GradCAS is a centralized application platform that allows prospective graduate students to explore programs and apply to participating institutions through one streamlined experience.

What is changing with GradCAS?

Two significant changes are coming to GradCAS. BusinessCAS and EngineeringCAS are being consolidated into GradCAS, bringing graduate programs across disciplines together in one destination. Students will also pay a single applicant processing fee and can then apply to as many participating GradCAS institutions as they choose.

How does GradCAS make the application process easier and more affordable for students?

In addition to the single applicant processing fee, GradCAS integrates directly with Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, WES, and ECE. Students can have their transcripts and credential evaluations sent to GradCAS once and then have those materials sent to as many participating institutions as they apply to, at no additional cost. The benefit goes beyond cost. GradCAS also provides one place for students to manage important parts of the application process, including letters of recommendation, and to track whether required materials have been received. Rather than managing these steps separately with every institution, students can follow their progress through GradCAS. This can save significant time and effort while reducing some of the financial and administrative burden of applying to multiple graduate programs.

A Student’s Perspective on the New GradCAS

September 18, 2026 5 min read Art Munin, Ph.D.

GradCAS gives students more freedom to explore different programs and apply to multiple universities without letting processing fees limit their options.

Key Takeaways

A single applicant processing fee allows students to apply to as many participating institutions as they choose without paying an additional GradCAS processing fee for each application.

Bringing BusinessCAS and EngineeringCAS into GradCAS gives students one place to explore graduate programs across disciplines, including emerging interdisciplinary fields.

Centralizing transcripts, credential evaluations, letters of recommendation, and other application steps reduces the financial and administrative burden of applying to multiple graduate programs.

Soufiyane's experience highlights both the potential of these changes and the importance of building greater awareness of GradCAS among prospective students, particularly internationally.

Earlier this year, several international graduate students gathered to talk about their experiences applying to universities in the United States. Through a series of focus groups facilitated by Liaison, they discussed what made the process difficult, what they wished institutions understood, and where they saw opportunities to make the experience better. They also shared their thoughts about Liaison’s announcement that significant changes are coming to GradCAS.

Enrollment leaders spend a great deal of time thinking about how to make the application process easier to navigate. But the clearest view of where friction remains often comes from the people navigating it themselves.

A Student’s Perspective on the GradCAS Changes

Art: Soufiyane, thank you for participating in our focus group discussions. As a current graduate student at Kutztown University, your thoughtful and candid insights about the application experience were insightful, particularly as they related to the financial realities of applying to graduate school as an international student. Before coming to Liaison, I spent much of my career as a Dean of Students, so listening to and advocating for students has always been at the center of how I approach this work. What you told me not only reinforced much of what I heard from others but also raised an important question about where there is still work to be done.

As you know, one of the biggest changes coming to GradCAS is the new fee structure. Students will pay a single applicant processing fee and then apply to as many participating GradCAS institutions as they choose. When you think back to your own experience applying to graduate school, what would that have meant for you?

Soufiyane: From my experience, applying to universities was a financial burden, especially because application fees can add up very quickly. Because of that, I ended up applying to only one university. I had to be very careful about where I invested my money and make sure that the university was a place where I could see myself studying.

Thankfully, it worked out for me, but I often wondered what other opportunities I might have missed because I could only afford to apply to one university. That’s why I really like the idea of the single GradCAS applicant processing fee. It gives students more freedom to explore different programs and apply to multiple universities without letting fees limit their options.

Art: You also talked with me about some of the additional costs you faced as an international student. How does that change the way you look at these changes?

Soufiyane: International students already have additional costs and requirements associated with applications, such as transcripts, English proficiency tests, and credential evaluations. I spent at least $200 just getting my transcripts sent to the U.S. and having them evaluated.

Being able to submit those documents once and have them available to participating institutions would remove another burden. I think that could be a huge plus for international students and could motivate more students to apply.

Art: Another change is bringing BusinessCAS and EngineeringCAS into GradCAS, creating one place where students can explore programs across disciplines. What stood out to you about that?

Soufiyane: I think bringing everything together is a great idea. Having everything in one place would make applying much easier, especially for students who are still exploring different fields.

Students do not always know exactly what program they want at first and may want to discover what different programs offer. We are also seeing new majors and programs being created to keep up with changes in the job market, including programs that combine different fields, such as business and engineering. I think it would be helpful if GradCAS made it easy for students to discover those interdisciplinary programs, as well as programs beyond just business and engineering.

Art: You also mentioned that you weren't familiar with GradCAS before our conversations. What opportunity do you see there?

Soufiyane: As an international student, I wasn’t familiar with GradCAS before learning about it, and I’m not sure how familiar it is among students around the world. I think there is a real opportunity to build greater awareness, especially in countries where many students are interested in studying in the U.S.

If GradCAS can make it easier and more affordable for students to explore programs and apply to multiple universities, then I think increasing its visibility is important so that more students can benefit from it.

Listening to Students and Acting on What We Hear

One of the reasons conversations like this are so important is that those who work in higher education can spend a lot of time talking about what they think students need. Sometimes, it’s more important to simply ask them. When Liaison conducted these international student focus groups, students made it clear that cost matters. They said that repetitive application requirements create real burdens and repeatedly expressed the desire for greater simplicity and more opportunities to explore programs that might be right for them.

That is why we are excited about the changes coming to GradCAS. A single applicant processing fee, the ability to explore programs across disciplines, and the ability to submit important application materials once and have them available across institutions removes some of the barriers students identified.

That is the takeaway from conversations like this: listen to students, understand where the barriers are, and when you have the opportunity to remove some of them, act on what you heard.

FAQ

: GradCAS is a centralized application platform that allows prospective graduate students to explore programs and apply to participating institutions through one streamlined experience.

: Two significant changes are coming to GradCAS. BusinessCAS and EngineeringCAS are being consolidated into GradCAS, bringing graduate programs across disciplines together in one destination. Students will also pay a single applicant processing fee and can then apply to as many participating GradCAS institutions as they choose.

: In addition to the single applicant processing fee, GradCAS integrates directly with Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, WES, and ECE. Students can have their transcripts and credential evaluations sent to GradCAS once and then have those materials sent to as many participating institutions as they apply to, at no additional cost. The benefit goes beyond cost. GradCAS also provides one place for students to manage important parts of the application process, including letters of recommendation, and to track whether required materials have been received. Rather than managing these steps separately with every institution, students can follow their progress through GradCAS. This can save significant time and effort while reducing some of the financial and administrative burden of applying to multiple graduate programs.