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Before you can start managing applicants or reviewing personal statements, you need to configure your institutional account. Getting these settings right from the start ensures that applicants see your institution’s name in their communications, the right staff have the correct level of access, and your team receives notifications at the moments that matter. Work through the steps below when you first log in as an administrator.
1

Log in as an administrator

Open your Puddin Admissions login page and sign in using the administrator credentials provided in your onboarding email. If you haven’t received these credentials, contact your Puddin account manager.After logging in, you’ll land on the main admissions dashboard. All account configuration takes place under Settings, accessible from the left-hand navigation menu.
Your initial administrator account is created by Puddin during onboarding. You can add further administrator accounts once you’re inside the platform — see Step 3 below.
2

Configure your institution name and branding

Navigate to Settings → Institution. Fill in the following fields:
  • Institution name — the full, official name of your university or college. This appears in all applicant-facing emails and in the Puddin writing environment header.
  • Short name or abbreviation (optional) — used in contexts where the full name is too long, such as email subject lines.
  • Institution logo (optional) — upload a PNG or SVG logo file. This appears in invitation and confirmation emails sent to applicants.
Save your changes before moving on. Institution name and branding are applied immediately to all outgoing communications, so confirm the details are correct before you send any invitations.
Changing your institution name after invitations have been sent will update future emails but will not retroactively alter emails already delivered to applicants.
3

Add administrator accounts

If other colleagues need administrator-level access — for example, a Head of Admissions or a systems administrator — add them now. Go to Settings → Users → Add User and enter their name and email address. Select Administrator as their role.Administrators can:
  • Configure all institution and cycle settings
  • Add, edit, and deactivate user accounts
  • Access all cycles and applicant records
  • View the full audit log
Limit administrator accounts to staff who genuinely need full configuration access. Use the Admissions Officer or Reviewer roles for day-to-day operational staff.
4

Set up Admissions Officer access

Admissions Officers manage the day-to-day admissions workflow: importing applicants, sending invitations, tracking progress, assigning submissions to reviewers, and running bulk actions. Add Admissions Officers under Settings → Users → Add User, selecting Admissions Officer as their role.Admissions Officers can access all cycles they are assigned to and all applicant records within those cycles. They cannot modify institution-level settings or create new user accounts.
5

Set up reviewer access

Reviewers need access to submitted personal statements and their writing process evidence. Add reviewers under Settings → Users → Add User, selecting Reviewer as their role.Reviewers can:
  • View personal statements and writing process evidence for submissions assigned to them
  • Record review decisions
  • Add review notes
Reviewers cannot see applicant records they have not been assigned, cannot import or manage applicants, and cannot access institution settings.
You can assign reviewers to specific submissions at the cycle level. Adding someone as a Reviewer in Settings grants them platform access; it does not automatically assign them to any submissions.
6

Configure notification settings

Puddin can send email notifications to your team at key points in the admissions process. Navigate to Settings → Notifications and choose which events trigger notifications, and who receives them.Available notification events include:Enable the notifications relevant to your workflow and enter the email addresses of the staff who should receive each type. You can specify different recipients for different event types.
7

Verify your setup

Before you create your first admissions cycle, confirm that your account is fully configured:
  • Institution name and optional branding are saved correctly.
  • All necessary administrator, Admissions Officer, and Reviewer accounts have been created.
  • Notification preferences reflect your team’s workflow.
You’re now ready to create your first admissions cycle. See Admissions Cycles to continue.