Released: August 24, 2026
Element451 now supports custom fields scoped to an individual application. This is the first time custom fields exist anywhere other than the contact record. Until now, anything specific to a single application had to be stored in a contact custom field, where the next application submission overwrote it.
Application custom fields are created and managed in their own section of Field Management, can be placed on application forms, display and edit on the student profile, and are fully available wherever you use segments/segment filters, workflows, decisions, exports, and imports. Every value is stored against the specific application it belongs to, so a student with three applications can hold three different answers to the same question.
Application Custom Fields in Field Management: A new section under Data + Automation → Field Management, built to full parity with contact custom fields.
Field types and configuration: the same field types, labels, validation, options, and data sources available to contact custom fields. Create, edit, reorder, and delete application custom fields directly in the UI.
Clearer labeling: the existing "Custom Fields" section is now "Contact Custom Fields" so the two scopes are unambiguous.
Placement on Application Forms: The "Add Field" sidebar in application form builders now shows two labeled sections, "Contact Custom Fields" and "Application Custom Fields." Application custom fields are restricted to application form builders and do not appear in task forms or other form types. Submitted values are written to the application, not the contact.
Values on the Student Profile: The Application Sidebar now includes a collapsible section within the existing application data showing only the custom fields present on the selected application, not the full field catalog. Authorized staff can edit values inline, and each field renders by type: text as an input, boolean as a toggle, dates as a date picker. Switching applications shows that application's own values.
Segmentation and Automation: Application custom fields are usable across automation in Element451.
Filtering: Available wherever you use Segment Filters via the Application (All Properties) filter (Segments, Rules, Workflows, Campaigns, and IA Rules).
Update Application Custom Field: A new workflow action that sets an application custom field value on the application in context. It runs on application-triggered events such as App Started or Decision Released, and writes only to that application.
Campaign Tokens: Application custom field tokens resolve to the value on the triggering application.
Import and Export: Application custom fields appear in export field pickers with per-application scoping, so a value can be exported for a specific application rather than flattened to the contact. Import follows the same pattern.
Permissions: A new "Administer Application Custom Fields" permission governs adding, editing, and deleting application custom fields. This permission was also added to the Element451 Administrator system permission group. Note: Staff who can manage contact custom fields do not automatically gain access to application custom fields, they will need the "Administer Application Custom Fields" permission.
Application-specific data no longer has to be forced onto the contact record, where the next submission overwrites it, which means term-specific responses, per-application consent, and reviewer notes finally survive a student applying more than once. Admissions and enrollment teams can segment, automate, and export on that data per application, and staff can correct a value on the profile.
