Finalsite Explore Settings: What You Can Do vs. What Support Needs to Do

Some parts of Finalsite Explore you can update yourself from your site's settings, while others are configured on the backend by our support team. This article breaks down which changes admins can make directly and which need to be requested from Support, so you know exactly where to go when you need something updated.

💡Quick Answers

What can I change myself? Anything on the Finalsite Explore Content page (school name, logo, snippet, grades, address, NCES ID, programs, More Information link, Enabled toggle) and the Finalsite Explore Page design, both found under Settings > Portal. You can also manage all reporting and communications from within your site.
What does Support have to change? Anything on the backend Finalsite Explore setup page (which admins can't see): your portal type, gender/ethnicity/household options, custom subdomain, group branding, school order in the group list, Weglot translation, and GA4 linking. The Student Information Form content also can't be edited by admins.
Why can't I see the setup page? The Finalsite Explore setup is a backend configuration managed by Finalsite. It isn't visible on your site, so those changes are made by Support on request.
Who on my team can make admin-side changes? Only System Admins and Admins can access the Finalsite Explore Content page.
How do I request a Support change? Submit a request to our Support team with the details of what you'd like updated.

Quick Reference Table

Feature/Setting	Managed By	Location	Reference Guide
School name, logo, information snippet	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
More Information hyperlink	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
Min/Max grade levels & Portal/System grade mapping	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
School address (map pin location)	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
NCES School ID & “Require Address Zoning” checkbox	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
Programs list	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
Enabled? (launch) toggle	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Finalsite Explore Content	Finalsite Explore Content
Explore Page design (the area parents see for your school)	✅ Admin	Settings > Portal > Parent Portal Content > Finalsite Explore Page	Finalsite Explore Page
Term Start Year format	✅ Admin	Settings > General > Terms	Terms
Embedding Explore into your website	✅ Admin	Your CMS site	Embed Finalsite Explore into Your Website Embedding Finalsite Explore into Finalsite Composer
Reporting (Forms Inbox, Search & Reports, Explore Applicants Report)	✅ Admin	Within your site	Explore Applicants Report
Custom communications & ACPs	✅ Admin	Within your site	Automated Communication Plan Setup
Initial account / portal creation	🛠️ Support	Backend	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Portal type (Explore vs. Branded Shared Portal)	🛠️ Support	Backend	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Gender and Ethnicity options	🛠️ Support	Backend	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Making gender, ethnicity, or household optional/excluded	🛠️ Support	Backend	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Student Information Form content	❌ Not Editable	Not editable	Finalsite Explore: Student Information Form
Custom subdomain (setup or change)	🛠️ Support	Backend (Branded Shared Portals only)	Custom Page for your Finalsite Explore Group
Group page branding (logo & background image)	🛠️ Support	Backend (Branded Shared Portals only)	Custom Page for your Finalsite Explore Group
Order of schools in your group list	🛠️ Support	Backend	Finalsite Explore: Admin Experience
Weglot translation	🛠️ Support	Backend (Branded Shared Portals only)	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) linking	🛠️ Support	Backend (Branded Shared Portals only)	Finalsite Explore Setup Guide
Custom filter options (for reports)	🛠️ Support	Backend	Explore Applicants Report

Explore Settings: Admin vs. Support Changes

Use this alongside the Quick Reference Table above.

Admin-Managed

School Profile Fields:

Information Snippet has a 500-character limit, so keep the description tight.
Logo needs to be 1:1 square and between 2-5 MB, or it won't upload cleanly.
More Information link is optional. Leave blank and the button won't show up for families.
Finalsite Explore Content page doesn't auto-save. Leaving or refreshing without saving wipes your edits.

Terms / Start Year:

Must be in XXXX format (e.g., 2025) so it matches Explore's expected format.
Contact Support before changing an existing Start Year. Reformatting a year already tied to live data can break integrations.

Reporting:

Build custom searches using the Application Sources or Inquiry Sources fields.
These isolate Explore-driven inquiries and applications from everything else in your system.

Communications:

Pair a custom email with Application Sources targeting to reach just Explore applicants.
Or set up an Automated Communication Plan (ACP) so emails go out automatically as families move through the pipeline.

Support-Handled

Gender Options:

Fixed set: Female, Male, Non-Binary, Self-Identify, and Prefer Not To Answer.
Same for every group, not customizable.

Ethnicity Options:

Not preset like gender. Your group decides the list internally.
Support adds the agreed-upon values to your form.

Required / Optional / Excluded:

Gender, ethnicity, and household requirements can each be set independently.

Custom Subdomain Naming Rules for Branded Shared Portals:

Must be unique across all Finalsite groups.
Up to 63 characters.
Letters and numbers only, no hyphens, spaces, or symbols.

Weglot:

Create your own Weglot account and generate an API key first.
Hand the key to Support; they'll handle configuration on your site.

GA4:

Only available for Branded Shared Portals, not individual Explore portals.
Send Support your GA4 property ID, and they'll connect it.

Additional Resources