Understanding the Academic Update (AU) Process

Overview

Academic Update (AU) gives applicants the opportunity to update in-progress coursework grades and add new coursework after submitting their application. This is an optional service; contact a member of your account team to learn if your CAS offers Academic Update.

There are several types of Academic Update, including:

  • Unverified Academic Update: applicants can update their coursework, but their new coursework is not verified and they are not required to submit updated official transcripts.
  • Verified Academic Update: applicants are given an Academic Update window (usually a few months towards the end of a cycle), where they can update their coursework and submit updated official transcripts. Their new coursework is verified based on these updated transcripts and CAS GPA calculations are updated.

Unverified Academic Update

After an applicant's application is verified, they can make updates to courses they listed as in progress or planned, as well as add courses that are planned for the next term.

Updated coursework is not verified and updated official transcripts are not required by the CAS. Additionally, since updated coursework is not verified, new grades are not factored into existing CAS GPAs.

Verified Academic Update

If your CAS verifies an applicant's updated coursework, they will decide when the Academic Update period will be available during the cycle. Applicants who choose to use Academic Update will move into an Academic Update application status and must submit updated, official transcripts to the CAS. CAS-calculated GPAs will be updated once an applicant is in the Academic Update Verified status.

Academic Update statuses include:

  • AU In Progress: the applicant has updated in-progress coursework or added new coursework to their application.
  • AU Received: the applicant has submitted updated coursework through the CAS Applicant Portal.
  • AU Complete: the CAS has received updated, official transcripts and posted them to the applicant's account.
  • AU Verified: the applicant's updated coursework has been verified against their updated transcripts and CAS-calculated GPAs have been updated.

Applicant Academic Update Communications

If your CAS offers Academic Update (AU), where applicants update in-progress or planned coursework and submit updated transcripts, then applicants are sent a few emails, including:

  • A confirmation that the applicant submitted new coursework for verification.
  • A confirmation that the applicant's Academic Update coursework was verified.

Working with Academic Update in WebAdMIT

Unverified Academic Update

For CASs that use Unverified Academic Update, applicants remain in the Verified application status.

WebAdMIT's Local GPA and Prerequisite GPA features give you the flexibility to create custom GPA calculations that include both verified and unverified coursework. This is especially helpful for CASs that use Unverified Academic Update, as you can access the applicant-reported updated grades and update your Local and Prerequisite GPAs to capture that newly reported, unverified coursework.

Verified Academic Update

For CASs that use Verified Academic Update, applicants move through the applicable AU application statuses. You can easily find this AU application status information on the right side of the dashboard, under the Designations by Academic Update panel. Click on a status to view the applicable applications.

CAS App Portal Academic Update Statuses Panel WebAdMIT Mar 2025.png

AU application statuses are also available:

All CAS-calculated GPAs and any Local and Prerequisite GPAs you use will automatically be updated with the newly verified coursework. Additionally, you can retrieve updated, official transcripts:

You may want to follow the guidelines outlined on the Identifying New and Updated Applicants page to manage updated transcripts.