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Letters of Recommendation

We require three letters of recommendation.  You may provide a fourth letter from a person associated with a meaningful extracurricular experience. Carver College of Medicine participates in AMCAS Letter Service.  Do not send any letters directly to Carver College of Medicine.  

We encourage applicants to provide letters from a variety of individuals qualified to assess personal (as well as academic) qualities, such as work ethic, reliability, communication skills, leadership, altruism, compassion, and motivation for medicine. Recommendations written by research supervisors or principal investigators are considered academic letters and recommendations written by family members are discouraged.

If you are currently enrolled in an academic program and your school issues a committee letter, that letter is required.

If you are several years removed from college, you are strongly encouraged to provide letters from individuals with whom you have had meaningful recent experiences.

Options for letter submissions (choose one):

  • Option 1: Individual Letters - Your letter writers may submit individual letters to AMCAS Letter Service.  We require a minimum of 3 letters, and up to a maximum of 4 letters (2 academic and 1 non-academic recommended).  With a combination of academic and non-academic letters, we allow latitude for your judgment as to whom are the ideal persons to help us determine your candidacy for medicine.
  • Option 2: Committee Letter - Your school may submit a committee letter or comprehensive report. You may also submit individual letter(s) not to exceed 4 total letters. Please check with your school to determine how many letters it includes in its submission.
  • Option 3: Packet of Letters - Your school may submit a packet of at least 3 individual letters. You may also submit an individual letter(s) not to exceed 4 total letters. Please check with your school to determine how many letters it includes in its submission.

*All submissions are reviewed by admissions staff before they are accepted. Applicants will be contacted if recommendations do not meet our requirements.

We do not allow letter substitutions after an application is marked complete.  If you have any questions about your letter submissions, please ask before you complete your application. If you designate more than four individual letters to us on your AMCAS, we will only accept the first four letters we receive.

If you are an MD/PhD applicant, you must include one letter from the research mentor of your most significant research experience.