Applicant Evaluation and Decisions

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Faculty Letters of Evaluation

Evaluations must be written by either faculty who taught the applicant, preferably courses used to satisfy admissions criteria, or faculty who supervised the applicant conducting research outside the classroom. A minimum of three faculty evaluation letters is required: however, one composite evaluation from a pre-professional advisory committee will suffice. Composite letters must contain the names of faculty who participated in the evaluation of the applicant.

All letters must be printed on institutional letterhead, signed by the author(s) and state the course(s) in which he/she taught the applicant.

Letter content

This medical school seeks information on unique contributions that an applicant might provide to a medical school class and the presence, or absence, of any of the following core, entry-level competencies for entering medical students. Authors are encouraged to consult AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant for details.

Thinking and reasoning competencies

  • Critical thinking
  • Quantitative reasoning
  • Scientific inquiry
  • Written communication

Science competencies

  • Living systems
  • Human behavior

Interpersonal competencies

  • Service orientation
  • Social skills
  • Cultural competence
  • Teamwork
  • Oral communication

Intrapersonal competencies

  • Ethical responsibility to self and others
  • Reliability and dependability
  • Resilience and adaptability
  • Capacity for improvement

Supplemental letters should be kept to a minimum. When appropriate, a supplemental letter from a physician the applicant has shadowed or current employer may be considered by the admissions committee, but it does not replace required faculty evaluations.

Letter submission

Instructions for submitting letters are provided to applicants in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) application. In all cases, applicants must provide authors a letter request form generated from the applicant's AMCAS application. Letters sent directly to this medial school will not be accepted.

Letters of evaluation can be submitted online as a .PDF file to the appropriate site:

  • AMCAS Letter Writer Application - This application enables letter writers to upload documents securely to AMCAS rather than send letters via the mail. If you are interested in this option, and can upload a PDF version of your letter, make note of the requesting applicant's AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID included in the letter request form.
  • VirtualEvals (VE ) - VE is available to members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP). If you are a VE user, make note of the requesting student's AAMC ID and AMCAS letter ID included in the letter request form and upload your letter(s) to VE.
  • Interfolio - AMCAS can receive letters sent to Interfolio if the student requesting this letter is an Interfolio user or your institution/organization uses Interfolio to deliver letters of evaluation/recommendation.

Mail hard copy to AMCAS for scanning into PDF file. If you select this option, attach the letter request form to your letter(s) and mail to:

  • Attn: AMCAS Letters
    American Medical College Application Services
    P.O. Box 18958
    Washington, DC 20036

AMCAS will acknowledge receipt of your letter; this office will not. AMCAS will load .PDF files into applications and distribute your letter electronically to all medical schools indicated by the applicant in his/her AMCAS application.

Applicants who reapply must submit new evaluation letters with each application.