How to build a scholarship application form with reviewer access

Manage scholarship applications from submission to selection

In this guide, you’ll build a scholarship application form that accepts student applications, allows reviewers to evaluate submissions, and automates scoring and shortlisting. Perfect for schools, foundations, and nonprofits managing grant or scholarship programs.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your scholarship application form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or choose the College admission form template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create, describe what you need:

“A scholarship application form that collects student details and allows reviewers to evaluate and score applications securely.”

Why this matters: having a single, structured form simplifies your entire review and selection process.
📘 Learn more: How to create any form using Magic Create in Formaloo

Step 2 — Add student and eligibility fields

Start with personal and academic details to identify applicants clearly:

• Full name
  
  
• Email address
  
  
• Date of birth
  
  
• Phone number
  
  
• School or university
  
  
• GPA or academic score
  
  
• Program or field of study
  
  
• Country or region
  
  

💡 Tip: use validation rules to ensure applicants meet eligibility criteria.
📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 3 — Collect supporting documents

Allow applicants to upload documents such as:

• Resume or CV
  
  
• Transcript or grade report
  
  
• Recommendation letter
  
  
• Personal statement or essay
  📘 Learn more: How to customize the content field
  
  

Step 4 — Add eligibility and essay questions

Include structured fields that help reviewers assess fit:

• Why do you deserve this scholarship?
  
  
• What are your career goals?
  
  
• Describe your community involvement.
  
  
• Have you previously received this scholarship? (Yes/No)
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to customize text field and long text field

Step 5 — Add reviewer-only evaluation fields

Create hidden fields that reviewers will later fill in, such as:

• Reviewer name
  
  
• Academic score (1–5)
  
  
• Motivation score (1–5)
  
  
• Financial need score (1–5)
  
  
• Average score (calculated automatically)
  
  
• Reviewer comments
  
  
• Application status (Pending / Shortlisted / Rejected / Awarded)
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to edit forms and form responses

Step 6 — Add scoring logic for reviewer evaluation

Use field ID to automatically calculate the total or average score.

Example:

@academic = @academic_score  

@motivation = @motivation_score  

@need = @financial_need_score  

@average_score = (@academic + @motivation + @need) / 3

‍

Display results for reviewers or use them for filtering top applicants.
📘 Learn more: How to add and calculate scores using variable fields

Step 7 — Automate notifications for submissions and reviews

In Settings → Advanced logic or Notify tab, create emails for:

• To applicant: confirmation of submission with unique ID.
  
  
• To admin or reviewers: notification of new applications.
  
  
• To shortlisted candidates: message after evaluation.
  
  

Use variables like @name, @average_score, and @application_status to personalize messages.
📘 Learn more: How to create and send custom email templates

Step 8 — Build your reviewer portal

From your workspace, create a Scholarship Review Portal for reviewers.

Add pages such as:

• All applications
  
  
• Pending reviews
  
  
• Shortlisted candidates
  
  
• Final decisions
  
  

Set access rules so:

• Applicants see only their own submissions.
  
  
• Reviewers see assigned applications and can edit reviewer fields.
  
  
• Admins see and manage everything.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access
  
  

Step 9 — Use on-update logic for review workflows

Use on-update logic to trigger actions when reviewers score or change statuses:

• When Status = Shortlisted → Notify admin and mark as reviewed.
  
  
• When Status = Awarded → Send congratulatory email and generate PDF letter.
  
  
• When Score < 3 → Auto-tag as “Not eligible.”
  📘 Learn more: What is on-update logic and how it works
  
  

Step 10 — Create dashboards for transparency

Go to Results → Responses to build a live overview:

• Table view: sort applicants by score or status.
  
  
• Charts: visualize average scores or number of shortlisted candidates.
  
  
• Kanban view: group applications by review stage (Pending, Reviewed, Shortlisted, Awarded).
  📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board
  
  

Step 11 — Generate scholarship letters or reports

Create a custom PDF template to generate letters automatically:

• Award letters for successful candidates
  
  
• Summary reports for reviewers
  Attach these to automated emails upon status change.
  📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates
  
  

Step 12 — Analyze applications with AI

Enable AI Analyze to uncover trends and insights, such as:

• “Average applicant GPA by region.”
  
  
• “Top-rated essays by reviewers.”
  
  
• “Most common eligibility issues.”
  📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze
  
  

Pro tips

• Use linked rows to connect this form with a Scholarship Renewal Form or Applicant Directory.
  
  
• Add approval logic for multi-level review workflows.
  
  
• Enable Memory Forms so returning applicants’ details auto-fill.
  📘 Learn more: What are linked rows and how to use them
  
  

Example scenario

Students apply for the STEM Excellence Scholarship. Reviewers access the portal, score each applicant, and mark top candidates as Shortlisted. The system calculates average scores, emails notifications to finalists, and generates award letters automatically. The admin dashboard updates with total applications and reviewer performance insights.
📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI

FAQ

1. Can reviewers access only their assigned applications?
   Yes, use user roles and page filters in the portal for controlled visibility.
2. Can applicants edit their submissions after applying?
   Absolutely, enable “Edit submission” or create a logged-in applicant portal.
   📘 Learn more: How to let users view and edit their own data in your portal
3. Can I anonymize submissions for unbiased reviews?
   Yes, hide identifying fields (like name or email) from reviewer pages while keeping them in admin view.

Your scholarship workflow is live, from applicants to awardees

You’ve built a complete scholarship management system with submission, scoring, and review tracking all in one. Keep refining it with AI insights, dashboards, and automated letters for a fair, efficient, and delightful review process.
📘 Learn more: How to personalize ending pages and email notifications with AI

Last updated October 2025

‍