (tabs).
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Associated Programmes of Study
Q/Why do we need to associate programmes when building the application form?
A/When applicants apply they will do so via a web ‘Apply’ link located on the departments own web page. These ‘Apply’ links are connected to a programme code which in turn is connected to the departments ‘Application Form’ via ‘Build PGI Application Form’ / ‘Associated Programmes of Study’.
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Web Apply Links
Q/The ‘Apply’ links do not appear on our department’s website?
A//Applicants apply via ‘Apply’ links located on the departments website. If they do not appear check the following:-
- Is the Programme(s) attached to your ‘Application Form’? This is done via ‘Build PGI Application Form’ on Pegasus. The person responsible for publishing your department’s application form has access to this link.
- If the programme(s) is new, and it has been approved and a programme code created via Admissions. Departments must attach the new programmes via ‘Build PGI Application Form’, it does not happen automatically.
- If the programme(s) you want to attach doesn’t appear in ‘Build PGI Application Forms’, contact Admissions or Student Experience Systems team who will make it available to the Form Builder to attach.
NB: When in the context of the link ‘Associated Programmes of Study’ within ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ the first page is a summary of the programmes already associated to your Form. Click on the button ‘Associate programme / year to application Form’ to see any new or existing programmes you may want to attach.
- If the programme(s) is attached to your ‘Application Form’ then there may be a problem with the Calendar associated with it. For example, some modular courses accept applicants throughout a current session even after the Session has started. These programmes need to be entered into a special group to make them available after the session start date. Contact Admissions or Student Experience Systems team who will make the programme(s) available.
Programmes that have been added to the group for current session starts and new programmes should pass across to the T4 system overnight and the ‘Apply’ buttons should appear on your web pages the next day. If the links do not appear, you will have to contact the- , for assistance.
Q/We don’t want applicants to apply online all through the year – just at certain times. Can we switch the link off?
A/You can opt to remove the ‘Apply’ link from your departments web page by ‘hiding it’, i.e., locating it on another page within your web site that is not ‘live’.
If you have previously agreed with the web team to have your programme listed on the University’s ‘Postgraduate Course and Programmes List’ your prospective applicants will still be able to find your programme, however, when they click on the link to go to your web page for that programme the ‘Apply’ link will not be there because you have removed it.
You could have information on the page explaining the dates for applying etc., and when you want the ‘Apply link to be available again you simply relocate your ‘Apply’ link back to the appropriate web page.
Q/We deal with certain agents or recruiters and we only want to receive online applicants from them. Is this possible?
A/ Yes there are two ways you can do this:-
- You can give your agent or recruiter your web address with the ‘Apply’ link. They in turn pass this on to applicants they have vetted for you etc.
If you have previously agreed with the web team to have your programme listed on the University’s ‘Postgraduate Course and Programmes List’ then prospective applicantswill still be able to find your programme, however, when they click on the link to go to your web page for that programme the ‘Apply’ link will not be there. You can put information on that page to explain the application procedure via the agent or recruiter etc.
2.You can opt to set your Department up as an Agent. For example, some Departments deal with local authorities or companies directly and all their applicants are known and vetted beforehand.
The local authority or company pass on the details of the prospective applicants to the Department. The Department then enter the applicants’ details onto the system via the University’s online Agency Portal. To access the online Agency Portal the Department must contact Student Experience Systems team who will grant them access by providing them with a username and password specifically for the Agency Portal.
Once on the system the applicants become available to the Department as applicants’ via ‘PG Management’ to manage their applications and release to Admissions etc.
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Reference Form
Q/ There is an option for‘Reference Form’ in ‘Build PGI Application Forms’. How does it work?
A/From the ‘Overview’ page in ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ the department can opt to set up an online ‘Reference Form’as part of the online ‘Application Form’. This allows the department to request and review references online within ‘PG Management’ instead of receiving them through the post or by email.
The ‘Reference Form’ template is based upon the University’s standard postgraduate reference form, however, it is possible to customise the template with the assistance of Student Experience Systems team.
It works by using referee information, provided by the applicant, notably the referee’s email address as well as other details. As long as the department has opted to include the ‘Reference Form’ as part of their online ‘Application Form’ and the applicant has provided a current email address for the referee when applying the department can manage the references online via a ‘References’ tab in ‘PG Management’.
The ‘Reference Form’ is optional and departments do not need to include it. If departments don’t include it applicants will still be required to submit referee details via the ‘Application Form’. The department will still be able to pick up these details viathe ‘References’ tab within ‘PG Management’, however, they will not be able to request references.
Q/My department don’t need to use References and so I have not included them in the ‘Build’. However, when I preview the ‘Application Form’, from the menu bar under ‘Programme Information’ the ‘Reference’ section is showing and there is a red cross beside it indicating that applicants must complete that section of the form in order to submit their application. Can I change this?
A/Yes, it is possible to change the red cross to a question mark to let the applicant pass by that section on the ‘Application Form’. However, you cannot remove the ‘Reference’ section under ‘Programme Information’ completely.
You should contact Student Experience Systems team who will advise you how to amend your ‘Application Form’.
NB: For more detailed information regarding working with online references please go to, ‘Frequently Asked questions about ‘PG Management’ on the Student Experience Systems web page.
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Programme Management Actions
Q/What are Programme Management Actions?
A/These are a range of Actions (tasks), Roles and Responsibilities within ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ which are granted to staff members. This then allows them to access the facility, ‘PG Management’ via a link of the same name, which in turn, allows them to receive and manage online postgraduate instructional applications.
You MUST have been set up with at least one Action/Role/Responsibility to get the link to ‘PG Management’. If you don’t have the link to ‘PG Management’ and you have been asked to manage online postgraduate instructional applications you must speak to the person who was responsible for publishing the department’s PGI Application Form.
NB: There is another link ‘Role and Responsibility Maintenance’ that allows departments to set staff up with the above Actions and Responsibilities etc., in order to access ‘PG Management’. This can be requested via Pegasus, Request Pegasus Services. You can get this link even if you are not the department’s Application Form Builder. You cannot use this link to create and publish PGI application forms.
Q/What kind of responsibilities /roles and actions are there?
A/ Responsibilities /Roles are linked to Actions associated with managing postgraduate instructional applications online and are controlled by the department’s ‘Application Form Builder’.
Actions are as follows:-
- –Communicate
- -View only (applications)
- -Applicant can initiate communications
- -Reject
- -Make offer inc.add / amend conditions
- -Tick off conditions
- -Recommend decision
- -Request online references
- -Review online references
These Actions are then paired with a choice of Responsibilities or Roles e.g.,’ PGI Selector’, ‘Can Request References’etc. Roles and Responsibilities can be picked at programme level or Organisation level determining the individual’s level of privilege and range of access within ‘PG Management’.
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Programme Checklists
Q/What are Programme Checklists?
A/From the ‘Overview’ page within ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ departments can opt to attach a checklist to individual programmes associated to their online ‘Application Form’. For example, you could add a check of, ‘Have you uploaded your qualifications?’, ‘Have you uploaded a copy of your passport?’, etc. These checklists feed through to the applicant’s view of the published ‘Application Form’ and when they are ready to submit they will be presented with the checklist.
NB: It is advised to use terminology appropriate for an online application environment, e.g., ‘upload’ etc., if you want to encourage the applicant to provide you with all of the information online and not via post etc.
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Programme Conditions
Q/What are Programme Conditions?
A/From the ‘Overview’ page within ‘Build PGI Application Forms’ departments can opt to attach default conditions/notes to individual programmes associated to their ‘Application Form’ by choosing ‘Programme Conditions’. This allows the department to set up as many default conditions/notes as they wish against a particular programme. These default conditions/notes feed through to ‘PG Management’ and when the department’s PGI Selector /Administrator is ready to make an offer they can simply select from a list of default conditions/notes they have already set up instead of having to enter them each time against individual applicants.