Historically, applicants often wait until the deadline to apply. In fact, the day and hours leading up to the deadline are always busiest periods. If the deadline cuts off at the end of that day, a large number of applicants will be shut out. So, I would like to highlight a new feature that we are particularly proud of: Deadline Timer and Grace Period.
Within a week of the deadline, the date turns into a countdown timer. This helps applicants in different time-zones to know exactly how much time they have left and also creates a greater sense of urgency. However, some people will still miss the deadline by a few hours. This is why we created the ability for institutions to turn on a secret grace period.
This can provide an extra day or two for applicants (who have already begun the process) to finish up. They have no knowledge that this grace is coming, but the deadline will turn into another countdown timer and give them a pleasant surprise. Further, no new applicants will be able to start a submission to this expired program. This creates a win/win situation for applicants and administrators.