Graduate Application

1
The Graduate Application Process
Graduate Application Prospective students apply
through the web layer, and continue to see their
items logged via their Applicant Status Page. To
learn more about what the applicant sees please
reference the appendix at the end of this
document.
UDSIS The application is verified and exported
from the web layer and then uploaded into UDSIS.
The next morning a confirmation e-mail goes out
to the applicant with detailed instructions.
Please see the appendix at the end of this
document for more details. Graduate admission
staff members work directly in the UDSIS system
in modules which faculty do not see.

UDSIS GRADIS
GRADIS is a part of UDSIS. It functions as a
window allowing faculty to view all materials,
track communications with the applicant,
communicate with members of the admission
committee and, ultimately, make admission
decisions.
Pre-decision
Admitted
Rejected
Applicant Summary
2
GRADIS remains a work-in-progress

• The look and functionality of GRADIS had to be
  built in the confines of PeopleSoft UDSIS. Thus,
  users of the legacy system will recall a more
  friendly look and feel to the applicant review
  process than the current one offers.
  Nevertheless, work continues to make UDSIS and
  GRADIS as helpful as possible for faculty and
  staff use.
• Live as of 11/11/08
• Recommenders upload their own letters of
  recommendation, along with the recommendation
  grid.
• Applicants can upload resume, essay, writing
  samples, portfolios, supplemental documents, etc.
• Adding additional field choices to Pre-Decision
  lists including e-mails, phone numbers, previous
  institutions attended, and gpas specific to
  their graduate vs undergraduate institutions
  attended.
• Coming soon!
• Automating e-mail notifications to registered
  users when a new application appears on your
  Pre-Decision list when a checklist item is
  updated when an application checklist is
  complete and ready for review when an applicant
  declines an offer and when an applicant accepts
  an offer.
• GRADIS hotline ext. 4573.
• Additional focus groups will be held and general
  feedback is welcome.

3
The GRADIS Module in UDSIS
Your Pre-Decision List pulls all applicants for
the next year (up to three semesters) into one
list.
(Applicants from previous semesters are explained
in the Applicant Summary section of this
presentation.)
Quick tip! Access to GRADIS can be set by
sending an e-mail to BankL_at_udel.edu with a copy
to your Program Director listing the exact
permissions needed. Many support staff are given
permission to reject applicants under direction
from their coordinator, for example.
4
After clicking on Pre-Decision List you will see
the following screen
Quick tip! Click the Search button while
leaving all fields blank. It will only bring up
only those programs you have permission to view.
5
Now the list shows that this user has access to
view Electrical Computer Engineering MS and PhD
applicants.
Quick tip! If there are no applicants in a given
program then you will not see that program show
up at all.
6
Quick tip! Click this Customize button to
choose which fields you view. See next page to
see customized choices
Clicking on your programs Pre-Decision List will
show you all applicants to your program.
7
We suggest hiding fields that you do not
regularly use.
and order the unhidden fields according to your
reviewing priorities.
Quick tip! We suggest keeping the Checklist
Complete column and Status Date column. See
explanation on next page
8
Going back to the Pre-Decision list, you will now
see the customizations you have chosen.
Quick tip! You can click on Checklist Complete
to sort applicants by those who have completed
their application (Y) and are ready for your
review.
Quick tip! If you are on the lookout for
materials from a particular applicant you can
click on Most Recent Checklist Date. This will
sort the most recently updated applicants to the
top. Most Recent Checklist Date indicates the
last time an action of some type took place in
this applicants record whether it resulted in
a completed checklist or not.
9
You can download this list into Excel. Try this
now, as most computers need to be set up to make
it work. If you get a blank screen or a message
saying File not found or file received has
length zero see next page for special
instructions
10
Update 9/10/08 from IT These instructions will
work intermittently until UD applies the latest
Tools 8.48 patch. Until this happens you should
still try the standard instructions below

• Firefox/Mozilla instructions
•  
• 1. Open the browser.
•  
• 2. From the Tools menu, click Options.
•  
• 3. Click Content
•  
• Block Pop-ups should be clicked
• Click on Exceptions and add https//woodenshoe.nss
  .udel.edu
•  
• 6. Click OK to close the Options dialog box
•  
•  

• Internet Explorer instructions
• 1. Go to Tools-Internet Options-Security-Trusted
  Sites. Add the following as a trusted site
  https//woodenshoe.nss.udel.edu
• On this same Security tab with Trusted Sites
  selected, hit the "Custom level" button. Look
  down the list to "Downloads" and click enable for
  the following two items Automatic prompting for
  file downloads and File download. 
• Go to Tools-Popup blocker and turn it off or set
  it to allow https//woodenshoe.nss.udel.edu
•  4. Click OK
•  

If this function still does not work you may need
to contact your CITA for assistance.
11

• Now that you can download your customized list
  into Excel you will see the following choice
  appear. Do not open it in your web browser.
  Instead, save it to your computer with a title
  such as Applicants as of (todays date) It is
  important to remember that you have downloaded a
  snapshot of a constantly changing applicant
  listing. The date of download will remind you of
  this important fact.

12
Moving from Pre-Decision List to a single
Applicant Summary
When you are ready to look more carefully at a
particular applicant click on the View Details
button
Quick tip! View details takes you to Applicant
Summary. Approaching this another way, you can
go directly into Applicant Summary and find any
individual applicant including those from
previous semesters.
13
An Applicant Summary search screen will pop-up.
(Be sure your computer is not set to block
pop-ups)
When coming directly from the Pre-Decision List
this search screen will pre-load with the
applicants information.
Quick tip! Going directly through the Applicant
Summary link will bring up the same search screen
but it will not be pre-populated. You can
place the last name of the applicant in the
Name box to search for any application received
after 2006
14
Applicant Summary
This first top section of the Applicant Summary
page show the applicants program, plan, intended
load, admission term, address and contact
information. These are all self reported by the
applicant at the time of application and download
directly into UDSIS.
15
Institution Attended
Fixed! If you do NOT see this link, please
e-mail bankl_at_udel.edu A live link should show
for any applicant who previously attended UD.
Also, please note that this link is NOT where all
other college transcripts will show up.
Institutions Attended Self reported means this
is what the applicant typed this in themselves.
However, only when a transcript is received by
graduate admissions staff will this institution
and GPA be verified. How do you know the
transcript has been verified? See the section
called Required Application Checklist Items.
Quick tip! This link will go to an transcript
with no courses listed if the applicant owes any
money to the University. This is standard
practice for the release of transcripts by any
institution.
16
Test Results
Quick tip! Notice the Customize feature exists
for almost every section in Applicant Summary.
For example, you could hide the Test Date or
Percentile if neither of these fields are
important for your review.

• Test Results
•  
• When an applicant first applies this box will
  only show what the applicant entered. The Source
  will show as Self-Rpted (box above)
• Once official scores are received the Source will
  state OffManEntr (box below)
• Official means that these scores were received
  directly from ETS and were not handled by the
  applicant.
• Click on the column header Test Date to sort
  the tests as you see below.

17
Required Application Checklist Items

• Required application documents are determined by
  each academic department. After the application
  is loaded into UDSIS (the night before) these
  required items are assigned via an overnight
  process.
• When this checklist is first assigned and
  until it the item is completed in some fashion
  an items status will be initiated.
• Transcripts, in particular, are managed by the
  staff in graduate admissions. Please see this
  website for reasons why a transcript may say
  in-progress. http//www.udel.edu/gradoffice/faq.
  htmlq10
• Applicants are informed that it will take a
  minimum of two (2) weeks from the time a document
  arrives in our office to the time it is scanned
  and marked complete for viewing by members of a
  graduate admissions committee. The standard
  amongst peer institutions at this time is
  actually three (3) weeks for this type of
  processing. For more information about these
  procedures please see the appendix to this
  document.
• View Data is gone for applicants who have
  applied after 11/11/08! All documents (whether
  uploaded or scanned) will now appear in the View
  Document line. Remember You may still see
  anomalies on applications received prior to
  11/11/08.

Quick tip! Occasionally, a faculty will catch
us between marking a checklist item complete and
the actual scanning of the item. Be sure to look
at the Status Date! If it was just marked
complete the day before you may need to wait an
additional day before the item goes through
scanning.
18
Additional Checklist Items are applicants
requests to be considered for Financial Awarding
19
Both Prior Work Experience and Memberships
Publications are self reported by the applicant
and provide an advanced view of their Resume/C.V.
submission
20
Communications

• To track an e-mail conversation you can paste the
  applicants e-mail in here first, and then type
  your reply.
• Click Send e-mail
• Now click the Read Comments button in the next
  box to view the communication.

21
Post Comments

• You can post comments that are not visible to the
  applicant. Just type in your comment about the
  applicant and click Post Comment. Again, you
  can read all communications and comments by
  clicking on Read Comments
• Many departments that are comfortable with this
  technology facilitate an online applicant review
  using this feature.

22
To review, the Read Comments button serves two
functions It shows the e-mail communications
AND internally posted comments
When the Read Comments box is lit up there is
text inside. A box will open showing

• E-mails sent to the applicant.

Posted comments by faculty or staff
23
Admitting a student is a three part process and
is located at the bottom of each Applicant Summary
The Program Action
Quick tip! All conditions must be spelled out in
the Action Comments box below
The Action Reason
The Action Comments
24

• The following explains when and why the central
  office must change a regular admit into a
  conditional admit or vice versa

Explanation 1 There must at least be at least
an unofficial copy of transcripts to issue a
letter of conditional acceptance based on
submitting official transcripts.
1. Transcripts2. TOEFL (if intl)
Explanation 2 If no, low or out-of-date TOEFL
scores are present this will automatically become
a condition of acceptance.
3. Test scores
Explanation 3 Unless a specific request for
waiver is made in the Action Comments box, test
scores will also automatically become a condition
of acceptance.
4. If any other required documents are
incomplete at the time of acceptance we will
assume you intended to waive them.
Explanation 4 If you wish to have any remaining
items listed as conditions for acceptance you
will need to specifically type them into the
Action Comments box. This also includes any
pre-requisite coursework and expected grades.
Example
25
Admit Decisions - Domestic vs. International
Once the Confirm Decision button is clicked an
e-mail notice goes to the Graduate Admissions
office containing all of the information entered
at that time. Decisions are processed within 48
hours using the following methods

• Domestic declines are sent by e-mail and letter,
  but are not copied to the department
• Domestic acceptances are sent by letter and
  copied to the department
• International declines are sent by e-mail only
• International acceptance letters go directly to
  the Office of Foreign Students and Scholars for
  further processing. Why?
• In the U.S. today, educational institutions are
  not permitted by law to issue an I-20 form (the
  form needed for a student to go to their embassy
  and be issued a student visa) without first
  obtaining proof that the student has the
  financial support needed to pay for the duration
  of their education, housing and travel without
  the need to work.
• It is the stance of the U.S. Department of
  Homeland Security that if the individual needed
  to work they should come in on a work visa and
  not a student visa.

26
More about International Admit Decisions

• If the acceptance decision was made with funding,
  the acceptance letter will be held until the
  funding contract arrives from the academic
  department. The documents are then combined and
  the I-20 form is produced. All documents are
  sent together in one acceptance packet.
• If an acceptance decision comes through - but
  there is no funding awarded - graduate admission
  staff will look to see if the applicant submitted
  the required Confidential Financial Information
  form in which the applicant shows that they have
  the financial resources to be in the U.S. as a
  full-time student for the length of their
  program.
• If this form is present then all these documents
  are matched together and forwarded to the OFSS
  for the creation of the I-20 form. Again, OFSS
  then sends all documents together in one
  acceptance packet.
• If the applicant did not complete the required
  Confidential Financial Information form then only
  the acceptance letter and a reminder to show
  proof of funds is sent out.
• Please note If your department accepts first,
  and funds later, please be aware of the message
  you may be unintentionally sending to your high
  potential Intl accepts. They will receive a
  reminder to show they have funds to study here
  a signal they are no longer being considered for
  funding. You will need to head this off with
  an e-mail of your own letting them know they are
  still being considered for funding.

Quick tip! How do you know what OFSS sent out
and/or when they sent it? Check the Read
Comments box for their Comments!
27

• Thank you for taking the time to read this
  important training document. After reading
  through the remaining
• Appendix materials, please contact me directly
  for questions or to set up a one-to-one training
  session. You can
• reach me at.

Louise Bank Assistant Director Office of Graduate
and Professional Education University of
Delaware 234 Hullihen Hall Newark, DE
19716 Phone [phone] E-mail
BankL_at_UDel.edu www.udel.edu/gradoffice/applicants

28
Appendix

• Application Procedures webpage
• E-mail confirming receipt of application
• Applicant Status Page View when it is first
  activated
• Applicant Status Page View as items are marked
  Complete via GRADIS/Applicant Summary

29
Application Procedures
30
E-mail confirming receipt of application

• Dear Yuye
•  
• Thank you for submitting an application to the
  graduate program in Electrical and Computer
  Engineering at the University of Delaware.  Your
  Applicant ID number is 701065797.  You are asked
  to refer to this number if/when contacting the
  University.  Please read the following
  information carefully as most applicant questions
  are answered below
•  
•  
• Ø      The information you provided through the
  online application is now viewable to the members
  of your particular faculty admission committee. 
•  
• Ø      You are now able to upload most of your
  application materials. Please take a moment to
  view your applicant status page.  Use your
  original User ID and Password here 
  https//chico.nss.udel.edu/gradappPS/. 
•  
• Ø      Please refer to special instructions
  regarding transcript requirements
  http//www.udel.edu/gradoffice/applicants/foreigna
  ppl.html.
•  
• Ø      For materials sent by mail it will be at
  least two weeks from the time your documents
  arrive in our office for them to appear on your
  status page as received, regardless of whether
  the materials were sent prior to completing the
  online application.  Due to the volume of
  materials our office processes we cannot search
  our mailroom in advance of this timeframe.
•  
• Ø     f you entered the e-mail addresses of your
  recommenders into your online application,
  recommendation links have now been sent.   If you
  have any concerns as you await the completion of
  these forms please read here  http//www.udel.edu
  /gradoffice/faq.htmlq7
•  
• Ø      Each graduate program has its own faculty
  admission committee, and each committee reviews
  their applications at varying times. Only the
  department itself can tell you if/when your
  application materials will be reviewed by your
  designated faculty members.
•  
• Ø      Most remaining questions or concerns are
  answered on our Frequently Asked Questions
  website located here  http//www.udel.edu/gradoff
  ice/faq.html   We kindly ask that you take the
  time to read through this website carefully.
•  

31
Applicant Status Page View when it is first
activated
Quick tip! This is the only live link on the
Applicant Status page and leads to essay
questions specified by your department or default
UD essay questions.
Quick tip! This form will only show for Intl
applicants. The submission of these documents
are not viewable to admission committee members.
32
Applicant Status Page View as items are marked
Complete via UDSIS/GRADIS
Quick tip! Admission decisions will not show on
the Applicant Status page.