FAQs for Applicants and Advisors
1. Is there a charge for this service?
The AMCAS Letters service is included in the AMCAS Application Fee,
which will not change for the 2010 entering class.
2. When will AMCAS begin accepting letters of evaluation?
AMCAS will begin accepting letters of evaluation for the 2010
entering class on or about May 5, 2009.
3. What is the mailing address?
The PO Box to which letters should be mailed will appear on
the AMCAS Letter Request form.
4. Do I have to use the AMCAS Letters Service if the medical
school I'm applying to is participating?
Yes, applicants are required to send their letters through AMCAS
if the medical school is participating in the service.
5. 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. AMCAS will retain and deliver letters only
within a single application year. You can not make any changes to
letter information after you have submitted it..
Note the following:
1 Individual letter = 1 letter
1 Committee letter = 1 letter
1 Letter packet = 1 letter
6. What are the differences between a committee letter,
letter packet and an individual letter?
Below is a description of the types of letters that can be forwarded
to AMCAS on your behalf. If your letters are being forwarded by
your university advising office or career center and are unaware
how your university compiles letters of evaluation to be sent to
AMCAS please consult with your pre-health advising office prior
to entering letter information into your AMCAS application to avoid
complications with your application.
- Committee Letter: A committee letter is a letter authored by
a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor and intended to represent
your institution's evaluation of you. A committee letter may or
may not include additional letters written in support of your
application.
- Letter Packet: A packet or set of letters assembled and distributed
by your institution, often by the institutions career center.
A Letter Packet may include a cover sheet from your pre-health
committee or advisor; however, in contrast to a Committee Letter,
a Letter Packet does not include an evaluative letter from your
pre-health committee or advisor.
- Individual Letter: An individual letter refers to a letter authored
by, and representing, a single letter writer. If you have already
included an individual letter within either a committee letter
or a letter packet, you should not add a separate entry for the
individual letter.
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.
7. 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:
- AMCAS Letter
Writer Application: This application enables letter writers
to upload PDF versions of letter(s) securely to AMCAS rather than
send letters via the mail. Your letter writer will be required
to register as a letter writer and will need your AAMC ID and
AMCAS Letter ID in order to upload your letter(s).
- 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.
- Virtual Evals (VE): VE is a letter service available to members
of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
(NAAHP). If your advisor is a VE user, and you have arranged to
have your letters transmitted through your advising office or
career center, 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.
8. My school uses the Virtual Evals (VE) service, how do I enter
these letters in AMCAS?
- Enter your VE-packet only once in the AMCAS application as either
a committee letter or a letter packet, as appropriate
- Enter your advisor, or who the advisor designates, as the "Primary
Author/Contact"
- For Letter Packets Only: Enter the author(s) of the other letters
in the packet as "Additional Authors" (Optional)
- Provide your advisor with the AMCAS Letter Request form that
contains the AMCAS Letter ID
9. I use Interfolio to submit letters, how does the process
work?
- Enter the letter entry(ies) in the AMCAS application before
you have them sent via Interfolio to AMCAS. If submitting an individual
letter to AMCAS you should:
- Enter each individual letter separately in the AMCAS application
- Create a new delivery in Interfolio
- In Interfolio select "AMCAS" as your designation
- Select the corresponding individual letter(s)
- You will then be asked AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID found on
the AMCAS Letter Request Form for each individual letter
- Complete the delivery
If submitting a committee letter or letter packet to AMCAS through
Interfolio you should:
- Enter it once in the AMCAS application
- Create a new delivery in Interfolio
- In Interfolio select "AMCAS" as your designation
- Select the corresponding letter(s) that belong to the letter
packet or committee letter
- Input the AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID found on the AMCAS Letter
Request Form for each letter (please note: If the letter(s) are
complied at Interfolio to make one committee letter or letter
packet you will need to enter the same AMCAS Letter ID for all
letters that belong in one committee letter or letter packet)
- Complete the delivery
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. When should my letters be assigned to the medical
schools?
You may assign your letters either before or after the application
is submitted. Assigning letters is not required at the time you
submit your application; however, you have the option to do so if
you choose. Please refer to http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm
for individual medical school letters requirements.
15. A letter writer I added in AMCAS will no longer provide
a letter. How can I change this in AMCAS?
Medical schools need to know if you no longer plan on having
specific letters sent to AMCAS. Follow the steps below to designate
letter entries as no longer being sent on a submitted Application:
- Log into your application and go to the letter of evaluation
section (section 6)
- Above the letter descriptions will read "Medical schools need
to know if you no longer plan on having specific letters sent
to AMCAS. If one or more of your letters listed below is not going
to be sent to AMCAS press CONTINUE"
- Check the box next to the letter(s) that will not be sent to
AMCAS. Be sure to select the correct Author name and Letter ID
combination from your application, then click "continue"
- You must acknowledge that you have read and understand that
"If AMCAS receives this letter at anytime during this application
cycle, AMCAS will forward it to the medical schools that I have
selected to receive this letter". Click "continue" to
proceed
- To save these changes on your AMCAS application you must resubmit
your application. Changes will not be saved if you do not resubmit.
Resubmitting your application for this purpose will not cause
processing delays.
- The letter entry should now read "no longer sending"
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. How long does it take for AMCAS to process my letters and
mark the received?
Letter(s) sent electronically will be updated received within
one business day. Letters sent via mail can take up to 15 business
days from the time the letters are received to mark them as received.
19. 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.
20. How long are my letters valid?
AMCAS will retain and deliver letters only within a single application
year.
21. Do letters need to be on official letterhead and signed?
Medical schools may require your letters to be on official letterhead
and include the author's signature.
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