How to set up multiple reference types

Overview

Admissions+ now supports up to five reference form types per application form. This means you can request different types of references depending on what each applicant needs — for example, an Academic Reference for all applicants, plus a Boarding Reference only for those applying for a boarding place.

References are configured within a dedicated Reference step inside your application form settings.

Getting started

Navigate to:

Settings › Application Form › Reference step

This is where all your reference form types are managed. From here you can create new form types, edit existing ones, and control how each one is triggered.

The default form type

Every application form includes an Academic Reference by default. This form type can be edited and deactivated, but cannot be deleted. All existing references collected before any additional form types were added are automatically linked to the Academic Reference.

Note: If your school only uses a single reference type, your setup remains exactly as it was. No changes are required and your existing workflow is unaffected.

Creating a new form type

From the Reference step, click + New Form Type. The New Reference Form Type modal will appear. Complete the following fields:

Name (required)

Give the form type a clear, descriptive name that will help staff identify it — for example, Academic Reference, Boarding Reference, or SEND Reference.

Description

Optionally add a description to provide more context about when this reference type should be used. This is for internal reference only and is not shown to applicants or referees.

Trigger by Application Form Question

Toggle this on if you want the reference form to be requested only when an applicant gives a specific answer to a question earlier in the form. When enabled, two additional fields appear:

Select Question to Link — choose the application form question that should determine whether this reference is required. Only questions from steps that appear before the Reference step will be available to select.
Select Trigger Value — choose the specific answer that will trigger this reference form. The reference will only be requested when the applicant selects this value.

Leave the toggle off if this reference should be requested for all applicants by default.

Important: All application form questions will appear in the dropdown, but only questions from steps that appear before the Reference step will work as triggers. If you link to a question that appears after the Reference step, the applicant will not have answered it yet at that point in the form, and the trigger will not fire.

Form Settings

Configure how this reference form type behaves once it is in use:

Setting	What it does
Prevent referees from editing a submitted reference	Once a referee submits their reference, they will not be able to return and make changes.
Allow uploaded references	Referees can upload a document in place of completing the online form.
Allow resending reference request after completion	Permits a new reference request to be sent even after a reference has already been completed — for example, if an applicant resubmits their form.
Prevent any further references being submitted	Locks the reference form once a response has been received, preventing additional submissions. Can be manually turned on to enforce deadline.

Choose Icon

Select an icon to visually represent this reference type. The icon appears in the admin interface and on the applicant's References step, making it easier to distinguish between multiple reference types at a glance.

Once you have completed all fields, click Create to save the new form type. It will appear in the Reference step alongside any existing form types.

Tip: After creating a form type, visit How to edit questions on a reference form to customise the questions your referee will be asked to complete.

What the applicant sees

Applicants encounter a dedicated References step in their application form. This step shows only the reference types that apply to them based on their answers. They are asked to provide referee contact details for each required reference type before they can submit.

If a conditional trigger is activated by an earlier answer, the applicant sees an alert in that step notifying them that an additional reference will be required.

What admins see

On the Student Registration List/Table, applicants with multiple references show an aggregate status badge — for example, 2 of 3 or ⚠ 1 Failed — so you can see overall progress at a glance. Clicking the ↗ arrow on any row opens a Reference Status Panel showing each reference type individually with its own status and actions.

On the student profile, a dedicated References tab shows all reference types for that applicant, with expandable cards for each one containing referee details, completed Q&A, and a Download PDF option.

Turning off references for a form

If a particular application form does not require references at all, you have two options to remove it from view entirely:

Turn off the Reference step — in your application form settings, locate the Reference step and toggle it off. This removes the References step from the applicant's form journey so students will not be asked to provide referee details.
Hide the References tab from the student profile — in the application form steps list, find any phase that contains a Reference step and turn off the Visible on Student Profile toggle. This prevents the References tab from appearing on the student profile for applications under that form.

Note: Both options can be used independently. Turn off the step to stop collecting references from applicants, and turn off the Student Profile toggle to hide the References tab from admin view on the student profile.

Managing existing form types

From the Reference step you can edit, reorder, deactivate, or delete form types at any time. Deleting a form type does not affect references that have already been submitted — completed records are stored as PDFs at the point of submission and remain accessible from the student's References tab even if the form type is later removed.