AACOMAS Program User Guide
This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the AACOMAS Applicant Portal, Configuration Portal, Liaison Outcomes, and WebAdMIT. It also contains resources that may help you work more efficiently throughout your admissions process. If you have additional questions or need further assistance, please contact a member of your account team.
Cycle Timeframes
Applicant Portal
The Applicant Portal opens in early May and closes in mid-June. You can view the specific cycle dates, including final processing dates (e.g., last date to submit transcripts, last date to request letters of recommendation, etc.), on the AACOMAS Application Cycle Dates page.
Configuration Portal
Between early January and late March, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and AACOM review submitted configurations in April.
Liaison Outcomes/WebAdMIT
You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in early May.
Program Participation Requirements
AACOM requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from AACOM and AACOMAS, including the configuration, application, and Liaison Outcomes/WebAdMIT launch notifications.
Applicant Portal
The first three sections of the AACOMAS application (i.e., Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information) compose the core application. They contain questions that are commonly asked of applicants across all participating programs, such as an applicant's biographic information, standardized test scores, and experiences. The fourth section of the application is Program Materials, which is customized by you through the Configuration Portal (discussed in the next section).
You can access the AACOMAS application and AACOMAS Applicant Help Center to review the applicant experience. You can also create a test application in the Applicant Portal; we recommend creating a new account and adding "test" to your name (e.g., TestJohn TestDoe).
For a general overview of the applicant experience, review the following documents:
- Applicant Processing Reference Guide: learn how applicants move through the application and Liaison processes applicant materials, such as transcripts and official test scores.
- Application Statuses Reference Guide: review what each application status means and how you can interact with applicants at different stages.
- Review the requirements for the AACOMAS Complete application status.
- AACOMAS Quick Start Guide and FAQs: a suggested timeline for completing and submitting the application, links to important pages including cycle dates and fees, and a FAQs section.
You can direct any applicant inquiries related to the application to AACOMAS Customer Service.
Configuration Portal
Once you've configured your program, you'll need to have it approved by the account team and AACOM before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, AACOM will approve it.
WebAdMIT
Review the WebAdMIT Help Center for any questions related to working in WebAdMIT. The Reference Guides and WebAdMIT Training and Support sections are additional resources as you configure WebAdMIT for your needs. Documents commonly requested include:
- Application Coupons Reference Guide: learn how to request coupons to offset application fees and disperse them to applicants. To purchase coupons, use the Coupon Code Payment Gateway.
- Application Coupon Codes FAQ: view answers to frequently asked questions about offering coupon codes.
- Background checks through Certiphi.
- Data Dictionaries and Master Code Lists: a comprehensive list of all fields available in the Export Manager and Report Manager, including associated lookup tables.
- Deferring Applicants via the Liaison-assisted Deferral Process: learn how to transfer deferred applicants from one cycle to the next.
- Integration Help Center and WebAdMIT API: learn how to set up an API and schedule automatic data exports from WebAdMIT into your SIS/ERP.
- Manual Designations: learn how to add additional programs (i.e., designations) to an application in WebAdMIT.
- Reporting Final Decision Codes: learn how to use WebAdMIT to place applicants in Decision Codes and report them back to AACOM.
- You can also use the Competing Offers and Shared Decision reports to find applicants with program competing offers made and accepted, as well as shared decisions. Note that you may see all or only a few of these reports.
- Social Security Number (SSN) Documents Reference Guide: a guide on how to configure a PGP key to receive an encrypted file that contains the applicant's CAS ID and SSN.
- Transfer Settings Guide: a review of how programs and templates built in WebAdMIT are carried forward each cycle.
The Release Notes feature new enhancements in the Applicant Portal, Applicant Gateway, Configuration Portal, Liaison Letters, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.
For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.
Cycle Enhancements
2025-2026
The table below contains enhancements for AACOMAS for the cycle timeframes noted at the top of this page. Note that some sections have multiple enhancements. If an action is required by participating programs to use the enhancement, click the links under Enhancement Details to learn more. Additional enhancements may have been automatically released; review the Release Notes to learn more.
|
Portal |
Section |
Enhancement Details |
Implementation |
Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Fees |
The secondary application fee increased to $60. The initial application fee remains $198. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Biographic Information |
The Sex question was updated. A Decline to state answer option was added to the Gender Identity question. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Contact Information |
Applicants can enter an alternate email address in the Alternate Email field. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Influences |
The Relatives in Medicine question was moved to the Family Information section. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Other Information |
The Military Status and Military Discharge question blocks have been combined into one. If the applicant does not have any military history, then the related military questions do not appear. The Medical School History question has been moved above the Denied Readmission question. The COVID-19 Impacts question was removed. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Academic History – MCAT Scores |
The MCAT Scores questions were moved from the Personal Information – Other Information section to the Academic History quadrant. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Applicant Portal |
Academic History – Standardized Tests |
Applicants can no longer self-report their ACT or SAT scores. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
CAS Configuration Portal |
Branding |
Pixel tracking can be enabled on the Add Programs and Program Materials sections to gain more insight into your program or organization's applicants. You can insert your tracking ID into the CAS Configuration Portal to establish standard tracking pixels from the major ad providers including Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. |
Action required by all participating programs. |
Available now |
|
WebAdMIT |
Applicant Details Page Email Templates Export Manager List Manager |
The Title field is no longer collected in the application and will be removed from WebAdMIT. You will need to update any lists, exports, emails, and other integrations to account for this field removal. |
Action required by all participating programs. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
WebAdMIT |
Applicant Details Page Export Manager List Manager |
The Refugee answer option was removed from the Visa Information question in the application; the correct option, I-94 Refugee, remains available. You should update any lists, exports, and other integrations to account for this answer option removal. |
Action required by all participating programs. |
Available at cycle launch |
2024-2025
The table below contains enhancements for AACOMAS for the cycle timeframes noted at the top of this page. Note that some sections have multiple enhancements. If an action is required by participating programs to use the enhancement, click the links under Enhancement Details to learn more. Additional enhancements may have been automatically released; review the Release Notes to learn more.
|
Portal |
Section |
Enhancement Details |
Implementation |
Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Applicant Portal |
Fees |
The secondary application fee increased to $57. The initial application fee remains $198. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
My Profile |
If a CAS has a custom question in the first three quadrants (i.e., Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information) or Extended Profile section, then the question can be configured to be internal only, meaning that that question and answers will not be sent to other portals such as the CAS API and WebAdMIT. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Release Statement |
Applicants can edit their responses to questions in the Release Statement section after submitting their application. This includes the:
|
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Academic History – Transcript Entry |
Applicants can view instructions when entering their coursework details. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Configuration Portal |
Program Details |
Two new program attributes were added:
|
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
| Liaison Letters | Delegates | Recommenders (i.e., evaluators, references) can designate assistants or "delegates" to help them submit their letters of recommendation on their behalf through Liaison Letters. Recommenders are still responsible for writing an applicant’s letter of recommendation. | No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. | Available now |
|
WebAdMIT |
Export Manager |
The Teaching Job Title field was disabled. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
WebAdMIT |
Reports |
The Offers Made and Matriculated Elsewhere screens were enabled. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |