AACOMAS Program User Guide

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in early May and closes in mid-April.

Configuration Portal

Between mid-January and mid-March, configurations are entered in the prelaunch environment. The Account Manager, Client Success Manager, and AACOM review submitted configurations in April.

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 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.
- Requirements for the AACOMAS Complete application status can be found here.
AACOMAS Quick Start Guide and FAQs: a suggested timeline for completing and submitting the application and a FAQs section.

You can direct any applicant inquiries related to the application to AACOMAS Customer Service.

Configuration Portal

The Configuration Portal Guide contains all information related to configuring your program in the Applicant Portal. You will need to first create your program in the prelaunch environment and have it approved by the Account Manager, Client Success Manager, and AACOM before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, AACOM will approve it.

Use the following checklist to make sure you configure your program efficiently and completely. Also, review the best practices found at the end of these articles. If any optional sections of the application are required for your program (e.g., experiences, test scores, etc.), you'll want to note this in your program configurations.

☑ 1. Review the Application

Review the current application to get a sense of the questions that are already included and what you may want to add.
Start to pull together any details about your program and school that you want to share with applicants in the application.

☑ 2. Be Aware of Cycle Rollovers

Keep in mind that all pages from the current cycle will be rolled over to the new cycle.

☑ 3. Brand Your Program Page

Work with your Marketing or PR department to choose a branding image that meets the size and format specifications. Images have to be 900x270 pixels, and 250 KB or less.
Pull together your program’s introductory text and instructions, as well as any requirements information, including supplemental items/fees if you use a two-part application process.

☑ 4. Configure Questions and Question Rules

Review current school and supplemental applications to help you determine which questions you need to ask.

☑ 5. Configure Prerequisites

Pull together information on prerequisites, including any instructions.

☑ 6. Configure Documents

Ensure you have specific instructions for any documents you are requesting.

☑ 7. Preview and Submit Your Program

Monitor your program’s status by returning to the Configuration Portal.

WebAdMIT

Review the WebAdMIT Manual for any questions related to working in WebAdMIT. The Documentation and Reference Guides and WebAdMIT Training and Support sections are additional resources as you configure WebAdMIT for your needs. Documents commonly requested include:

API Overview: learn how to set up an API and schedule automatic data exports from WebAdMIT into your SIS/ERP.
Custom Export Field Layout: a comprehensive list of all fields available in the Export Manager, including associated lookup tables.
Master College Code List: a comprehensive list of all college names and their respective Liaison, MDB, CEEB, FICE, and/or IPED codes.
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, Configuration Portal, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.

For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.

Cycle Enhancements

2020-2021

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	Academic History – Colleges Attended	The workflow for entering colleges has been improved. Enhancements include: The option to employ an e-transcript vendor from within the application (e.g., Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, or Credential Solutions, where applicable) An improved process for uploading and previewing unofficial transcripts Enhanced display of requirements	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History – Standardized Tests	Applicants can self-report their ACT and SAT scores.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Check Status	The Check Status page has a new interface that helps clarify to applicants their official MCAT score receipt status.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available in fall 2020 (may be subject to change)
Applicant Portal	Emails	Applicants who submit official MCAT scores will receive an email confirmation from AACOMAS.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available in fall 2020 (may be subject to change)
Applicant Portal	Fee Waiver Program	The Fee Assistance Program is renamed Fee Waiver Program.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available at cycle launch (may be subject to change)
Applicant Portal	Fees	The application fees have increased to $196 for an applicant's first program and $46 for any additional programs.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Biographic Information	Two new questions, What is your current gender identity? and Please select the set of pronouns that you want people to use to refer to you., have been added to the Biographic Information section. These questions include non-binary answer options.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available at cycle launch (may be subject to change)
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Influences	2020 has been added as an answer option for the When did they graduate? question under Relatives in Medicine. Pre-Health Advisor or Faculty Member has been added as an answer option for the Interest in Osteopathic Medicine question.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	A Did you receive a Pell Grant at any time while you were an undergraduate student? question has been added to the Other Information section. COVID-19 Impacts questions were added so applicants can indicate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their academic studies. Additionally, they can complete an essay prompt explaining how COVID-19 impacted their pathway to medical school.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Release Statements	The Certifications section of the AACOMAS Release Statement has been updated to better clarify an applicant's work on their personal statement. Applicants can update their Advisor Release agreement after submitting their application.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Submit Application Page	The Submit Application page lists the term on each program’s tile. Previously, applicants needed to click the additional information icon to view the program’s term.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – COVID-19 Transcript Hardships	If an applicant's college or university cannot submit official transcripts to AACOMAS due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the applicant can complete a COVID-19 Transcript Hardships section where they can indicate which colleges and universities are affected. The applicant can also upload an unofficial transcript for these institutions and be verified based on the unofficial transcripts.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Question Rules	When applicants select a program and answer a program-specific or Extended Profile question, their deadline date can update based on the program’s configurations. If an applicant selects an answer that offers multiple deadlines, then the deadline that the program selected as highest priority displays. If an applicant’s answer is linked to only expired programs, the applicant receives a warning message, advising them to select an alternate program or to contact their program.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Questions	When you create a question in the Configuration Portal, you can choose to hide the question in the full application PDF in WebAdMIT. These questions will still display on the Applicant Details page in WebAdMIT and be available in the List Manager and Export Manager.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Competing Offers Accepted Page	The Designation and Offers Accepted Count fields have been removed from the Competing Offers Accepted page.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available at cycle launch (may be subject to change)
WebAdMIT	Decision Codes	Two new Decision Codes, Invited for Interview and Interviewed, have been added.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Export Manager PDF Manager Report Manager	During the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) period, which occurs before the cycle launch, you can log in to the WebAdMIT prelaunch environment and test extracting applicant information through the Export Manager, PDF Manager, and Report Manager.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Export Manager	Under the Colleges Attended field grouping, a Still Attending field has been added.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Expected to be available in fall 2020 (may be subject to change)