Before deciding if PTCAS participation is right for your program, it is important to understand more about how a centralized application service (CAS) works, and the many features and benefits available to participating programs. To familiarize yourself with the features, functions, and processes of a CAS, including the benefits available to programs and their applicants, we recommend reviewing the Quick Start Guide  Centralized Application Services: Quick Start Guide.

For individuals who will be involved in the CAS implementation and need to learn how WebAdMIT can help improve the admissions process, we also recommend reviewing the WebADMIT Help Center – WebADMIT Help Center – inclusive of mutliple videos, and tutorials to help programs new to CAS with the implementation process.

Benefits for PTCAS Participating Programs

The education programs participating in a CAS can use the service to:

• Significantly decrease the administrative burden on admissions committees and staff by reducing data entry and filing responsibilities.
• Promote the program to a broader spectrum of prospective applicants in order to recruit a qualified applicant pool that is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, background, and geographic location.
• More effectively compete with other health profession programs that utilize a centralized application service including, but not limited to allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, dental hygiene, veterinary medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistants, occupational therapy, and podiatry.
• More effectively promote physical therapy careers to pre-health profession advisors. Advisors are accustomed to centralized services and find it helpful in advising applicants who wish to apply to multiple programs.
• Reduce the expense of developing and maintaining a paper or web-based application process at the program level.
• More easily contact prospective applicants before their applications are processed in order to send recruitment and/or supplemental application information and increase the program's acceptance yield.
• Capture more comprehensive applicant data in which to make admission decisions.
• Analyze local application trends against peer and national data in order to develop more effective recruitment strategies.
• Contribute to and access a rich database of applicant data that could eventually eliminate the need for surveys on student data.
• Use CAS generated GPAs to eliminate the time-consuming grade conversion and GPA process at the local level.
• Check the real-time status of an applicant's file, transcripts, and references online at any point in the application cycle.
• Export applicant data from the free web-based admissions software into a local student information system or database.

Ready to Participate?

If your program is ready to participate in PTCAS, the first step is to complete the non-binding participation agreement for the application cycle you are seeking to join PTCAS. Please email ptcas@apta.org to request the form.

Once this form has been received, you will receive an official welcome packet containing important information on the next steps in the onboarding process, training resources, and access information to begin setting up your program profile.

If you have any questions regarding PTCAS participation, or would like to set up a demo of the PTCAS application platform, please reach out to us at ptcas@apta.org.