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AMCAS Letters

Medical School Requirements for Letters

Baylor College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 8
Letters URL: www.bcm.edu/admissions/?PMID=2160
Letters Criteria: Applicants enrolled in colleges with a premedical advisory system should request that the chair of the premedical advisory committee, premedical advisor, coordinator, or person in charge of advising send an evaluation to AMCAS. If there is no premedical advisory system, have three individuals who are qualified to evaluate you personally and academically send their letters of reference to AMCAS. Instructions for those attending graduate school or applying MD/PhD can be found at www.bcm.edu/admissions/?PMID=2160

Boston University School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 1 Committee Letter or 3 individual letters
Maximum Number of Letters: 5
Letters URL: www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Content.aspx?DepartmentID=37&PageID=9615
Letters Criteria: Applicants who attend or who have recently graduated from an undergraduate institution or a postbaccalaureate premedical program which offers a Health Professions Advisor or Advisory Committee letter, should have this letter submitted to AMCAS. If no such institutional letter is available, the applicant should explain this on the BUSM supplemental application and have a minimum of three individual letters, including two from science professors, sent to AMCAS.

Weill Cornell Medical College
Minimum Number of Letters: 2
Maximum Number of Letters: no max
Letters URL: www.med.cornell.edu/education/admissions
Letters Criteria: If your college has a committee letter, you must either submit it or inform WMC in writing why you cannot obtain a committee letter. If your college does not have such a committee, we require a minimum of 2 letters from undergraduate/graduate science faculty. If you have extensive research experience, we recommend that you submit a letter from your research supervisor. You may submit additional letters from other persons who know you well and can appraise your qualifications for the practice of medicine.

Creighton University School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 1
Maximum Number of Letters: 5
Letters URL: www2.creighton.edu/medschool/medicine/oma/app/index.php
Letters Criteria: Option A: University/College Pre-Health Committee Letter; Option B: Three Letters of Recommendation that include - One letter from your pre-medical or pre-health advisor, one letter from a science faculty, one letter from a non-science faculty. If no advisor letter can be provided, send an additional letter from a science faculty. Non-Traditional Applicants: (Away from university studies for three or more years) Three letters sent from persons familiar with your recent scientific or academic experiences. Please consult the Creighton website for further details.

Georgetown University School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 2
Maximum Number of Letters: 6
Letters URL: www3.georgetown.edu/som/admissions/admitdocs/2008GuidetoApplication.pdf
Letters Criteria: Required: 1 Committee Letter/Recommendation Packet OR 2 letters from SCIENCE Professors. Individuals who have been out of school for more than two years may substitute supervisors, clergy, or other appropriate individual for the 2 required letters.

Harvard Medical School
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 10
Letters URL: http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp
Letters Criteria: Three letters required, two of them from science professors, one from outside the sciences. For MD Only: 6 letters maximum, with an advisor's Committee packet counting as one letter; letters from all research supervisors are strongly encouraged. MD-PhD candidates must submit letters from all research supervisors even if exceeding the six letter maximum (up to 4 additional letters)

University of Illinois College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 8
Letters URL: www.medicine.uic.edu/admissions
Letters Criteria: Letters of recommendation must be completed on official university or business letterhead. Letters are expected to be from professors or instructors under whom you have studied. If you are currently enrolled in a graduate program or professional school, one of your letters must be from a faculty member at your graduate or professional school. If previously enrolled in a U.S. or Canadian medical school, a letter describing your level of achievement and/or problems encountered is required. It must be from the dean of the medical school or his/her designee.

University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 4
Letters URL: www.medicine.uiowa.edu/osac/admissions/selections.htm
Letters Criteria: One committee report required OR 3-4 individual letters if no committee report available. No more than 4 letters will be accepted, either individually or in a packet. Select Committee Letter for Premedical Advisory Committee Report; or a packet of at least 3 letters from your premed office; or a comprehensive Postbac Program report. Select Letters if individual letters are submitted to AMCAS directly from the letter writers. See our website for full details and for MD/PhD or nontraditional applicants. Once Carver has accepted letters, no substitutions or additions may be made.

Meharry Medical College
Minimum Number of Letters: 1
Maximum Number of Letters: 3
Letters URL: www.mmc.edu
Letters Criteria: 1 committee letter required or 3 individual letters (from Science faculty)

University of Michigan Medical College
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters:10
Letters URL: www.med.umich.edu/medschool/admissions/process/howto.htm
Letters Criteria: The University of Michigan Medical requires a Pre-Health Committee Evaluation OR three letters (one science faculty evaluation, one non-science evaluation and one of your choice). All letters submitted must be submitted to AMCAS. Any letters received at the University of Michigan will not be accepted, will not be placed in your application file nor will they be retained in any other form.

University of Mississippi Medical College
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 5
Letters URL: http://som.umc.edu/admissions.html#EvalApps
Letters Criteria: Letters required from three faculty who taught applicant (state courses) or one letter from advisory committee. Information sought on applicant's approach to academic studies including how difficulties encountered were overcome. No specific format required; a Premedical Faculty Evaluation Form is available. Limit supplemental letters to a physician the applicant has shadowed or current employer; they do not replace required faculty evaluations.

Temple University School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 1
Maximum Number of Letters: 9
Letters URL: www.temple.edu/medicine/admissions/applying.htm
Letters Criteria: Applicants also are asked to have recommendations forwarded from their undergraduate premedical committee, a school compilation service, or two (2) individual science faculty. If you are submitting a compilation packet or individual letters, two (2) letters must be from Biology, Chemistry, or Physics professors with whom you completed course work. Students are welcome to submit additional letters to support their application. Applicants who have enrolled in masters or doctoral programs should have additional references submitted by faculty from such programs.

Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: no maximum
Letters URL: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/education/md-phd/admission.html or http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/admissions/application-information.html
Letters Criteria: At least one of the three required letters must be from a research mentor.

University of Virginia School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 1
Maximum Number of Letters: 6
Letters URL: www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/admissions/
Letters Criteria: The School of Medicine prefers a premedical advisor evaluation, or if this service is not available, a minimum of two letters, preferably from science professors or the equivalent.

University of Washington School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 6
Letters URL: http://depts.washington.edu/mdadmit/secondary/
Letters Criteria: A premedical committee evaluation OR three letters from instructors (either sciences or humanities) from whom the candidate has taken courses are required. These letters should critically evaluate the candidate's academic ability, strengths and weaknesses, motivation for medicine, maturity, difficulty of course work and special attributes and assets. Letters of reference from current employers may be advantageous; however, too many additional letters are discouraged.

University of Arizona College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 3
Letters URL: www.medicine.arizona.edu
Letters Criteria: Three letters of recommendation are required. Additional letters beyond three will not be accepted. A premedical advisory committee letter will also fulfill the letter requirement. You still have the option of submitting two additional letters of recommendation along with a committee letter.

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 4
Maximum Number of Letters: 6
Letters URL: www.hmc.psu.edu/md/admissions/procedure.html#letters
Letters Criteria: Pre-health Committee/Office letter(s) required. If not available, you are required to submit at least 4 letters (max of 6) using the guidelines below: 2 from science faculty. 1 from non-science faculty. 1 letter from someone that know the applicant well. No additional letters are required, UNLESS: 1 - You have multiple degrees. If so, you must submit 1 letter from each school that has granted you a degree. 2 - You have 1 year or more of graduate study or full time employment. If so, you must submit 1 letter from a member of the graduate faculty or work supervisor.

University of South Florida College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 1
Maximum Number of Letters: 6
Letters URL: www.hsc.usf.edu/medicine/mdadmissions/appl_acceptance_procedures.htm
Letters Criteria: A pre-professional committee evaluation or three faculty recommendation letters (two from science faculty and one from non-science faculty) and two character letters.

East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: no data available
Maximum Number of Letters: no data available
Letters URL: http://com.etsu.edu/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=990
Letters Criteria: Committee letter required if available. If no committee, advisor and two basic science professors required. Optional letters: up to three additional letters which may include employer evaluation. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted by the Admissions Committee upon special request of the applicant.

Mercer University School of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 2
Maximum Number of Letters: no data available
Letters URL:http://medicine.mercer.edu/Admissions/Prospective%20Students/admissionsdom
Letters Criteria:

Florida International University College of Medicine
Minimum Number of Letters: 3
Maximum Number of Letters: 5
Letters URL: http://medicine.fiu.edu/admissions
Letters Criteria: The FIU College of Medicine requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation, two from basic science faculty (biology, chemistry, physics, math) and one from another faculty member who has taught the applicant. If your school has a Health Professions Advisory Committee, it is expected that the applicant will have the Committee letter. Additionally, it is preferred that full faculty letters be attached to this Committee letter. If the student has been enrolled in a graduate program, we expect to have letters from faculty in that program. In all cases, letters should be from individuals who know the student well.

 

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