VCU Grad Program User Guide
This guide provides you with documentation, reference guides, and direct links that answer common admissions questions about the VCU Grad Applicant Portal, Configuration Portal, and [CAS NAME]. 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 early April and closes in late August, over a 16-month period. You can view the specific cycle dates, including final processing dates (e.g., last date to request letters of recommendation, etc.), on the VCU Grad Application Cycle Dates page.
Configuration Portal
Between late January and early March, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and VCU review submitted configurations in March.
[CAS NAME]
You can view new applicants and initiate a transfer settings shortly after the new cycle opens in early April.
Program Participation Requirements
VCU requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from VCU Grad, including the configuration, application, and [CAS NAME] launch notifications.
Applicant Portal
The first three sections of the VCU Grad 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 VCU Grad application and VCU Grad 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 VCU Grad Complete application status.
- VCU Grad 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 VCU Grad 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 VCU before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, VCU will approve it.
[CAS NAME]
Review the [CAS NAME] Manual for any questions related to working in [CAS NAME]. The Reference Guides and [CAS NAME] Training and Support sections are additional resources as you configure [CAS NAME] 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.
- Data Dictionaries and Master Code Lists: a comprehensive list of all fields available in the Export Manager and Report Manager, including associated lookup tables.
- Integration Help Center and WebAdMIT API: learn how to set up an API and schedule automatic data exports from [CAS NAME] into your SIS/ERP.
- Manual Designations: learn how to add additional programs (i.e., designations) to an application in [CAS NAME].
- 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 [CAS NAME] are carried forward each cycle.
The Release Notes feature new enhancements in the Applicant Portal, Applicant Gateway, Configuration Portal, Letters by Liaison, and [CAS NAME], 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 VCU Grad 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. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Configuration Portal |
Organization Details |
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. Additionally, you can only access the Add Program and Copy Program buttons in the Configuration Portal prelaunch environment. |
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 |
The Program Code field was added. You can use this field to create a custom program ID to help manage your program configurations. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
|
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 |
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 |
Export Manager 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 data and full application PDFs that adhere to your list's criteria. For more information, see the Export Manager and PDF Manager pages. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
2021-2022
The table below contains enhancements for VCU Grad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Configuration Portal |
Question Rules |
You can choose to request or require a document upload based on an applicant’s response to an Extended Profile or program-level question using the Show Document Question Rule. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
2020-2021
The table below contains enhancements for VCU Grad 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 – Additional Test Information |
The What is your verification code? question for MCAT tests is now alphanumeric. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Academic History – Colleges Attended Login Page Personal Information – Release Statement |
The text on the Colleges Attended page, login page, and release statement have been updated. |
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. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Biographic Information |
A new question, Please select your gender/gender identity, was added. |
No action required by participating programs to use this enhancement. |
Available at cycle launch |
|
Applicant Portal |
Personal Information – Other Information |
The answer options for the Other Information question was reordered. |
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 |
Question Rules |
When applicants select a program and answer a program-specific or Extended Profile question, their deadline date can update based on the program’s configurations. If an applicant selects an answer that offers multiple deadlines, then the deadline that the program selected as highest priority displays. If an applicant’s answer is linked to only expired programs, the applicant receives a warning message, advising them to select an alternate program or to contact their program. |
Action required by participating programs choosing to use this enhancement. |
Available now |
|
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, 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 |
|
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 |
Report Manager |
A new Applicant-based report is available: Local Status History. This report includes the applicant’s:
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 |