The New Application wizard
Start an application, find your way around its tabs, and understand exactly when your work is saved.
The New Application wizard is where every application is built. It is one long form split into tabs, so you can work through it a section at a time, save as you go, and come back later.
Starting an application
- Open Applications in the sidebar.
- Select the New Application button at the top of the page.
- The wizard opens with the title New Application, on the Personal Details tab.
Once the application has been saved for the first time, the title changes to Edit Application. The draft now appears in the Applications list with the status Draft. To come back to it later, find it in the list and select Edit.
If you open an application that has already been submitted, the title is View Application. Everything is greyed out, because submitted applications can't be changed.
Finding your way around
The tabs
Across the top is a row of tabs, one for each part of the application:
| Tab | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Personal Details | Domestic or international, names, date of birth, agent, contact details and addresses |
| AVETMISS | The government reporting details: demographics, schooling, employment, and the USI |
| CRICOS | Passport, visa, welfare, health cover, English and previous study. Only shown for international students. |
| Additional Info | Disability, and qualifications the student already holds |
| Enrollment | Which programs, at which campus, from when, and the student's study plan |
| Payment | The payment plan for each program, deposits and custom plans |
| Documents | The applicant's files |
The tab you are on is highlighted. Previous and Next, at the bottom of the page, move you one tab back or forward.
The buttons in the top right
- Cancel takes you back to the Applications list. It does not save anything.
- Save Draft saves everything you've entered so far, complete or not.
- Submit Application appears only once the application is complete. See Submitting.
The readiness bar
Just under the tabs is Submission readiness. It counts what is still missing and lets you jump straight to each item. It has its own page: Submission readiness.
How saving works
This is the part people most often get wrong, so it is worth reading carefully.
Changing tabs saves for you
When you move to another tab, by clicking a tab or using Previous or Next, XPortal saves the draft first, then moves you. You'll see a Saving draft… message, then Draft saved.
If the save fails, XPortal keeps you on the tab you were on, so nothing is lost. Read the message, fix the problem, and try again.
Save Draft saves any time
Save Draft saves the application as it is, even if it is half finished. A draft doesn't have to be complete or correct to be saved. Save often, especially before a break or a phone call.
Cancel does not save
Cancel leaves immediately. Anything you typed on the current tab since the last save is lost, and XPortal doesn't warn you. If you want to keep your work, select Save Draft first.
Some things need a saved draft
A few features only work once the application has been saved at least once, because they attach something to it:
| Feature | What happens if the draft isn't saved |
|---|---|
| Uploading documents | The upload area says Save draft to enable uploads. |
| Verifying a USI | XPortal saves the draft for you first. |
| Setting funding codes or adjusting dates in the study plan | The controls say Save draft first before editing. |
| Creating deposit invoices | XPortal saves the draft for you when you open the window. |
When someone else changed the draft
If two people have the same draft open and one of them saves, the other person's next save is refused with Draft changed elsewhere and Reload the page before saving again. This stops one person from silently overwriting another's work.
Reload the page to see the latest version, then re-enter anything you had typed but not saved. To avoid it, agree that one person works on a draft at a time.
A good order to work in
You can visit the tabs in any order, but this order saves the most back-and-forth:
- Personal Details first, starting with Student type. Choosing Domestic or International changes what the rest of the wizard asks for. It adds or removes the whole CRICOS tab, locks some address and citizenship fields, and changes which funding codes are allowed. Changing it later clears some of what you entered.
- AVETMISS and, for international students, CRICOS.
- Additional Info.
- Enrollment: the program, campus and start date. Check the study plan.
- Payment: the payment plan and anchor date for each program, and any deposit.
- Documents.
- Check the Submission readiness bar reaches zero, then Submit Application.
Read-only moments
The wizard stops you editing while it is busy, to avoid half-saved changes. While a draft is saving or an application is submitting, the tabs, buttons and fields are disabled for a moment. They come back as soon as the work finishes.
Before you start your first application, it is worth reading Gotchas. It collects every surprise the wizard can spring on you in one place.