OptomCAS 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 OptomCAS 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

CAS Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in late June and closes in late May. 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 OptomCAS Application Cycle Dates page.

CAS Configuration Portal

Between mid-April and late May, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and ASCO review submitted configurations in June.

WebAdMIT

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

Program Participation Requirements

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

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the OptomCAS 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 OptomCAS application and OptomCAS 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 OptomCAS Complete application status.
OptomCAS 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 OptomCAS Customer Service.

Configuration Portal

Once you've configured your program, you'll need to have it approved by the account team and ASCO before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, ASCO will approve it.

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 FAQs: view answers to frequently asked questions about coupon codes.
Background checks through Certiphi.
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 On Demand: learn how to transfer deferred applicants from one cycle to the next.
Deferring Applicants via the Liaison-assisted Deferral Process: 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.
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 ASCO.
- You can also use the Competing Offers and Shared Decision reports to find applicants with program competing offers made and accepted, as well as shared decisions. Note that you may see all or only a few of these reports.
- Note that OptomCAS requires you to report the following Decision Codes by January for the previous cycle:
  - Denied
  - Matriculated
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

2026-2027

The table below contains enhancements for OptomCAS 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
CAS Applicant Portal	User Interface	The application is updated to a new, mobile-first, and modern applicant portal that we call CAS 3+. Visit the CAS 3+ Upgrade page to learn more about its key benefits and a preview of the upgraded application.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
CAS Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Release Statements	The OptomCAS Certification Statements has an updated section about the use of AI tools in completing the application.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
CAS Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Contact Information	Applicants can validate their mailing addresses via the SmartyStreets integration. You can view verified address data from WebAdMIT.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
CAS 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.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available at cycle launch
CAS Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Achievements	CASs can choose to collect and require country and state data for an applicant’s achievements (e.g., awards, honors, presentations, etc.).	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
CAS 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 CAS Configuration Portal to establish standard tracking pixels from the major ad providers, including Google, Meta, and LinkedIn.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
CAS Configuration Portal	Prerequisites	You can now set the maximum number of courses that an applicant matches to a prerequisite. Review our best practices when using this feature.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Deferred Applicants	CASs can transfer deferred applicants on demand.	Action required by participating programs choosing 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 CAS 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.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch

2025-2026

Portal	Section	Enhancement Details	Implementation	Availability
CAS Applicant Portal	Fees	The secondary application fee increased to $85. The initial application fee remains $187.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Extended Profile	The European Union Data Protection/GDPR question is configured to be internal only, meaning that it and its 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
CAS Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Biographic Information	A new Phonetic Name question was added, where applicants can enter their NameCoach URL. The Gender Identity question is now an optional question. The Sex question was updated to What is your sex on your official birth record?	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
CAS Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The Medical School History and Previous Enrollment in an Optometry Program questions were removed and replaced with a new Previous Health Profession Education question. Additionally, the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) question was removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
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
Liaison Letters	Recommendation Request	The programs that the applicant is applying to are no longer listed in Liaison Letters.	No action required by participating programs 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	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	You have partial (i.e., limited) viewing rights for applicants in the On Hold application status.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch