Submission readiness

At the top of the wizard, under the tabs, is a grey bar called Submission readiness. It is your to-do list for the application. It tells you how many things are still missing and what they are, and it lets you jump straight to each one. When it reaches zero, you can submit.

Reading the bar

A typical bar looks like this:

SUBMISSION READINESS 21 requirements remaining before you can submit: First name · Last name · Date of birth · Suburb · Postcode · Gender · Highest school level completed · Indigenous status · Labour force status · Main language at home · +11 more

It has three parts.

1. The count

The number in red is how many requirements are left. It goes down as you fill things in, and it can go up. For example, choosing International adds the international requirements, such as passport and citizenship details.

2. Badges for empty fields

Each small badge is a required field that is still empty. It shows the field's name, such as First name or Postcode.

• Only the first ten badges show at first. Select +11 more, or however many there are, to see the rest, and Show fewer to fold them away again.
• Hover over a badge to see the exact rule, for example Required for submission.
• Select a badge to jump to that field. XPortal opens the right tab and takes you to the field, even if it's on a different tab.

3. Notes for fields that need fixing

Some requirements aren't about an empty box. The field has a value, but it isn't acceptable, or the requirement isn't tied to one field. These appear underneath as a list, with the field's name and what to do. For example:

• Postcode: Enter a valid postcode (4 digits)
• Learning plan: Save the program changes to update the learning plan.
• Victorian Student Number (VSN): Enter a nine-digit VSN or 000000000 if unknown

Most of these can be selected to jump to the field, just like the badges.

"Updating…"

When you see Updating… in the corner of the bar, XPortal is re-checking the saved application: its programs, the study plan and the program setup. Wait a moment for it to finish. You can't submit while it is checking.

What the bar checks

The bar checks everything the application must have before it can be submitted. It uses the same rules XPortal applies when you submit. That includes:

• every required field on every tab, for this student type;
• rules about values, such as 4-digit postcodes, valid phone numbers, and a date of birth at least 15 years ago;
• rules that depend on other answers, such as a VSN for young Victorian students, or welfare details for international students under 18;
• the Enrollment tab: every program has a campus, an earliest commencement date and a saved study plan. For domestic students, every subject also needs a funding code;
• the Payment tab: every program has a payment plan and an anchor date.

Things that only clear after saving

A few requirements are checked against the saved application, not just what's on screen. They clear only after you save:

When it reaches zero

When nothing is left, the bar says:

All mandatory fields are completed. You can submit.

At the same moment, the Submit Application button appears in the top right, next to Save Draft. It doesn't exist until then, so if you can't find it, look at the bar. See Submitting for what happens next.

If submission fails

If you select Submit Application and XPortal finds a problem, the reason appears in red at the top of the bar, and any new requirements are listed underneath. Fix them and submit again.