Updates and Events
Cycle Launch & Managing Overlapping Cycles
The 2026-2027 NursingCAS cycle will launch on August 6. The current 2025-2026 cycle will remain open through January 29, 2027.
With two NursingCAS cycles open simultaneously for 5 months, it is important that users accurately update hyperlinks so students can access the application in the correct cycle portal. We highly recommend that users place “Apply Now” buttons throughout their college website to easily direct students to the application in multiple places. Please reference the URL and Hyperlinks page to review your options.
Required Webinar: Steps to Ensure a Successful 2026-2027 Cycle on August 11
Register now to attend our upcoming webinar, NursingCAS: Steps to Ensure a Successful 2026-2027 Cycle, on Tuesday, August 11 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The following topics will be discussed:
- WebAdMIT best practices and efficiency measures: local statuses, list manager, faculty/committee member review feature, automated scoring features, and more
- Steps to managing your applicant pool
- Tips for analyzing your applicant pool and recruitment efforts with the Report Manager and Liaison Analytics tools
- AACN and NursingCAS recruitment tools
- NursingCAS and WebAdMIT training resources
At least one member from each institution must attend. If you cannot attend, please register to receive a copy of the recording.
NursingCAS Link & Learn: Leveraging Local Statuses on September 16
AACN is hosting a virtual networking session, Link & Learn: Leveraging Local Statuses, on Wednesday, September 16 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
At this session, a panel of NursingCAS super users will discuss their team’s best practices for leveraging WebAdMIT’s Local Statuses feature. Register for this event to share ideas and learn more about your peer institutions’ approaches to this part of their recruitment process. You can expect:
- Brief presentations from fellow NursingCAS school users discussing their Local Status process and workflow
- A follow-up Q&A session to ask presenters more about their processes, brainstorm new ideas, and compare notes
AACN hopes to use this session to foster community-wide conversations and build connections within the NursingCAS community. Register today to attend!
Recording Available: NursingCAS Configuration Training Webinar
AACN recently hosted the NursingCAS: Configuration Training Webinar to prepare users for the upcoming 2026-2027 cycle. If you were unable to attend, please be sure to review the webinar recording and presentation slides. The following topics were discussed:
- Configuration portal terminology and the NursingCAS rollover process
- Steps for configuring your programs
- Features to streamline application reviews
- Best practices for closing out a cycle and preparing for a new cycle
Echo Targeting: Cycle Launch Discount Offer
To celebrate the launch of the 2026-2027 cycle, NursingCAS is offering $500 off any Echo Targeting campaign of $1,000 or more. Echo Targeting is a digital advertising program that helps your programs stay in front of prospective nursing students after they visit the NursingCAS application, the NursingCAS.org website, and AACN Student webpages. Your ad graphics continue reaching these students as they browse websites and social media, keeping your program top of mind throughout their application journey.
Take advantage of this limited time offer and give your recruitment strategy a boost at the start of a new admissions cycle! Contact Owen Landon by September 30 to claim your discount. Schedule a 30-minute call via Calendly, or contact Owen by phone at 617-877-6327 or email at Owen@Echo-InteractiveLLC.com.
Configuration Best Practice: Link to Application Landing Page
As a reminder, NursingCAS member schools must link to the NursingCAS Application instead of the NursingCAS website when adding hyperlinks to NursingCAS on their school webpages. Please review your website for any links to NursingCAS.org, or any cycle-specific hyperlinks, and reach out to your web team to ensure that they are replaced with links to the application landing page.
For more best practices, visit the CAS Configuration Portal Help Center and register for our NursingCAS: Steps to Ensure a Successful 2026-2027 Cycle webinar on August 11.
Featured Liaison Learning Course | WebAdMIT Essentials: Dashboards, Applicant Records, and User Setup
Register for this Liaison Live Learning webinar to get started in WebAdMIT! This session offers a product overview that covers:
- Navigating the Dashboard
- Reviewing the Applicant Details Page
- Creating Admissions Users and Work Groups
NursingCAS Applicant Newsletter
The NursingCAS Applicant Newsletter, provided by AACN, is emailed to 180,000+ NursingCAS applicants the third week of every month. This newsletter is for programs affiliated with NursingCAS only. Program submissions are FREE and due the Friday prior to publication.
Posts must relate to a program’s Open Seats, any Deadline Extensions that have been implemented, or New Programs that have launched in the Application Portal since the previous newsletter. We recommend including contact information for representatives or links to your website and the NursingCAS application within the announcement. Visit the Newsletter Archive for samples of previous submissions.
Submit an Item to the Applicant Newsletter today! Login is required to access the submission form.
NursingCAS Applicant Events Calendar
The NursingCAS Events Calendar allows you to publicize your program’s information sessions, virtual fairs, open houses, and other recruitment events that connect you with potential applicants!
Submit an Item to the Events Calendar today! Login is required to access the submission form.
Subscribe to WebAdMIT Release Notes
WebAdMIT Release Notes provide a summary of enhancements and new features that are made available in the Applicant Portal, Applicant Gateway, Configuration Portal, Letters by Liaison, and WebAdMIT. Want to receive Release Notes emails? Subscribe here. See the complete list of recent enhancements in WebAdMIT Release Notes.
WebAdMIT Sandbox Environment Refresh
Are you utilizing the WebAdMIT Sandbox? If not, you should be! Sandbox is a duplicate test platform useful for testing and training purposes; any actions performed in Sandbox will not affect the live data in production. This tool provides users with a safe, “near-production” environment to test applications and run sample exports, among other actions. The Sandbox is a copy of the WebAdMIT production environment with sensitive applicant information (such as surnames, email addresses, etc.) obfuscated.
The WebAdMIT Sandbox is refreshed between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET every Monday. If Monday is a U.S. or Canadian holiday, deployment is the next business day and includes all system changes from the preceding release. The WebAdMIT Sandbox environment is refreshed with current (cleansed) production data and program configurations. Any test exports, custom fields, etc., in the current Sandbox will be overwritten.
By The Numbers
Configuration Trends: Transcripts & Coursework Settings
The fourth section of the NursingCAS application quadrant – “Program Materials” – collects information specific to your program. This section is customized by schools via the CAS Configuration Portal. Using this portal, you can ensure that your program pages reflect your institution's branding and provide applicants with core program details (including eligibility requirements and deadlines).
In this portal, you can also set up your program’s Transcript and Coursework requirements. The selections you make determine the level of verification performed by the NursingCAS staff, the GPAs provided to your team in WebAdMIT, and the applicant's final application status.
In the 2024-2025 NursingCAS Cycle:
- 89.9% of programs required Official Transcripts. Of these programs:
- 53% required full coursework entry
- 15% required prerequisite coursework entry
- 32% did not require coursework entry
- 3.3% of programs required Unofficial Transcripts. Of these programs:
- 50% required prerequisite coursework entry
- 50% did not require coursework entry
- 6.8% of programs did not require Transcripts from applicants.
For an overview of the customization options available to your team and their impact on your process, please visit the Configure College Transcript Settings resource in the WebAdMIT Help Center.
Need help with your configuration process? WebAdMIT’s CAS Configuration Portal Quick Start Guide provides a comprehensive overview of configuration processes and best practices.
Q&A
Q: What are the major dates in a NursingCAS cycle that my team should be aware of?
A: With the launch of the 2026-2027 cycle, NursingCAS will enter a period of overlapping cycles. It is important that your team stay aware of the major cycle dates/milestones, update any applicable language and links on your website accordingly, and keep your applicants informed of upcoming deadlines.
Below are some of the key dates/deadlines remaining in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 cycles. Please note that there is a new process for deferring applicants from one cycle to another beginning with the 2026-2027 cycle:
- 2026-2027 Cycle Launch: August 6, 2026
- 2026-2027 On-Demand Deferral Period: September 1-15, 2026
- 2025-2026 Cycle Close: January 29, 2027
- 2026-2027 On-Demand Deferral Period: March 1-15, 2027
- 2026-2027 On-Demand Deferral Period: January 3-17, 2028
- 2026-2027 Cycle Close: January 28, 2028
More information on the key cycle dates can be found in the NursingCAS Cycle Dates and the Deferring Applicants on Demand webpages in the Applicant Help Center.
The NursingCAS Cycle Dates & Matriculation Terms table (provided below and available on our website) is another good point of reference for the major cycle dates and inclusive terms.
Additional Resources