When a parent says they can't find their in-progress application, or that their draft has disappeared, the draft almost always still exists; the parent typically just isn't logged in with the right account. This article walks through how to locate a family's draft, how to send them back to it, and how to handle the common duplicate-application situation.
Use this article before requesting a reopen from support or deleting what looks like a duplicate. Most of the time, no support ticket is needed.
💡Quick Answers
- Why can't the parent find their draft? Drafts are tied to a specific email. If they log in to the Parent Portal with a different address, they will not find their current draft and will only have the option to begin a new application.
- How do I find the right email? Go to Draft Applications and check the User Email column for that student. This is the only email that can resume that specific draft.
- What if there are two drafts? Compare them, keep the one with more progress, and use Edit > Delete Application(s) to remove the duplicate.
In this Article
- The Golden Rule: Same Email, Same Draft
- How to Locate a Family's Draft
- Emailing From the Draft Applications Page
- Handling Duplicate Applications
- Drafts from a Prior Apply Year
- When to Contact Support
The Golden Rule: Same Email, Same Draft
A draft application is tied to the Parent Portal account email that started it. To resume a draft, the parent must log in with the exact same email address they used the first time. If they sign in with a different email (even a different one belonging to the same person), they will not find their current draft and will only have the option to begin a new application.
This is the single most common reason parents believe their draft has been lost. Before doing anything else, confirm the email the parent used.
How to Locate a Family's Draft
- Go to Admissions tab > Forms > Draft Applications (or Username menu > Forms to Import > Draft Applications).
- Sort by Name on Form, User Name, or User Email.
- Check the User Email column. This is the email the parent must use to log in and resume. Share it with the parent if they aren't sure which email they used.
If the student name doesn't appear on the list:
- The draft may have been started under a different student's name that was typed in error, or the Name field may be blank on the form. Try sorting by Start Date or Last Updated Date and looking for the timeframe the parent described.
- If the draft truly doesn't exist, the parent probably didn't save a page, deleted their draft, or started on a different school's portal. Ask them to start fresh.
For a full breakdown of what each column on the Draft Applications page means, visit the article "Draft Applications Page."
Emailing From the Draft Applications Page
From the Draft Applications page, you can email the parent directly using the email on their Parent Portal account:
- Check the box next to the student's name on the Draft Applications page.
- Click Communicate > Send Email in the upper right.
- In your message, tell the parent:
- Exactly which email they should log in with (the one in the User Email column).
- A direct link to your Parent Portal login page.
- That they should not start a new application. Doing so will create a duplicate that you'll have to clean up.
The Send Email action uses the Parent Portal account email (the User Email column), which may be different from whatever contact email the parent typed into the application itself. The Parent Portal email is the one that resumes the draft.
⚠️ Important Note
Custom email templates are not available from the Draft Applications page, but you can paste template content into the email, and your formatting will be preserved.
Handling Duplicate Applications
If a parent started a second application because they couldn't find the first one, you have two cleanup paths depending on the status of each application:
- Both are still in Draft status. Decide which draft the family should keep (usually the more complete one), then delete the other using Edit > Delete Application(s) on the Draft Applications page. This is permanent and cannot be reversed. Then email the parent with the exact email they should log in with to finish the kept draft.
- One is submitted and one is still a draft. Keep the submitted one. Delete the draft from the Draft Applications page using Edit > Delete Application(s).
⚠️ Important Note
Do not delete any application without first confirming with the family that the draft they're keeping has the correct information. Deleted drafts cannot be restored.
Drafts from a Prior Apply Year
If a parent has an incomplete draft from a previous application season, they do not need to start a fresh application to apply for the current year. As long as the application is still in draft status, the parent can log in, resume the form, and navigate to the Apply Year and Apply Grade fields to update them to the current cycle. Once updated, they can complete the remaining fields and submit the form as usual.
⚠️ Important Note
If an application has already been submitted by a parent/guardian in a previous term, it is locked and cannot be edited unless it is reopened by the support team. However, we highly recommend leaving these applications as is to maintain historical data and asking the family to submit a new application for the new term with updated information.
When to Contact Support
Most “lost” draft application situations are resolved by the steps above. However, if you have any questions or need a submitted application reopened as a draft, submit a request to support for assistance. See the "Request a Reopen from Support" section of "Draft Applications Page" for the information to include so we can resolve the ticket in one touch.
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