How to Use VSAS
Once you have determined that you will be using VSAS, the following
steps outline the application process.
Step 1: Request VSAS Authorizations
To access VSAS you must first be issued authorizations.
The number of authorizations you receive determine how many elective
applications you can submit.
- Ask the office or person who assists with your 4th year schedule
(e.g., student affairs office/visiting student coordinator) to
issue you authorizations to use VSAS.
- When they are issued, you will receive a "VSAS: New User
Instructions" e-mail containing the information you need
to log in to VSAS.
Step 2: Review Host Institution Information
Review the host institutions' application requirements, fee information
and dates on which they will begin accepting and processing applications
through your "Schools" tab.
Step 3: Complete your VSAS Profile
Once logged in to the software, you will complete the Profile section
of the VSAS application. This includes the following information
and your certification
of a number of statements (PDF, 1 page).
- General and emergency contact information
- Dates you finished (or will have finished) your core clerkships
- Photograph, CV, immunization records* (these may be optional)
*Immunization records may be uploaded to your Profile only after
you submit applications through VSAS.
- Your school will upload your transcript
Step 4: Search for Electives
Utilizing the VSAS search form, you can use any of the following
search criteria to locate just the electives you are interested
in:
- Keywords
- Specialty
- Institution
- Start Month of an elective
While reviewing your search results you may save the electives
and dates in which you are interested. You may save the same elective
multiple times with different dates.
Note: all host institutions will not have their electives
available for viewing or application at the same time. Use your
VSAS "Schools" tab to review when electives will be made
available to you by the host institution.
Step 5: Apply to Electives
To complete the application process, select one or more of your
saved electives and arrange them in order of preference by institution.
Enter your credit card information to pay for the VSAS
application fees and submit your applications.
Once submitted, the applications are transmitted to your home school
who will verify
data (PDF, 1 page) about you and, optionally, upload
your transcript. The home school will then release your applications
to their respective host institutions for processing.
Additional Requirements: Some host institutions may require
additional documentation to supplement the VSAS application. We
recommend you utilize the "Schools" tab in VSAS to review
each host institution's application requirements.
Step 6: Track Offers
You can track each submitted application by clicking on your Applications
tab in VSAS. Each submitted application will be listed here
and its current status displayed. The following actions, if necessary,
can be done from this tab:
- Accept or decline offers received from host institutions.
If you don't respond to an offer within a timeframe set by the
host institution, it will expire.
- Modify submitted applications by changing your
preferred dates or reordering your applications.
- Drop your accepted offers.
- Withdraw pending applications.
Step 7: Read E-mails
Make sure the e-mail address in your VSAS profile is current, as
you will receive e-mails notifying you of:
- Offers for electives.
- Electives applied for, but which are not available.
- Scheduling conflicts between offered and/or already scheduled
electives. These conflicts must be resolved 30 days before the
start of the first elective.
- Offers made by host institutions with impending expirations.
- Cancelled electives to which you have applied or been scheduled.
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