Before schools can begin preparing forms and sending documents to universities through Cialfo, there are two fields that need to be completed in cDocs: School Information & School Profile. Once a school has completed these two items, they do not need to be completed again.
The School Information and School Profile uploader will be on the top of the main cDocs page.
School Information
Filling out forms with the same information over and over again consumes a lot of time. To save valuable time, the School Information section is completed once and will auto populate each Common App school form created for a student. Go to cDocs on the left menu and then the Documents tab. At the top of the screen, find the School Information section and click on update to fill this section out. The School Information section can be updated at any time. However, updating the School Information section will not edit any Common App forms that have already been created (ex: School Report).
Enhancing Document Accuracy for Gap Year Students and Outdated School Information
The system will not automatically regenerate old reports, but now it will identify gap-year students and clearly notify counselors whenever documents may contain outdated or mismatched school information, allowing them to verify details before sending documents.
When warnings will appear
Scenario 1 — School Information was updated
If a counselor updates School Information and there are existing unsent reports created before the update:
A warning banner will appear on the student's cDocs profile/submission page
The banner will show which documents may be outdated
Scenario 2 — School Information hasn't been updated for a new cycle
If school information hasn't been reviewed since the previous graduation year:
An "Action Needed" indicator will appear
This reminder will appear 2 weeks prior to the new Common App cycle
Which documents may appear in the warning
Only outdated documents for that student will be shown dynamically, such as:
Common App School Report
Counselor Recommendation
Common App Mid Year Report
Common App Optional Report
Common App Optional Report 2
Common App Final Year Report
"Mark as updated" button
Counselors can click "Mark as updated" after reviewing the documents:
The warning banner will disappear
The banner will reappear only if the same school information update activity happens again in the future
School Profile
Schools can upload their high school profile by going to cDocs on the left menu and then Documents in the top menu. The School Profile must be in PDF format and no larger than 2,000kb. Next to School Profile, click on the Upload button and upload the file. The high school profile provides colleges and universities with information about a school from which a student is applying.
If you've uploaded a School Profile previously, you can choose to keep that or update it to your school's latest version!
**Pro tip: NACAC has a database of sample school profiles if you're just getting started or want fresh ideas on what information should be included.
Troubleshooting
School Information Cannot Be Saved - Date Validation Error
If you have filled in all mandatory fields in the School Information section but are still unable to save, this may be caused by a date validation conflict. The most common cause is the Mid-Year Report date being entered after the Graduation Date.
Cialfo requires that the Mid-Year Report date comes before the student's graduation date. If the Mid-Year Report date is set to the same month or any date after graduation, the system will reject the save.
How to troubleshoot?
In the School Information section, locate the Mid-Year Report date field and the Graduation Date field.
Ensure the Mid-Year Report date is set to a date that falls before the graduation date, typically a month or more earlier.
Click Save again. The section should save successfully once the date conflict is resolved.
If you have verified that all dates are correctly ordered and the section still will not save, contact Chat with Cialfo and share a screenshot of the School Information form. The support team can review the fields from the backend and resolve the issue directly.
Need more help?
Our Client Support team is available via Live Chat 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, so you can get help anytime during the work week through Chat with Cialfo.
If you're unable to find a solution in our help articles or need further assistance, you can contact the Cialfo Support team via Live Chat or email us at [email protected].