Cohort Application Form: 25 Questions to Copy

A cohort application should ask 8 to 12 questions that tell you three things: whether the person fits the cohort, whether they will do the work, and whether they can start on time. The 25 questions below are a menu to pick from, grouped by what each one reveals, with a scoring rubric and ready to send accept, maybe and decline messages.

A cohort application is a short form a prospective student completes before you let them pay. Its job is to curate the group, not to qualify leads for a sales call, and it adds a step between interest and enrollment. That step is only worth it when the people in the room change what the course is worth.

Do you need a cohort application at all?

Maybe not. Maven, which hosts cohort based courses, says in its help centre: "Generally, we do not recommend using an application." It recommends one only when you need to curate the cohort, for example when you require a specific job title or must limit a small group despite high demand.

Situation | Use an application? | Why

Peers are part of the product, such as founders or managers learning together | Yes | Who else is in the room changes the value

Demand exceeds seats and you must choose | Yes | You need a fair way to pick

Course needs a prerequisite, such as existing clients or a certain role | Yes | Wrong fit students drag the group

Self paced content with a few live calls | No | The form only adds friction

You are still pre-selling and need first sales | Usually no | A form delays the yes. Try a short call or a deposit

If you are not sure yet whether anyone wants the cohort, test that first. Our guide to pre-selling a cohort before it exists covers how, and the application can come after the first handful of buyers.

What do Maven's default application questions cover?

Maven's application form comes with seven questions already in place: name, preferred name, time zone, job title, company name, X handle and LinkedIn URL. You can switch off questions three to seven and add as many custom questions as you want, in four formats: short answer, multiple choice, multiple select and rating.

Those defaults only identify the person. Everything that curates the group has to come from the custom questions below.

Which 25 questions can you copy into your application?

Pick two or three from each group, not all 25. Each table says what the question tells you and whether to make it required. Keep required questions to the minimum, because Maven also advises being thoughtful about required fields so they do not deter prospects.

Group 1: Is this person a fit?

Question | What it tells you | Required?

What do you do, and who do you do it for? | Role and context in their own words | Yes

How long have you been doing it? | Experience level, so you can balance the room | Yes

Which of these best describes you? (multiple choice you define) | Fast sorting into the segments you teach | Yes

Have you taken a similar course before? What happened? | Whether they finish courses and what disappointed them | Optional

Who else on your team would join, if anyone? | Group enrollment and decision maker | Optional

Group 2: What is the problem right now?

Question | What it tells you | Required?

What is the single biggest problem you want solved by the end? | Whether your outcome matches their need | Yes

What have you already tried? | Sophistication and what to skip in teaching | Yes

What happens if this does not get solved in the next 90 days? | Urgency, in their words | Optional

Where do you feel stuck, in one or two sentences? | Language you can reuse in the sales page, with permission | Optional

What would you need to see in week one to know it was working? | Their definition of progress | Optional

Group 3: What do they want?

Question | What it tells you | Required?

What result do you want to leave with? | Goal clarity, and whether it is in scope | Yes

How will you measure it? | Whether the goal is concrete | Optional

What would make this a clear yes for you? | Their buying criteria | Optional

Is there a deadline driving this? | Real time pressure that predicts attendance | Optional

What do you not want this course to be? | Expectations to correct before they pay | Optional

Group 4: Can they do the work?

Question | What it tells you | Required?

The course asks for X hours a week. Can you give that for the full length? | Honest capacity | Yes

When did you last finish something that took more than a month? | Follow through, with an example | Optional

Will you complete the assignments in front of the group? | Willingness to share work | Optional

Do you have the tools or access the course assumes? | Technical prerequisites | Required if relevant

Is anyone else's agreement needed for you to take part? | Hidden blockers such as a manager or partner | Optional

Group 5: Logistics and consent

Question | What it tells you | Required?

Which cohort start date works for you? | Demand by date | Yes

Can you attend live sessions in this time zone window? | Attendance risk | Yes

How did you hear about this course? | Which channel works, if you will use it | Optional

May we contact you about this cohort by email? | Consent for the follow up emails | Yes

Anything else we should know? | Catches what no question covered | Optional

How do you score the answers?

Score each applicant on four things from 0 to 2 and total them. This is our own rubric, not an industry standard, and its only job is to make your decisions consistent between the first applicant and the fortieth.

Criterion | 0 | 1 | 2

Fit | Outside who the course is for | Close, with gaps | Squarely inside

Problem clarity | Vague or generic | Specific but not urgent | Specific and current

Capacity | Cannot give the time | Might manage | Has made the time

Goal match | Wants something you do not teach | Partly | Matches the outcome

Accept 7 or 8 outright, hold 5 or 6 as maybe, and decline 4 or below. Adjust the lines if you have more applicants than seats, and write down why for any exception so the rule stays the rule.

What should you not ask on a cohort application?

Do not ask for anything you will not use. The UK Information Commissioner's Office states the data minimisation principle as personal data that is "adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary," and says you "must not collect personal data on the off-chance that it might be useful in the future." That applies if any applicant is in the UK, and it is a good rule everywhere.

Before you keep a question, ask whether it would change your accept, maybe or decline decision. If not, delete it. Questions that usually fail this test:

• Date of birth, home address and phone number, none of which you need before payment.
• Income, unless the course is built for a specific income band and you will act on the answer.
• Health, family and other personal circumstances. Applicants may volunteer them in free text, but your form should not request them.
• A long essay as a required field. It filters for time, not for fit.

How fast should you reply, and what should you say?

Maven recommends accepting students within 48 hours of applying, and its application flow sends four automated emails: application incomplete, applied, accepted and abandoned payment. Even if your platform does not, copy that rhythm: reply fast, because a long silence after someone applies gives their interest time to cool.

Here are three short messages to adapt. Replace the brackets.

Accept

Hi [name], thank you for applying. Your answers about [specific thing they said] are exactly what this cohort is built for. Your seat is held until [date]. Here is the link to enroll: [link]. Reply if anything is unclear.

Maybe

Hi [name], thank you for applying. I have a question before I decide: [one specific question from the gap]. A short reply is enough, and I will confirm within 48 hours of hearing back.

Decline

Hi [name], thank you for applying. This cohort is not the right fit for [one honest reason, such as the stage you are at]. I would rather say that now than have you spend your money on the wrong thing. [Offer one next step, such as a free resource or the next cohort date.]

Frequently asked questions

How many questions should a cohort application have?

Eight to twelve is enough for most cohorts, and fewer if the course is cheap. Every required question is friction, so keep required fields to the ones that change your decision: who they are, the problem, the goal, available time and start date.

Should a cohort application be required?

Only if the group needs curating. Maven's own guidance is that applications are generally not recommended and are useful when you need specific roles or must choose among more demand than seats. For a self paced or open cohort, a simple checkout is better.

How do you decide who to accept?

Score fit, problem clarity, capacity and goal match from 0 to 2 each, then set cutoffs before you read the first application. Write down exceptions. The point of the rubric is consistency, not precision.

What should an application not ask?

Nothing you will not use to make the accept decision. The ICO's data minimisation principle says personal data must be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary, so skip birth dates, addresses and sensitive personal details.

Key takeaways

• Use an application only when the group needs curating. Maven says it does not generally recommend one.
• Eight to twelve questions are enough. Pick two or three from each of the five groups.
• Maven's defaults only identify the person, so curating questions have to be custom.
• Score fit, problem clarity, capacity and goal match from 0 to 2, and set cutoffs before you read.
• Reply within 48 hours, which is Maven's recommended window.
• Delete any question that would not change your accept or decline decision.
• Do not collect personal data on the off-chance it might be useful later.

If you want the launch built around your cohort

EchoPulse Media builds the pages, emails and automations around a cohort launch for coaches and course creators. If you are weighing it up, see what a course launch agency costs in 2026 first, and the coaches page shows how we work.