CSDCAS Program User Guide

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This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the CSDCAS 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 mid-July and closes in early July. 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 CSDCAS Application Cycle Dates page.

Configuration Portal

Between early April and mid-June, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team reviews submitted configurations in June.

WebAdMIT

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

Program Participation Requirements

CSDCAS requires all programs to submit a participation agreement to CAPCSD and a member of your account team. When submitting this form, also designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from CAPCSD and CSDCAS, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the CSDCAS 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 CSDCAS application and CSDCAS 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 CSDCAS Complete application status.
CSDCAS 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 CSDCAS 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 CAPCSD before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, CAPCSD will approve it.

You must use a CSDCAS pre-approved deadline and use the Show Deadline option. Additionally, if you want applicants to submit an essay, you must configure it as either a Document or a Question as a CAS-level essay is not required.

WebAdMIT

Review the WebAdMIT Help Center 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, use the Coupon Code Payment Gateway.
Application Coupon Codes FAQ: view answers to frequently asked questions about offering coupon codes.
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.
Reporting Final Decision Codes: learn how to use WebAdMIT to place applicants in Decision Codes and report them back to CAPCSD.
- Note that CSDCAS requires you to report the following Decision Codes by September 30 for the previous cycle:
  - Offer Withdrawn
  - Offer Declined
  - Matriculated
  - Denied
  - Deferred
  - Applicant Withdrew
Requesting Official GRE CAS Codes: a guide on how to create CAS-specific codes in order to receive official GRE scores 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, Liaison Letters, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.

For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.

Cycle Enhancements

2025-2026

The table below contains enhancements for CSDCAS 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	Extended Profile	The GDPR question is configured to be internal only, meaning that the question and answers will not be sent to other portals such as the CAS API and WebAdMIT.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The COVID-19 question was removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History – Standardized Tests	Applicants can self-report their Duolingo test scores. You can view their scores under the Standardized Tests panel on the Applicant Details page.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Branding	Pixel tracking can be enabled on the Add Programs and Program Materials sections to gain more insight into your program or organization's applicants. You can insert your tracking ID into the Configuration Portal to establish standard tracking pixels from the major ad providers including Google, Meta, and LinkedIn.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available now
Liaison Letters	Recommendation Forms	Recommenders can include comments on their ratings for Likert scales and questions. You can view their comments within WebAdMIT and the full application PDF.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page	You have partial (i.e., limited) viewing rights for In Progress applicants.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page	The CAS Custom Questions panel has subpanels by question block, so you can more easily find applicant data and restrict your users' access to it via Work Groups.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page Email Templates Export Manager List Manager	The Title field is no longer collected in the application and will be removed from WebAdMIT. You will need to update any lists, exports, emails, and other integrations to account for this field removal.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Report Manager	A new Multi-Row In Progress Report report is available in the Report Manager, under the Applicant report type.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch

2024-2025

Portal	Section	Enhancement Details	Implementation	Availability
Applicant Portal	Add Program Page	The Delivery and Deadline Date columns on the Add Program page have been switched. Now the Deadline Date column is next to the Deadline Definition column.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Release and Consent to Use	Applicants can edit their responses to questions in the Release and Consent to Use section after submitting their application. This includes the: Pre-submission Release Advisor Release	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Biographic Information	The Gender question now includes a third custom gender value: Another Gender. This allows CASs to meet their guidelines and new reporting options from state and federal governments.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	Applicants can answer new internal questions post-submission: What type of advisor did you consult while preparing to apply? Please note all responses will be shared with CSDCAS staff only and not with any universities/programs. As we continue to grow CSDCAS, we are interested in adding programs to which students are already planning to apply so that students experience the biggest benefit from a centralized application. Who do you wish was in CSDCAS, but currently is not? Please list the university name of programs that you would like to see included in CSDCAS. Please note that all responses will be shared with CSDCAS staff only and not with any universities/programs.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic History – Transcript Entry	Applicants can view instructions when entering their coursework details.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Fee Waivers	Applicants can request a fee waiver if they are a Gates Millennium Scholar or alumni.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Program Details	The Degree Program Attribute options were updated: AuD Master’s with Communication Sciences and Disorders Background Master’s without Communication Sciences and Disorders Background Other SLPD PhD	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available now
Liaison Letters	Delegates	Recommenders (i.e., evaluators, references) can designate assistants or "delegates" to help them submit their letters of recommendation on their behalf through Liaison Letters. Recommenders are still responsible for writing an applicant’s letter of recommendation.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Work Groups	In WebAdMIT, you can configure Work Groups to allow users to see specific panels on the Applicant Details Page. With this enhancement (from Release 11, 2023) if you remove access to a panel for a Work Group, the fields in that panel are also not available for the Work Group to see when creating exports, lists, or PDF manager templates. For example, if the Race and Ethnicity subpanel is not enabled for a Work Group, its members will not see the information from that panel when creating an export, and will not be able to create filters in List Manager using any of the fields from that panel. As a result of this enhancement, reports that are not shared with Work Groups from the Report Settings page will be inaccessible to anyone who is not a WebAdMIT Administrator. Review the How Work Groups Impact Access to Features and Fields documentation to learn more about the impacts of this enhancement.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Export Manager List Manager	The TOEFL Official PBT fields were removed. If you have exports and lists that include this field, you will want to review and update them as necessary.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Program Selections	Some CASs are built where schools offer only one program per organization or most organizations only offer one program. If you participate in either one of these CAS types and only have one program, then WebAdMIT can automatically activate features for your single program. Note that if your organization offers multiple programs within a CAS, then this feature does not apply to you.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch