CASPA Program User Guide

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in late April and closes in mid-April. Applicants must submit all applications by April 1, if not earlier per program configurations. 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.), in the CASPA Application Cycle Dates page.

Configuration Portal

Between early February to mid-March, configurations are entered in the prelaunch environment. The Account Manager, Client Success Manager, and PAEA review submitted configurations in April.

WebAdMIT

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

Program Participation Requirements

PAEA requires all programs to designate one contact at your institution who will receive all communication from PAEA and CASPA, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the CASPA 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 CASPA application and CASPA 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 CASPA Complete application status can be found here.
CASPA 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 CASPA 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, Client Success Manager, and PAEA before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, PAEA will approve it.

You must use a CASPA pre-approved deadline and use the Show Deadline option. You must also submit your deadline color code preferences and program business rules. Institution Managers will be notified to submit this information before the start of each cycle.

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.
Background checks through CastleBranch.
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.
Reporting Final Decision Codes: learn how to use WebAdMIT to place applicants in Decision Codes and report them back to PAEA.
- Note that CASPA requires that matriculated applicants be marked in the Matriculated Decision Code. All other applicants can be placed in any Decision Code.
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 a CASPA 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

2021-2022

The table below contains enhancements for CASPA 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	Personal Information – Biographic Information	Applicants can now select from a list of pronouns they would like to be referred by in the Gender Identity section. If they select Other, they can enter an explanation. This question is optional.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Citizenship Information	Applicants can now indicate if they have applied for and been accepted to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ("DACA"). If they select Yes, they must certify that the citizenship status and DACA status entered are correct.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Race & Ethnicity	Applicants can now indicate if they are of Arab, Middle Eastern, and/or North African origin. This question is optional.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The Felony and Misdemeanor sections were removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Email Templates	Test Submitted Email Template	A new Test Submitted email template will notify applicants when CASPA receives official GRE, MCAT, or TOEFL scores.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Question Rules	You can choose to request or require a document upload based on an applicant’s response to an Extended Profile or program-level question using the Show Document Question Rule.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Program Attributes	The following new program attributes allow you to more easily track program requirements deadlines and program attributes: Deadline Definition Program Selection	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 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

2020-2021

The table below contains enhancements for CASPA 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	Personal Information – Biographic Information	The What is your gender? question has been updated to What is your legal sex?. Additionally, a new question, What is your current gender identity?, has been added.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The Misdemeanor and Felony questions have been updated to collect more information about any convictions. Two questions about an applicant's previous enrollment in a Physician Assistant program have been removed, as they were duplicates. Additionally, two questions about an applicant's physical or mental impairment and academic reassessment under the Background Information question were removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Release Statement	The CASPA Release Statement and CASPA Professional Code of Conduct have been removed and replaced with a new CASPA Applicant User Agreement and Release statement.	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	A new Criminal Background Check field has been added to the Configuration Portal. This identifies which programs require criminal background checks as part of admission. Additionally, once the application cycle opens, you cannot edit your program deadline. Instead, you must contact the CSM or PAEA to make any changes.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available now
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
WebAdMIT	Transfer Settings	You can now carry forward applicants in the Deferred Decision Code through the Transfer Settings feature.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch