> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.puddin.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating and Managing Your Admissions Cycles in Puddin

> Learn how to create, configure, open, close, and archive Puddin admissions cycles for each intake period your institution manages.

An admissions cycle is the container that holds everything related to a specific intake period — its applicants, invitations, submissions, reviews, and decisions. Before you can add applicants or send invitations, you need at least one cycle in place. This page explains how to create a new cycle, configure its settings, manage it through its active life, and archive it once the intake period is over.

## What is an admissions cycle?

A cycle represents a single intake cohort: for example, *2025 Undergraduate Intake* or *Postgraduate Entry — January 2026*. Every applicant belongs to exactly one cycle, and each cycle has its own independent settings for dates, email templates, and reviewer assignments. This separation keeps your cohorts clean and makes it easy to compare activity across intake periods.

<Note>
  You can run multiple cycles at the same time. If your institution manages undergraduate and postgraduate admissions simultaneously, or runs multiple entry points in a year, simply create a separate cycle for each.
</Note>

## Creating a new cycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Cycles section">
    From the left-hand navigation menu, select **Cycles**. You'll see a list of all existing cycles — active, closed, and archived. Click **New Cycle** in the top-right corner to open the cycle creation form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the cycle and set the intake year">
    Give your cycle a clear, descriptive name that your team will recognise immediately — for example, *2025 Undergraduate Intake* or *MSc Programmes — September 2026*. Select the intake year from the dropdown. The intake year is used for reporting and filtering and does not affect the cycle's operational dates.

    <Tip>
      Use a consistent naming convention across your institution. Including the year and intake level (undergraduate/postgraduate) in the name makes it easy to identify cycles at a glance in lists and reports.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the cycle dates">
    Set the **opening date** and **closing date** for the cycle. These dates define the window during which the cycle is active and applicants can write and submit their personal statements.

    * **Opening date** — the date the cycle becomes active. Invitations can be sent once the cycle is open.
    * **Closing date** — the deadline by which applicants must submit. After this date, the writing environment for applicants in this cycle closes automatically.

    <Warning>
      Applicants who have not submitted by the closing date will be locked out of the writing environment. Ensure your closing date gives applicants enough time after receiving their invitation.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an optional description">
    Use the description field to record any internal notes about the cycle — such as the programmes it covers, specific intake criteria, or contacts within your admissions team. Descriptions are visible only to your internal users and do not appear in any applicant-facing communications.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and review the cycle">
    Click **Create Cycle** to save. The cycle is created with a *Draft* status — it is not yet open for applicants. Review the summary screen to confirm that the name, dates, and description are all correct before proceeding.

    You can edit any of these details while the cycle is in *Draft* or *Open* status. Once a cycle is closed, its dates and name become read-only.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Configuring cycle settings

After creating a cycle, you can configure additional settings specific to that cohort. Navigate to the cycle and select **Settings**.

<Accordion title="Email templates">
  Each cycle can use the institution-default email templates or customised templates specific to that cycle. Override the defaults here if, for example, you want the invitation email for your postgraduate cycle to mention different deadlines or programme-specific information. See [Email Templates](/admissions/setup/email-templates) for full details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Reviewer assignments">
  You can pre-assign reviewers to a cycle so that Admissions Officers can allocate submissions to the right people. Go to **Cycle Settings → Reviewers** and add the relevant reviewer accounts. Reviewers must already have a Reviewer account in the system — see [Account Setup](/admissions/setup/account-setup) if you need to add them first.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Applicant deadline reminders">
  Configure automated reminder emails to prompt applicants who haven't yet submitted as the closing date approaches. Set the number of days before the closing date at which each reminder is sent. You can configure up to three automated reminders per cycle.
</Accordion>

## Opening and closing a cycle

**To open a cycle**, navigate to the cycle and click **Open Cycle**. This transitions the cycle from *Draft* to *Open* status and makes it possible to send invitations to applicants. You can still add applicants and adjust settings after opening.

**To close a cycle**, click **Close Cycle**. Closing a cycle:

* Locks the writing environment for all applicants in that cycle who have not yet submitted.
* Prevents new invitations from being sent.
* Marks the cycle status as *Closed*.

Reviews can still be completed and decisions recorded on a closed cycle.

<Warning>
  Closing a cycle is irreversible. Applicants who have not submitted will no longer be able to access their writing environment. Before closing, check the applicant list for anyone still *In Progress* and consider sending a final reminder.
</Warning>

## Archiving old cycles

Once you have finished reviewing and recording decisions for a closed cycle, archive it to keep your Cycles list tidy. Navigate to the closed cycle and select **Archive Cycle**.

Archived cycles:

* Remain fully accessible — all applicant records, submissions, writing process evidence, and decisions are preserved.
* Are hidden from the default Cycles view. Use the **Archived** filter to find them.
* Cannot be reopened or made active again.

<Info>
  Archiving is a display convenience, not a deletion action. Applicant data in archived cycles is retained in accordance with your institution's data retention policy. See [Security and Privacy](/admissions/setup/security-privacy) for details.
</Info>

## Running multiple concurrent cycles

If your institution runs more than one intake simultaneously, create a separate cycle for each cohort. Each cycle is fully independent — its own applicants, settings, email templates, reviewer assignments, and audit log. Admissions Officers and Reviewers assigned to multiple cycles can switch between them using the cycle selector in the navigation menu.