MD Letters of Recommendation

Review submission guidelines, content expectations and how to review your letters of recommendation if you so choose.

Questions?

All letters must be submitted via American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Within the AMCAS application system, there is a section for letters of recommendation. The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health only accepts letters through AMCAS.

Submission Guidelines

• One committee letter and one individual letter from a nonacademic source. A committee letter is a letter authored by a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor and intended to present an institution’s evaluation of an applicant. A committee letter may or may not include additional letters written in support of an application.
• One letter packet that includes letters from three faculty members and a letter from a nonacademic source. A letter packet is a packet or set of letters assembled and distributed by an institution, often by the institution’s career center.
• Four individual letters, including three academic or professional letters of recommendation from faculty members or supervisors in professional setting and a fourth nonacademic letter from a mentor. This option is often chosen by nontraditional applicants who have been out of school for many years. In this case, securing academic letters would be both difficult and not necessarily illustrative of the applicant’s competencies. An individual letter refers to a letter authored by, or representing, a single letter writer. If there is already a nonacademic letter included in either a committee letter or a letter packet, there is no need to add a separate AMCAS letter request entry for the nonacademic letter.

Academic or professional letters may be from faculty members or supervisors in any higher education discipline or professional context.

Nonacademic letters may be written by anyone an applicant considers to be a mentor who can attest to their personal qualities and characteristics. In the past, admitted applicants have had letters written by employers, volunteer coordinators, individuals they shadowed, and community leaders, to give a few examples. Nonacademic letters should not be written by a family member or peer.

Letters written by faculty supervisors in research labs can be considered either academic or nonacademic.

Letter Content

It is important for applicants to choose letter writers who know them well. Make sure to ask the recommender if they can write a strong letter of recommendation.

Access to Letters

Letters must be submitted directly to AMCAS per AMCAS instructions. Under no circumstances will AMCAS provide applicants access to letters of evaluation. Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), applicants are entitled to either review a letter of recommendation or to waive their right to access. Most applicants choose to waive their right to access their recommendation letters. If an applicant chooses not to waive their right, they should send an email to medadmissions@med.wisc.edu to inform the Admissions Office. The office will provide a form to complete. The letter writer will be notified of your desire to review your letter.