CAS Applicant Processing Reference Guide

Overview

As a CAS user, you may have questions about how candidates apply to your programs, and how Liaison processes applicant files. This guide explains these and provides more insight into the back-end processes. If you have any questions about the topics below, contact a member of your account team.

Applicant Experience

You can review the applicant experience by creating a test application in the CAS Applicant Portal. When accessing your CAS's application, create a new account and add "test" to your name (e.g., TestJohn TestDoe). For assistance or questions, contact a member of your account team.

You can also review the Centralized Application Service: Your Admissions Management Solution course, accessible in Liaison Academy. This course reviews the benefits of joining a CAS and an applicant's journey through the CAS application.

As a high-level overview, applicants typically follow this process:

Create an account in the CAS Applicant Portal.
Select program(s) of interest. Applicants can add and remove programs throughout the application cycle.
Complete all four quadrants of the application, including the Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials sections.
- The Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information sections compose the core application and only need to be completed once per cycle.
- The Program Materials section is specific to each program and contains the additional materials they may request from applicants (e.g., program-specific questions, program-specific documents, etc.). To learn more about configuring your program materials, visit the CAS Configuration Portal Help Center.
Submit the application to the program(s) of interest. Other materials, such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, and official test scores, can be received after submission.
If required, submit official transcripts to the CAS or upload unofficial transcripts in the application.
If required, applicants may undergo a verification process for entered coursework.

Mid-Cycle Applicant Processes

Note that many of these are optional services; contact a member of your account team to learn if your CAS offers any of these.

Applicant Process	Definition	Process Document
Reapplications	Reapplicants are applicants who started or submitted an application in a previous cycle and want to pull their application materials forward into a new cycle.	Understanding the Reapplication Process
Fee Waivers	A fee waiver is a form of application financial assistance funded by a CAS.	Understanding the Fee Waiver Process
Coupon Codes	Coupons are application fee discounts that programs can use to incentivize applicants to apply. You purchase coupons from Liaison and provide them to your applicants. Additionally, if your CAS offers fee waivers, applicants can apply both fee waivers and coupons to their application fees.	Application Coupons Reference Guide
Letters of Evaluation (i.e., Reference, Recommendation)	Applicants request letters of evaluation (i.e., letters of reference, letters of recommendation) in the application by listing their evaluator's contact information. Evaluators then received an email request, where they can access Liaison Letters, our Recommender Portal.	Understanding the Recommendation Process
Professional Transcript Entry (PTE)	Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) is an optional service where applicants can pay an additional fee to have Liaison's PTE specialists enter their coursework.	Understanding the Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) Process
Transcripts and Foreign Evaluations	Applicants can submit official transcripts and foreign evaluations to their CAS and have them posted to their application.	Understanding the Verification Process
Verification	Verification is the process of ensuring that all of an applicant's coursework is entered correctly and consistently.	Understanding the Verification Process
GPA Calculations	Each CAS determines if they will calculate GPAs and if so, which GPAs they would like to have calculated automatically (e.g., by year, by course subject, etc.).	Understanding the Verification Process
Academic Update (AU)	Academic Update (AU) gives applicants the opportunity to update in-progress coursework grades and add new coursework after submitting their application.	Understanding the Academic Update (AU) Process
Official Test Scores	Each CAS determines which official test scores it accepts for applicants.	Understanding Official Test Scores Process
Invitation Codes	Invitation codes are individual deadline extensions that programs offer directly to applicants. Applicants can use the codes in the CAS Applicant Portal to apply to a program whose deadline has already passed.	Invitation Codes Reference Guide

Final Application Processing Dates

As a CAS approaches the end of a cycle, applicants must submit their materials or complete tasks by certain dates in order for the changes to appear in their application. Below is a comprehensive list of final processing dates.

Note that your CAS's final processing dates and requirements are listed in the CAS Applicant Help Center, which you can access in your CAS Program User Guide.

Application Process	What It Means
The last date applicants can submit their application.	Each CAS has a final date for program deadlines. If you choose this final date, this will be the last date an applicant can apply to your program. If you chose an earlier deadline date, then applicants must submit their applications to you by your chosen deadline.
The last date applicants can request evaluations.	Applicants request evaluations (i.e., letters of recommendation, letters of reference) within the application. This is the last date they can enter an evaluation request.
The last date applicants can order Professional Transcript Entry (PTE).	Applicants request PTE within the application. This is the last date they can order the PTE service.
The last date applicants can submit their updated coursework for the Academic Update (AU) period.	Applicants must submit new coursework updates within the application. This is the last date they can submit those changes.
The last date transcripts and official test scores are matched to an applicant's application.	Transcripts and official test scores must be requested in advance so they are received by this final date. If an applicant submitted updated coursework during the Academic Update (AU) period, they must also send updated transcripts by this date.
The last date evaluators can submit their evaluations.	Evaluators (i.e, recommenders, references) review and complete their evaluations in Liaison Letters. While applicants can list a suggested "due date" in their evaluation request, evaluators can complete the evaluation at any time. This is the last date evaluators can submit their evaluations.
The last date an applicant can approve their Professional Transcript Entry (PTE).	After an applicant pays for PTE and their coursework is entered, they must review and approve it in the application before it can be verified. This is the last date they can approve it.
The last date an Undelivered applicant can resubmit their application.	Occasionally applicants are placed in the Undelivered application status if they need to fix something (e.g., unreported college attended, etc.). If an applicant is undelivered, this is the final date they can resubmit their application.
All application processing ends.	This is the final date any changes can be made to the application in that cycle.