A business rule is dynamic logic that shows or hides a checklist item based on a student's data. For example, "show the placement test only for grade 9+ new students" or "hide the application fee item for faculty children." Some conditions you can set yourself on the checklist item; anything more complex is a support-managed business rule. This article explains the dividing line, gives real examples, and provides the template for requesting a rule.
đź’ˇQuick answers
- What's a business rule vs. a built-in filter? Built-in filters are fields you set yourself on the checklist item: Grades, Enrollment Type (New/Returning), Payment Plan, and Terms. A business rule is support-managed conditional logic based on any other field, such as financial aid status, boarding vs. day, international, custom fields, etc.
- Can I write or edit a business rule myself? No. The Business Rule field on the checklist item edit screen is read-only. Submit a request to support for assistance.
- What does Support need in my request? The checklist (Inquiry/Admissions/Enrollment), the term, the exact checklist item name, the field driving the rule, the condition, the expected behavior (show/hide), and the start term.
- Do rules carry over to next year? Yes, as long as the checklist item's End Term is blank. Rules travel with the item.
In this Article
- What is a Business Rule?
- Self-Service vs. Support-Managed
- Common Examples
- How to Write a Clear Rule Request
- Review Existing Rules on Your Checklist
- Rules and Year-Over-Year Rollover
What is a Business Rule?
A business rule is real-time conditional logic attached to a checklist item. When a parent or admin opens the checklist, the system evaluates the rule against the student's current data and decides whether the item should appear for that student.
Because rules evaluate in real-time, a family's checklist updates the moment the underlying field changes. If a parent indicates on the application that they want to apply for financial aid, the financial aid-specific checklist items appear on their checklist immediately; no manual intervention is needed.
See the “Checklist Business Rules” section of Checklist Overview for the product-level explanation.
Self-Service vs. Support-Managed
The dividing line is simple: if the condition you want is one of the fields already on the checklist item edit screen, you can set it yourself. Everything else is a business rule and requires support.
You can self-configure on the checklist item (Settings > Checklists > Edit):
- Grades: Limit the item to specific grades.
- Enrollment Type (Enrollment checklist only): New only, Returning only, or both.
- Payment Plans (Enrollment checklist only): Show the item for specific payment plans from the contract.
- Terms: Start Term and End Term for when the item appears.
- Visibility: Required, Optional, or Internal.
- Permission Set: Who on your team can see/edit the item.
Support manages everything else as a business rule, including:
- Field-based conditions (e.g., International Student = Yes, Financial Aid Interest = Yes, Boarding = Yes).
- Custom-field conditions (anything your school added as a custom contact or student field).
- Status-based conditions (show only for Accepted, hide for Declined, etc.).
- Compound rules (Grade 9+ AND New Student, or International OR FA Interest).
- Fee show/hide logic beyond payment plan (e.g., waive a fee for a specific applicant type).
The Business Rule field on the checklist item edit screen is read-only for this reason. It reflects what Support has configured, but can't be edited from the UI.
Common Examples
Rules can key off a wide range of student data: profile fields, custom fields, admissions status, other checklist items' completion, calendar appointments, sibling order, and more. The following are common requests and how to frame them:
| Request | Framework |
| Hide the application fee item for faculty children. | Field: Faculty Child (custom contact field) = Yes → Hide checklist item "Application Fee." |
| Show the IEP / Learning Profile form only for Accepted students. | Field: Admissions Status = Accepted → Show "IEP / Learning Profile Upload." |
| Show the placement test for grade 9+ new students only. | Compound: Enrollment Type = New AND Apply Grade in (9, 10, 11, 12) → Show "Placement Test Registration." |
| Show additional forms for international students. | Field: International Student = Yes → Show "I-20 Documentation," "TOEFL Scores," etc. |
| Show a boarding-only supplemental form. | Field: Boarding Status = Boarder → Show "Boarding Student Supplemental Form." |
| Show a form only after a prior checklist item is complete. | Trigger: Enrollment Deposit checklist item = Complete → Show "Medical Forms Upload." |
| Show an item only for families who've scheduled a campus visit. | Trigger: "Campus Visit" calendar appointment is booked → Show "Visit Prep Packet." |
| Hide a form for the 2nd sibling onward. (Enrollment checklist only) | Field: Sibling Order = 1 → Show "Family Information Form." |
For fee-specific rules on contracts (as opposed to checklist items), see "Contract Fee Rules- Overview & Usage."
How to Write a Clear Rule Request
Submit the following to the support team:
- Checklist: Inquiry / Admissions / Enrollment
- Term: The first term the rule should apply (e.g., 2026–2027).
- Checklist Item Name: Exact name as it appears in Settings > Checklists.
- Field(s) Driving the Rule: Field name as it appears on the student record, or the field’s canonical name.
- Condition: The exact value(s) that trigger the rule. (e.g., "is Yes," "is one of: 9, 10, 11, 12," "is not blank.")
- Expected Behavior: Show or Hide.
- Combine Rules? If you have multiple conditions, say whether they combine with AND or OR.
Review Existing Rules on Your Checklist
To see what rules are already in place:
- Go to Settings > Checklists and open the checklist (Inquiry, Admissions, or Enrollment).
- Click Edit on any item.
- Scroll to the Business Rule field. If it's populated, a rule is active on that item. The field is read-only, so you can view the rule but can't modify it.
- Cross-reference against the Grades, Enrollment Type, and Payment Plans fields in the same dialog. Those are self-service filters, not business rules, and they apply in addition to any business rule.
Rules and Year-Over-Year Rollover
Business rules are attached to the checklist item, not the term. When a checklist item has no End Term set, the item and its business rules continue to apply in future years automatically.
A few things to watch year-over-year:
- If the values within the field change or are removed, the rule breaks silently. Audit fields that power rules during your end-of-year cleanup.
- If you retire a checklist item and create a replacement, the new item starts with no business rule. Submit a fresh request to have the rule re-applied.
- If you want a rule to stop applying in a specific term, you can set the item's End Term yourself, but for more targeted changes (e.g., changing the condition next year), submit a rule update request.
⚠️ Important Note
If you change a rule on a Required checklist item so the item no longer applies to certain students, students who passed through Inquiry, Applicant, or Enrollment in Progress before the change won't auto-advance to a completed status. You'll need to move them manually.
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