ArchCAS Program User Guide

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in late July and closes in mid-July.

Configuration Portal

Between late May and late June, configurations are entered in the prelaunch environment. The Account Manager and Client Success Manager review submitted configurations in July.

WebAdMIT

You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in late July.

Program Participation Requirements

Liaison requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from ArchCAS, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the ArchCAS 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 ArchCAS application and ArchCAS 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 ArchCAS Complete application status can be found here.
ArchCAS 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 ArchCAS 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 Manager and Client Success Manager before it is available to applicants.

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.
Application Coupons Reference Guide: learn how to request coupons to offset application fees and disperse them to applicants.
Custom Export Field Layout: a comprehensive list of all fields available in the Export Manager, including associated lookup tables.
Fee Structure: an explanation of the application fee structure.
Manual Designations: learn how to add additional programs (i.e., designations) to an application in WebAdMIT.
Master College Code List: a comprehensive list of all college names and their respective Liaison, MDB, CEEB, FICE, and/or IPED codes.
Requesting Official GRE CAS Codes: a guide on how to create CAS-specific codes in order to receive official GRE scores in WebAdMIT.
- To apply for an ArchCAS GRE code, click here.
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 ArchCAS 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	Fees	The Fee Waiver program is no longer available.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Footer	A link to the Liaison Privacy Policy is available in the application footer.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Organization Details	You can offer applicants a deep link to the application's Add Program page with your programs pre-filtered. This allows applicants to quickly access your programs without needing to set their own filters. If an applicant has not yet created an account, the deep link will first instruct them to create an account, and then will take them to the pre-filtered Add Program page.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Program Details	The answer options for the Program Type field are now Degree and Non Degree. You can use the following fields to record additional program data. Review Edit Program Data to update these details. Academic Year Department / Subject	Action required by all participating programs.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Question Rules	The following new question rules are available: You can configure alternate deadlines using the new Change Deadline question rule. You can configure alternate fees using the new Change Fee question rule. You can configure automatic fee waivers using the Fee Waiver Qualification question rule. You can configure what programs are available to applicants using the Program Availability question rule. You can configure what documents are available to applicants using the Show Document question rule.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Questions	You can configure both organization- and program-level questions for your programs. This allows you to configure one set of questions that are asked by all programs in that organization for the CAS and cycle, and another set of questions that are asked by individual programs, as needed. Additionally, if you use organization-level questions, then you can select if applicants can edit their responses to these questions after they've submitted their application. Finally, 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
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	Application Status	The available Application Statuses match the applicant experience: In Progress (partial view) Received Complete Verified Undelivered (partial view) Manual On Hold Review Data Visibility of In Progress Applicants for more information and best practices.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Report Manager	A new Applicant-based report is available: Local Status History. This report includes the applicant’s: CAS ID Name Designation Designation WebAdMIT Label Local Status Local Status Changed Date Local Status Changed By Decision Code Decision Code Changed Date Decision Code Changed By Every Local Status change for an applicant is listed on one row. If an applicant has multiple Local Status changes, the report will include multiple rows with this information. This information can still be accessed under the History panel on the Applicant Details page.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch