BU Metropolitan College Program User Guide

Important Contact Information

Contact or refer applicants to the BU Metropolitan College Application Support team at:

Email: met-grad-app.bu@liaisoncas.com
Phone: 857-304-2008

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 early 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 Metropolitan College, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the BU Metropolitan College 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 Metropolitan College application and BU Metropolitan College 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 Metropolitan College Complete application status can be found here.

You can direct any applicant inquiries related to the application to BU Metropolitan College 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.
Deferring Applicants via the Liaison-assisted Deferral Process: learn how to transfer deferred applicants from one cycle to the next.
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.
Master College Code List: a comprehensive list of all college names and their respective Liaison, MDB, CEEB, FICE, and/or IPED codes.
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

2022-2023

The table below contains enhancements for BU Metropolitan College 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	Add Program	The Program Type filter was removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Biographic Information	The Preferred Name and Preferred Pronouns questions were added. Additionally, the Gender Identity question was updated.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Race & Ethnicity	The answer options were updated.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The First Generation Students question was updated. The Did you receive your degree outside of the United States question was updated to Did you receive your Bachelor's degree outside of the United States. Additionally, the text of the subsequent conditional question was updated to Please indicate the primary language of instruction at the institution attended. The Have you taken Defense Acquisition University (DAU) courses question was removed. Lastly, an Other checkbox was added as an answer option to the How did you hear about the graduate program at BU's Metropolitan College that you are applying for question.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History	The sections were reordered, with GPA Entries now under Colleges Attended.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History – Colleges Attended	If an applicant selects Unlisted French Speaking Canadian or Other Foreign Institution, they must complete a new required field for the college’s country. If you created exports to pull a college's country data, you must edit and select the new college country fields. Review the Country Field for Manually Entered Foreign Institutions release note for more information.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History – Standardized Tests	The GRE and GMAT test score sections were removed. Additionally, the instruction text was updated to better assist applicants.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Recommendations	Applicants can now only request a maximum of three recommendations.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Program Requirements	A new Scholarship Essay Document Type is available.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Organization Details and Program Details	You can preview your programs in the application using the Preview feature and continue making edits as necessary.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Organization Details	You can only access the Add Program and Copy Program buttons in the Configuration Portal prelaunch environment.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Organization Details	Instead of rebuilding your program in the prelaunch environment, you can import your program from a previous cycle's production environment into the prelaunch environment. You can access the Import from Previous Cycle button in the Configuration Portal prelaunch environment. Visit the Import Your Programs page for more information.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page	You can view TOEFL MyBest scores in the Standardized Tests panel of the Applicant Details page. Additionally, you can view scores in the Full Application PDF under the Documents panel of the Applicant Details page. All TOEFL iBT score reports sent after August 1, 2019, will include the applicant's MyBest scores as well as the individual scores from each test date.	No action required by participating programs 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	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	Export Manager List Manager	The Applicant Gateway Activities field grouping and associated fields were removed. Be sure to review your existing lists and exports to review and update your criteria, if applicable.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch

2021-2022

The table below contains enhancements for BU Metropolitan College 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 Academic History – GPA Entries Supporting Information – Documents	The instructional text was updated in these sections to better assist applicants.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Biographic Information	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
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The Will you be using U.S. Dept. Of Defense Tuition Assistance if you enroll in a program? question was removed.	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 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 Metropolitan College 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 TBD	Academic History – Colleges Attended Academic History – Standardized Tests Login Page Supporting Information – Recommendations	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	Add Program Page	Applicants can only apply to one program at each organization for each term.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Coupons	You can now offer coupons to applicants to help off-set application fees.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Emails	The email confirming receipt of college transcripts has been turned off.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Footer	The BU Metropolitan College Instagram account, WECHAT, and WEIBO links are added to the application footer.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	Two new questions, Are you a current BU Employee? and Did you receive your degree outside of United States?, have been added. The question, What is your current job title?, had If you are not employed, list "None". If you are a full-time student, list "Student". added to it. After the BU partner company question, a new question, If you would like to add an alternate or work email address, please do so here:, has been added. The question, How many months of full-time post-undergraduate work experience do you have?, was changed to How many years of full-time post-undergraduate work experience do you have? Additionally, applicants select their answers from drop-downs instead of typing in their answers. The following questions were created or added to a new Program Format question header: Do you intend to complete your program in our on-campus or online format? Do you intend to apply for a U.S. Visa to study at BU Metropolitan College? Will you be using U.S. Dept. of Defense Tuition Assistance if you enroll in a program? Have you ever taken Defense Acquisition University (DAU) courses?	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	Documents	The Other document type was changed to Additional Document.	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: Yes (if the applicant selected Yes) or No (if the applicant selected No or didn’t answer the question). 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: Yes (if the applicant selected Yes), No (if the applicant selected No), or Blank (if the applicant didn’t answer the question). The Hispanic (Yes / No / Blank) field is available in the: Applicant Header List Manager Export Manager Race and Ethnicity subpanel under the Personal Information panel (note that this field is labeled as Hispanic) 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: 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