PharmCAS Program User Guide

AACP Resources

Review the AACP 2023-2024 PharmCAS School Manual and the PharmCAS Resources page on AACP's website for additional information.

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in early July and closes in late June. Applicants must submit all applications by the June deadline, if not earlier per PharmCAS 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.), on the PharmCAS Application Cycle Dates page.

Configuration Portal

Between early April and early June, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and AACP review submitted configurations in early June.

WebAdMIT

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

Primary Program Contacts

Liaison requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from AACP and PharmCAS, including the configuration, application, and WebAdMIT launch notifications. These individuals are responsible for creating and managing WebAdMIT accounts for all other faculty and staff users who are affiliated with the institution and authorized by the institution to access individual applicant data. Both AACP members and non-members are invited to join the PharmCAS online community in AACP Connect to receive important updates about the service. See the PharmCAS School Manual for details.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the PharmCAS 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 PharmCAS application and PharmCAS 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. Note that the Manual application status does not apply to PharmCAS.
  • Review the requirements for the PharmCAS Complete application status.
• PharmCAS 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 PharmCAS 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 AACP before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, AACP will approve it.

Additionally, review the following recommendations:

Configure Questions and Question Rules (Optional):

• Review current school and supplemental applications to help you determine which questions you need to ask.
• AACP recommends that programs ask no more than 3-5 custom questions.
• Consider removing any custom questions that are not essential to your local admissions review process or predicative of success in your PharmD program.
• If your program's custom questions include an essay, consider reducing the character limit. Applicants already submit a personal essay through the PharmCAS application that is shared with all programs they apply to.

Configure Prerequisites (Optional):

• Pull together information on prerequisites, including any instructions.
• You can customize which and how many prerequisites applicants can match coursework to.
• AACP recommends that programs list ten or fewer prerequisites.
• If applicants matching prerequisite coursework is a barrier for your program, deactivate this feature.

Configure Documents (Optional):

• Ensure you have specific instructions for any documents you are requesting.

Configure Kira Talent Integration (Optional):

• Kira Talent offers on-demand, timed video and timed written assignments that can be combined with the standard admissions process. You can link your Kira assessment to your program in the application by selecting Kira Assessment.

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 FAQ: view answers to frequently asked questions about offering coupon codes. 
• Application Statuses: you can only view full application details of applicants in the Verified application status. For all other application statuses, you can view only limited application information.
• 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.
• PharmCAS End of Year (EOY) Reports: learn how to generate end-of-year (EOY) reports through the Report Manager. The Applications by School report is available in this document.
• Reporting Final Decision Codes: learn how to use WebAdMIT to place applicants in Decision Codes and report them back to AACP.
  • Note that PharmCAS requires you to report the following Decision Codes by September 30 for the previous cycle:
    • Declined Offer
    • Deferred
    • Denied
    • Matriculated
    • Rescinded
    • Withdrew
    • Withdrew After Matriculation
• 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