The October 2025 (2025.10) release adds the following features:
Communications
Admissions officers can send bespoke emails to individual applicants and up to 100 applicants using bulk actions.
The video Bulk send shows how to send a bespoke email to several applicants.
Interviews
Interviews can be scheduled between applicants and interview panellists. Panellists are selected from staff who have the staff remit Interview panellist. Interviews can be in-person or remote as follows:
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Remote interviews define a link to the meeting, typically for Microsoft Teams.
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In-person interviews define the location, such as the site, and optionally the building and room.
Applicants are sent an email using the communication template Application interview email. The applicant portal alerts applicants with the task You have an interview to attend. Viewing the task provides details about the interview. Panellists are sent a similar email using the communication template Panellists application interview email.
The task on the applicant portal details the time of the interview, the location for in-person interviews or the meeting URL for remote reviews, any important information, and the interview panellists.
The video Interviews shows an applicant with a scheduled interview and the corresponding interview on the agent portal.
Referee portal
Applicants can be tasked to provide references to support their applications. Referees use the referee portal to submit references in response to requests for references from applicants. Admissions officers manage requests and references.
Applicant – request a reference
Applicants are assigned tasks to submit referee details using pre-defined clearance checks:
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Reference from referee 1
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Reference from referee 2
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Reference from referee 3
These clearance checks are ready to use but can be customised with institution-specific instructions. Once a referee’s details are submitted, an email is sent to the referee using the Referee portal registration email communications template. A banner in the applicant portal confirms the email was sent.
The video Request a reference shows how clearance checks are added to applications and how applicants request a reference.
Referee – accept or decline a request
Referees receive an email using the Referee portal registration email template, informing them that an applicant has nominated them to provide a reference. The email includes the referee’s name, position, and email address, and provides a link to register or sign in to the referee portal through Microsoft’s sign-in page. The referee portal uses Azure Entra External ID for authentication.
If the referee does not register within seven days, a follow-up email is sent using the Referee portal expired invitation email template. This informs the referee that the reference request has been cancelled.
Once signed in, referees can view the reference request and the applicant's details, and then choose to accept or decline. If they accept, they can submit the reference using the referee e portal. Applicants are kept informed of the reference status through the applicant portal.
The video Accept or decline shows how a referee registers on the referee portal and accepts a reference request.
Referee – submit a reference
When accepting a reference request, referees can either type the reference manually or upload a document. Documents can be uploaded by navigating to the file or drag-and-drop. Uploaded files must meet the requirements of the document type ApplicationReference, which define the maximum file size and allowed file formats, and are scanned for viruses. If a virus is detected:
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An email is sent to the referee using the Referee portal document virus found email template, which includes a link to upload a virus-free document.
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A warning banner alerts referees and admissions officers.
References entered manually are added to the Statement and reference tab automatically. Uploaded references must be added manually by admissions officers. However, document intelligence can automate this task by extracting references from uploaded documents automatically. After reviewing the reference, admissions officers must pass or fail the associated clearance check.
The video Submit a reference shows how a referee submits a reference by uploading a document.
Referee - manage requests
For referees already registered on the portal, new reference requests are sent using the Referee portal acknowledgement email template. This email includes a link to log in to the referee portal. After signing in, referees view a summary page that lists all reference requests. The summary page:
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Number of pending requests, that is, requests not yet accepted or declined
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Applicant’s name and email based on their preferred contact method
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Institution name
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Admissions
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Request status, such as Accepted, and required action, such as Write reference
The video Request summary shows the summary page of the referee portal with various reference request statuses and available actions.
Admissions officer - manage references
Admissions officers manage references as follows:
- View outstanding reference tasks
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Admissions officers can track outstanding reference tasks on desk actions under the category Other evidence. The desk actions view shows counts such as references awaiting details, submission, or review.
- View reference request status
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Reference status is shown on the Statement and reference tab. Each reference includes:
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Status such as Current or Historic.
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Reference request status, such as Accepted to give reference.
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Admissions entry system such as Direct.
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- Manage invitations
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Admissions officers with the required permissions can resend, cancel, or reset referee portal invitations as follows:
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Resend invite: sends the registration or acknowledgement email. Can be resent to a new email address after updating referee details.
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Cancel invite: cancels the current invitation.
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Reset invitation: after cancelling, the resend and cancel options are disabled. Admissions officers can delete the reference or reset the invitation, which sends a new invite after confirmation.
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The video Account actions shows the actions available to admissions officers.