FAQs for Applicants and Advisors
1. Is there a charge for this new service?
The AMCAS Letters service is included in the AMCAS Application Fee,
which will not change for the 2009 entering class.
2. When will AMCAS begin accepting letters of evaluation?
AMCAS will begin accepting letters of evaluation for the 2009
entering class on or about May 14, 2008.
3. What is the mailing address?
The PO Box to which letters should be mailed will appear on
the AMCAS Letter Request form.
4. How many letters can be sent to AMCAS?
You can have up to 10 letters associated with the AMCAS application.
This relatively high number is intended to enable you and your letter
writers who wish to do so to target specific letters to specific
schools, and is not intended to suggest that any one school wishes
to receive 10 letters.
Note the following:
1 individual letter = 1 letter
1 Committee letter = 1 letter
1 Letter packet = 1 letter
5. What is the difference between a committee letter
and an individual letter?
A committee letter / letter packet is defined as any single,
representative letter or set of letters created or assembled by
your school. Examples may include:
- Committee Letter: A letter authored by a pre-health committee
or pre-health advisor and intended to represent your institution's
evaluation of you.
- Committee Letter with Packet: A packet of letters from faculty
members and others introduced by a Committee Letter or cover letter
authored by a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor.
- Letter Packet: A set or packet of letters assembled and distributed
by your institution.
Please note: If your advisor is sending a committee/letter packet
to AMCAS, the entire committee letter/letter packet will be sent
to the schools you've designated to receive this letter. AMCAS will
not remove a letter from your packet once it has been received.
Therefore, if you wish to send a letter specifically to one medical
school, you should enter this as an individual letter and have it
sent separately from the packet.
An individual letter refers only to a letter authored by, and representing,
a single letter writer.
6. How does my letter writer get his/her letter to AMCAS?
Your letter writer can forward your letter to AMCAS in one of the
following ways:
- VirtualEvals (VE): VE is available to members of the National
Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP). If
your advisor is a VE user, provide your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter
ID to your advisor, as these IDs must accompany your letter in
order for your letter to be matched with your application
- AMCAS Letter Writer Application: This application enables letter
writers to upload documents securely to AMCAS rather than send
letters via the mail (anticipated to be available in late fall)
- Interfolio: AMCAS can receive letters sent to Interfolio if
you are an Interfolio user or your institution/organization uses
Interfolio to deliver letters of evaluation/recommendation. Make
certain to add your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID in your Interfolio
account, as these IDs must accompany your letter in order for
your letter to be matched with your application.
- Mail: Make sure your letter writer has a copy of the AMCAS Letter
Request form, which includes your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID.
Your letter writer should include this form when sending your
letter in order to guarantee that your letter is correctly matched
to your application.
7. My school uses the Virtual Evals (VE) service, how do I enter
these letters in AMCAS?
- Enter this VE-packet only once in the AMCAS application
- Enter your advisor as the "Primary Author/Contact"
- Optional: Enter the authors of the other letters in the packet
as "Other Authors"
- Provide your advisor with the AMCAS Letter Request form that
contains the AMCAS Letter ID
8. If I apply to X School of Medicine and Y College of Medicine,
can I have different letters sent to each school?
Yes. In order to do this, you must enter both letters separately
in the AMCAS application, and provide your AMCAS Letter Request
form to your letter writer for each letter.
9. Will my advisor be able to submit multiple letters and tailor
for specific programs, i.e. MD/PhD?
Yes. In order to do this, you must enter both letters separately
in the AMCAS application, and provide your recommender with the
AMCAS Letter Request Form for each letter.
10. Do I have to enter my letter information before I submit
my AMCAS application?
No, you can submit letter information at any time within your AMCAS
application. Please note that you need to comply with the deadline
that the medical school sets for letters.
11. Can I change my letter information after it is submitted
to AMCAS?
No, you can not make any changes to letter information after
you have submitted it.
12. A letter writer I added in AMCAS will no longer provide
a letter. How can I change this in AMCAS?
If the letter writer is no longer writing a letter you must
send a letter to AMCAS indicating that we will not receive this
letter and AMCAS will mark your letter received. This will enable
AMCAS to inform medical schools once all of your letters have been
received.
13.Will all my letters be sent to the medical school at the
same time?
No, we will not "hold" letters until all are received. Any letters
received by AMCAS at the time your application completes AMCAS processing
will be sent to your designated schools in your application. Letters
received by AMCAS after your application has been processed will
be made available to your designated schools as soon as they are
received.
14. How do I add a letter after my application has been submitted?
Provided you have not already entered 10 letters, log back into
your AMCAS application and select the letters of recommendation
tab. There you will have the opportunity to add more letters. To
assign the letter to an participating medical school that you've
already applied to you must select the medical school tab and then
select edit to the school you'd like to the letters to be received
at and select the new letter. If you are adding a new school that
participates in letters, you will be prompted to select the letters
you desire at the end of adding the school.
Please note: Each time you select a new school
and add letters, you must resubmit your application.
15. How long does it take for AMCAS to process my letters and
mark the received?
It can take up to 15 business days from the time the letters
are received to mark them as received.
16. My letters are uploaded but the medical school has not received
them, what should I do?
First, check to make sure your application is processed, as letters
will not be sent until your application completes processing Then
check the letters or medical school summary screen in your application
and make sure the letters were added to that specific school. Finally,
if it has been over a week since your application was processed
and your letters were uploaded and submitted to the medical school,
contact the medical school directly.
17. How long are my letters valid?
AMCAS will retain and deliver letters only within a single application
year.
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