BU College of Fine Arts Program User Guide
This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the BU College of Fine Arts 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 your Account Manager and Client Success Manager.
Important Contact Information
Contact or refer applicants to the BU College of Fine Arts Application Support team at:
- Email: cfa-info.bu@liaisoncas.com
- Phone: 857-304-2000
Contact the Client Support Specialist team for assistance with WebAdMIT at:
- Webform
- Email: buprogramsupport@liaisonedu.com
- Phone: 857-304-2012
Cycle Timeframes
Applicant Portal
The Applicant Portal opens in mid-July and closes in early November.
Configuration Portal
Between early April and late June, configurations are entered in the prelaunch environment.
WebAdMIT
You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in mid-July.
Program Participation Requirements
BU requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from BU and BU College of Fine Arts, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.
Applicant Portal
The first three sections of the BU College of Fine Arts 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 BU College of Fine Arts application and BU College of Fine Arts 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 BU College of Fine Arts Complete application status can be found here.
You can direct any applicant inquiries related to the application to BU College of Fine Arts Application Support.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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
2021-2022
The table below contains enhancements for BU College of Fine Arts 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 – Standardized Tests |
Depending on an applicant's answers on the Extended Profile page, they will see specific standardized test types. For example, if an applicant reports that they live outside the US, then the CAS can display the TOEFL, PTE, and/or IELTS standardized test types. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Background Image |
The application's background image was updated. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Extended Profile |
A new Extended Profile feature was added, which are question(s) an applicant must answer after they create their application and before they can select programs or complete any part of the application. The Extended Profile has only one question: Are you a current Boston University College of Fine Arts Student? |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Biographic Information |
A new Preferred Pronouns question was added. Additionally, the Sex question text was updated to While we understand that your sex may not necessarily be binary, this information is required for reporting purposes to the U.S. Federal Government using these values only. What is your sex? |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Configuration Portal |
Question Rules |
You can now use the following question rules when configuring your programs:
|
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
|
WebAdMIT |
Applicant Details Page |
You can now view which applicants reapplied from a previous cycle in WebAdMIT. The Applicant Previously Applied to CAS field populates as Yes or No. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
2020-2021
The table below contains enhancements for BU College of Fine Arts 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:
|
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Academic History – Colleges Attended Academic History – Standardized Tests Login Page Supporting Information – Documents |
The login page and various section instructions text are updated to better assist applicants. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
|
When applicants request a recommendation, the email sent to recommenders now comes from a CollegeofFineArts-Info.bu email address. Previously, these emails came from a CFA-Info.BU address. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Login Page |
The background image has been updated. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Release Statement |
A new Privacy Statement has been added. |
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 |
|
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 |
Assignments |
Previously, when a reviewer was assigned an Assignment in WebAdMIT, they received an email the next day, listing all Assignments given to them, regardless if the reviewer already completed them. Now reviewers only receive the daily Assignment email if they have incomplete Assignments from the previous day. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
WebAdMIT |
Export Manager |
The Hispanic field in WebAdMIT aligns with the Do you consider yourself to be of Hispanic/Latino Origin? optional question from the Applicant Portal. Currently, when users export this field from WebAdMIT, an applicant’s response populates as:
A new Hispanic (Yes / No / Blank) field has been created to accurately reflect an applicant’s response to this Do you consider yourself to be of Hispanic/Latino Origin? question:
The Hispanic (Yes / No / Blank) field is available in the:
The original Hispanic field is still available in WebAdMIT. |
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:
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 |