PTCAS Program User Guide
This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the PTCAS 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-June and closes in early June. 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 PTCAS Application Cycle Dates page.
Configuration Portal
Between early April and late May, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and APTA review submitted configurations in June.
WebAdMIT
You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in mid-June.
Program Participation Requirements
APTA requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from APTA and PTCAS, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications.
Applicant Portal
The first three sections of the PTCAS 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 PTCAS application and PTCAS 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 PTCAS Complete application status.
- PTCAS 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 PTCAS 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 APTA before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, APTA will approve it.
WebAdMIT
Review the WebAdMIT Manual 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 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.
- Reporting Final Decision Codes: learn how to use WebAdMIT to place applicants in Decision Codes and report them back to APTA.
- Note that PTCAS requires you to report the following Decision Codes by October for the previous cycle:
- Denied
- Matriculated
- Note that PTCAS requires you to report the following Decision Codes by October for the previous cycle:
- Requesting Official GRE CAS Codes: a guide on how to create CAS-specific codes in order to receive official GRE scores in WebAdMIT.
- 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, Applicant Gateway, Configuration Portal, Letters by Liaison, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.
For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.
Cycle Enhancements
2023-2024
The table below contains enhancements for PTCAS 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 – Release Statement |
A Total Cost of Education Acknowledgment question was added. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Economic/Educational/Environmental Factors |
2022 was added as an answer option to the Year of High School Graduation question. Additionally, the following questions were added:
|
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – Experiences |
Applicants can edit in progress experiences after they submit their application. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – Observation Hours |
The Observation Hours section collects additional experience type details, roles of people shadowed, and hours for non-clinical settings. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – Essay |
The Essay prompt was updated. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
WebAdMIT |
Applicant Details Page |
Applicants' licenses and certifications data is now located under the Licenses and Certification panel on the Applicant Details page. Previously, it was listed under the Achievements panel. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
2022-2023
The table below contains enhancements for PTCAS 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 |
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 |
Fee Waivers |
If an applicant is eligible for a fee waiver but the fee waiver fund is depleted, then applicants can be alerted that they qualified for the fee waiver even though they could not be awarded one. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Fees |
The application fee for the first program applicants apply to increased from $155 to $160. The application fee for additional programs that applicants apply to remains at $60 per program. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Biographic Information |
The Sex question was updated to Legal Sex. Additionally, a Pronouns question was added. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Citizenship Information |
The instructions text was updated to better assist applicants. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Other Information |
The Felony question was removed. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Release Statement |
The release statement was updated to clarify that while PTCAS does not collect an applicant's criminal history, DPT programs may collect this information. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Supporting Information – References |
The References section was removed, and letters of reference are no longer collected at the CAS level; instead, you can collect them at the program level through the Configuration Portal. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Chatbot |
Liaison has partnered with Ada to offer an AI chatbot. The chatbot, nicknamed Cassie, leverages an API with CXone Expert, which hosts the CAS-specific Applicant Help Centers. Applicants can access this chatbot once they are logged in to the application. The chatbot responds with information and links to the CAS-specific Applicant Help Center and, if needed, directs the applicant to live support with customer service. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Applicant Portal |
Coupon Codes |
You can offer organization-specific coupon codes to applicants. Applicants can only use the coupon for a program at your organization. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
Configuration Portal |
Documents |
You can now request the following document types:
|
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
Configuration Portal |
Evaluations |
You can now request or require letters of reference for each of your programs. |
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. Additionally, 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 |
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 |
Program Details |
You can edit the Program Code program attribute, which may be useful for importing program data into your Student Information System (SIS). |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
Letters by Liaison |
Recommendations |
Recommenders can automatically reuse a completed recommendation for an applicant who requests they complete additional recommendations that are the same recommendation type as the original (e.g., academic, personal, etc.). Once activated by the recommender, any time the same applicant requests the same recommendation type, the system will automatically complete the recommendation and submit it. Recommenders will receive an email every Friday that records if the recommendation has been reused, and if so, for which programs. This feature can be turned off at any time by the recommender. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
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 |
Applicant Details Page Export Manager List Manager |
The Address 2 field for observation hours data is now available in WebAdMIT. |
Action required by participating programs choosing 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 |
Decision Codes |
A new Deferred Decision Code is available to identify which applicants are included in the Liaison-supported Deferral Process. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
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 |