Graduate School: Building a Better Application

What is it? The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture  (opens in a new tab) (ACSA), which has more than 200 member schools, is creating a one-stop application platform for students seeking to apply to graduate-degree programs in architecture. The new system, ArchCAS  (opens in a new tab), will “allow prospective applicants to easily apply to multiple schools using a single upload of core information,” wrote Executive Director  (opens in a new tab) Michael J. Monti in an announcement. ACSA is partnering with admissions and enrollment management company Liasion to create the service.

Why it works: ArchCAS aims to help schools manage admissions and enrollment more effectively, in part by reducing paperwork. According to Monti, the service, which is free for members, will also provide “insight into trends in enrollment across schools, which we will be able to share with our members to help them better calibrate their recruitment, admissions, and enrollment process.”

Other benefits: Depending on their level of membership, people may receive a subscription to the Journal of Architectural Education, access to members-only online content, and discounts on conference registration. ACSA also offers members access to full-text searches  (opens in a new tab) of conference proceedings from the past 21 years.

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