The display name for applicants in Dapple is the label an applicant sees as their submission status on the Applicant Dashboard — separate from the internal stage name your team uses. Set it by opening a project, clicking Workflow & Reviews in the top navigation, then clicking the pencil icon on any stage to open the Edit stage panel. Whatever you enter in the Display name for applicants field is what applicants see; your internal stage name stays private to your team.
Why customise what applicants see?
Your internal stage names are optimised for your team — "Round 2 — Shortlist Review" is precise but raw. Applicants benefit from clearer, warmer language — "Currently being reviewed" communicates the same information without the internal jargon. Customising the applicant-facing label lets you have both: precision internally, clarity externally.
Common patterns:
Internal stage name | Applicant sees | Why |
First Round Not Selected | In Progress | Lets you batch-message all rejections at once without revealing the outcome early |
Round 2 — Shortlist Review | Currently being reviewed | Keeps the applicant informed without exposing internal round structure |
Winner Selected | Selected — congratulations | Celebratory language for the applicant-facing moment |
How do I change the applicant-facing label on a stage in Dapple?
Open the project, go to Workflow & Reviews, and click the pencil icon on the stage you want to update. This opens the Edit stage panel.
Open your project → Workflow & Reviews.
Click the pencil icon on the stage you want to customise.
Find the Display name for applicants field in the Edit stage panel.
Enter the label the applicant should see.
Click Save.
The change takes effect immediately. Any applicant whose submission is currently in that stage — or moves into it later — will see the updated label. In the example below it would be In Progress.
What's the difference between the internal stage name and the applicant-facing label?
Setting | Who sees it | Where to set it |
Internal stage name | Your team — in the admin app, filters, exports, and the stages board | Edit stage panel → Internal stage name field |
Display name for applicants | Applicants — on the Applicant Dashboard as their submission status | Edit stage panel → Display name for applicants field |
The two are completely independent. An internal name like "Panel Shortlist Round 2" can display to applicants simply as "Under Review". Neither affects the other.
What is the Draft status and can I customise it?
Draft is an applicant-only status automatically applied to any submission an applicant has started but not yet submitted. It isn't a configurable stage — it sits outside your workflow entirely and can't be renamed or repositioned.
Drafts behave differently from submitted applications:
Only visible on the applicant's side — they don't appear in your admin Submissions list
Auto-save as the applicant types
Can be resumed at any time from the Applicant Dashboard
Remain in Draft until the applicant clicks Submit
Can be nudged with Draft Reminder messages if enabled
Because Draft is system-managed, there's no applicant-facing label to customise — the applicant simply sees their in-progress form.
Best practices for applicant-facing labels
Use plain, warm language — "Currently being reviewed" beats "Stage 3".
Avoid internal codes — applicants don't need to know about Round 2 or Round 3 distinctions unless that's part of your public messaging.
Be consistent across projects — if you use "Shortlisted" on one programme, use it on all.
Don't promise outcomes — "Under consideration" is safer than "You're almost there".
Match the tone of your project pages and emails — applicants read all of these together and inconsistency erodes trust.
Update rejection stage labels carefully — if you're holding applicants in "In Progress" before a batch rejection message, make sure the label won't confuse them when the rejection arrives.