SOPHAS Program User Guide

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in mid-August and closes in early August. 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 SOPHAS Application Cycle Dates page.

Configuration Portal

Between late April to early June, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The Account Manager, Client Success Manager, and ASPPH review submitted configurations in July.

WebAdMIT

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

Program Participation Requirements

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

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of the SOPHAS 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 SOPHAS application and SOPHAS 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 SOPHAS Complete application status.
SOPHAS 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 SOPHAS 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 ASPPH before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, ASPPH 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:

API Overview: learn how to set up an API and schedule automatic data exports from WebAdMIT into your SIS/ERP.
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.
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.
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

2022-2023

The table below contains enhancements for SOPHAS 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	When applicants enter their colleges attended, they can now identify if they paid in-state or out-of-state tuition for each college or university. Additionally, 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	Extended Profile	The following questions were added: Do you have a Master's degree? Do you have a Doctoral or nearly completed Doctoral Degree (within 24 months of completion)? Do you have post-undergraduate health-related work or research experience? If yes, length of experience? Do you have a US Visa? What type of visa?	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Citizenship Information	The Length of residency in the United States question was removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Achievements	The following achievement types were added: Publications Scholarships	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Experiences	The following experience types were added: Shadowing Training Attended	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Licenses and Certifications	The Licenses and Certifications section was added. Applicants can enter detailed information about any licenses or certifications they earned.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
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	Program Details	You can edit the Program Code program attribute, which may be useful for importing program data into your Student Information System (SIS). Additionally, a new STEM Designated Program program attribute is available.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Letters by Liaison	Account	The guest access to Letters by Liaison was removed; all recommenders must create an account when submitting a letter of recommendation.	No action required by participating programs 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

2021-2022

The table below contains enhancements for SOPHAS 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 – High School Attended	A new, simplified version of the High School Attended section is now available. Applicants do not need to enter their terms attended in this version.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Academic Update	The Academic Update period was extended an additional month; it is now available from mid-June to early August (cycle close).	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
Applicant Portal	Extended Profile	A new Extended Profile feature was added, which are question(s) an applicant must answer after they create their application and before they can select programs or complete any part of the application. The Extended Profile includes these questions: Are you a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident? Did you receive a degree from a non-U.S. institution? Did you receive a medical degree from a non-U.S. institution? Have you taken the USMLE and/or have ECFMG Certification?	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Contact Information	The Second Party Authorization and Alternate Email questions were moved from the Other Information section to the Contact Information section.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Personal Information – Other Information	The Felony, Misdemeanor, and COVID-19 questions were removed.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Additional Experiences	The Additional Experiences question was updated to Have you participated in any of the following U.S. based national service agencies or programs. Additionally, a new answer option, Summer Health Professions Education Program, was added to this question.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Documents	A new USMLE Score Report/ECFMG Credential document type was added.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Supporting Information – Experiences	The instructions text is updated to better assist applicants.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Configuration Portal	Documents	The available program-level document types were updated. The following document types were added: Financial Aid Documentation International Transcript Evaluation International Transcripts Passport/Visa Documentation Program Essay/Statement Program Form Research Statement And the following document types were removed: ECFMG Credentials USMLE Score Report	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Program Details	A new GRE Required program attribute was added.	Action required by all participating programs.	Available now
Configuration Portal	Question Rules	You can use the following Question Rules: Show Document Question Rule: request or require a document upload based on an applicant’s response to an Extended Profile or program-level question. Program Availability Question Rule: show or hide your programs based on an applicant’s response to an Extended Profile or program-level question.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page	You can view the TOEFL MyBest scores under the Standardized Tests panel.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch

2020-2021

The table below contains enhancements for SOPHAS 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	Academic History – High School Attended	Applicants can enter their high school information. This is optional. They do not need to submit high school transcripts.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Add Program Page	The Add Program page in the Applicant Portal has a new streamlined look and feel and includes an updated search feature. The improved Add Program interface is easier to navigate and offers increased adherence to 508 Compliance standards. Applicants can select programs from the holistic list under the Add Program sub-tab, and then toggle to the Selected Programs sub-tab to review their program selections. Additionally, the new Add Program page lists the Organization Name field as a row with its programs grouped below it, instead of as a column. The Organization Name also remains at the top of the table until the next organization and program grouping appear. Finally, applicants can skip the Add Program page after creating their account.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Fees	The application fees are updated: $140 for the first program an applicant applies to. $50 for any additional programs they apply to.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
Applicant Portal	Submit Application Page	The Submit Application page lists the term on each program’s tile. Previously, applicants needed to click the additional information icon to view the program’s term.	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	Questions	You can configure both organization- and program-level questions for your programs. This allows you to configure one set of questions that are asked by all programs in that organization for the CAS and cycle, and another set of questions that are asked by individual programs, as needed. Additionally, if you use organization-level questions, then you can select if applicants can edit their responses to these questions after they've submitted their application. Finally, when you create a question in the Configuration Portal, you can choose to hide the question in the full application PDF in WebAdMIT. These questions will still display on the Applicant Details page in WebAdMIT and be available in the List Manager and Export Manager.	Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement.	Available now
Letters by Liaison	Account	Evaluators can now submit their evaluations as a guest, without creating a Letters by Liaison account. Guest users can create an account at any time while working in Letters by Liaison, and evaluators who already have an account can also complete an evaluation as a guest.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Applicant Details Page	You can quickly identify if an applicant has chosen to use the Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) service, where a PTE specialist enters the applicant’s completed coursework for an additional fee. The PTE Status field appears for all applicants under the Applicant Header on the Applicant Details page; it won’t appear in the full application PDF. It can be used in the List Manager, Export Manager, and Email Templates as a merge field. The possible values for this field include: TE-Awaiting Transcripts: the applicant has not submitted all required, official transcripts to the CAS. TE-Ready for Work: the applicant is in queue to have their coursework entered by a PTE specialist. TE-Pending Approval: the applicant must approve the entered coursework before their application is given a Complete date and placed in line for verification. Note that the applicant may have to meet additional CAS requirements, such as a minimum number of evaluations completed, before being given a Complete date. TE-Approved: the applicant has approved the entered coursework. If an applicant did not elect to use the PTE service, their PTE status is blank.	No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement.	Available at cycle launch
WebAdMIT	Application Status	You can view full application details for In Progress applicants. Be aware that applications may update before applicants submit. Review the Data Visibility of In Progress Applicants guide for more information and best practices.	No action required by participating programs 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 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