AHCAS Program User Guide
This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the AHCAS Applicant Portal, Configuration Portal, 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 September and closes in early September. 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 AHCAS Application Cycle Dates page.
Configuration Portal
Between late June and early August, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and ASAHP review submitted configurations in August.
WebAdMIT
You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in early September.
Program Participation Requirements
ASAHP requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from ASAHP and AHCAS, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.
Applicant Portal
The first three sections of the AHCAS 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 AHCAS application and AHCAS 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 AHCAS Complete application status.
- AHCAS 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 AHCAS Customer Service.
Configuration Portal
Use the Configuration Portal Quick Start Guide to make sure you configure your program(s) efficiently and completely in the prelaunch environment. Be sure to check out your CAS's configuration options and review the best practices found throughout. If any optional sections of the application are required for your program (e.g., experiences, test scores, etc.), you'll want to note this on your program home page.
Once you've configured your program, you'll need to have it approved by the account team and ASAHP before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, ASAHP will approve it.
Review the Program Transcript and Coursework Requirements and Application Statuses table below to learn how your transcript and coursework requirements affect the applicant's Application Status and the GPAs provided to you.
Program Transcript and Coursework Requirements and Application Statuses
This table is from the AHCAS Applicant Help Center. All links below will redirect you to that help center.
WebAdMIT
Review the WebAdMIT Manual 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, contact webadmitsupport@liaisonedu.com.
- 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 Transfer Settings: 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.
- Invitation Codes Reference Guide: learn how to offer individual deadline extensions directly to applicants.
- Manual Designations: learn how to add additional programs (i.e., designations) to an application in WebAdMIT.
- 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, Letters by Liaison, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.
For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.
Cycle Enhancements
2022-2023
The table below contains enhancements for AHCAS 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 first application fee increased to $68. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
GDPR Question |
The GDPR question asks users located in a European Union country, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland to choose if they want to opt into our policies when creating an account. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Other Information |
The following statements were removed from the Background Information question:
|
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – Experiences |
New Experience Type options were added:
|
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – Achievements |
A new Presentations Achievement Type option was added. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
WebAdMIT |
PDF Manager |
If you create a list that searches for applicants based on any field in the Designations field grouping (e.g., Designation, Application Status, etc.), you can now extract the full application PDFs that adhere to your list's criteria. For more information, see the PDF Manager page. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
WebAdMIT |
Clipboard |
You can now add multiple applicants to your Clipboard by uploading a CSV file of their CAS IDs. Review the Using the Clipboard page for more information. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
WebAdMIT |
Field Manager |
The Evaluation field groupings and associated fields were removed. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
2021-2022
The table below contains enhancements for AHCAS 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 |
Coupon Codes |
You can offer organization-specific coupon codes to applicants. Applicants can only use the coupon for a program at your organization. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Invitation Codes |
You can offer individual deadline extensions to applicants via invitation codes after your program closes. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Biographic Information and Contact Information |
Liaison utilizes the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for a variety of standard "lookup" values, such as country names, states, etc. By default, the Country drop-down lists Taiwan as "Taiwan (Province of China)." This enhancement allows CASs to use an alternate name for Taiwan. Note that this enhancement does not affect WebAdMIT or Admissions by Liaison, which will continue to display the ISO standard lookup value, Taiwan (Province of China). |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Configuration Portal |
Organizations and Programs |
Association users can batch activate or reset programs to draft in the Configuration Portal. A new Organization column is added so association users can filter by organization and perform these batch actions more easily. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
Configuration Portal |
Question Rules |
You can use the following Question Rules when configuring your program:
|
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
Letters by Liaison |
Account |
Evaluators can now submit their evaluations as a guest, without creating a Letters by Liaison account. Guest users can create an account at any time while working in Letters by Liaison, and evaluators who already have an account can also complete an evaluation as a guest. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
WebAdMIT |
Applicant Details Page |
You can now view which applicants reapplied from a previous cycle in WebAdMIT. The Applicant Previously Applied to Organization field tracks this information and populates as Yes or No. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |