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Residency Application Manual
Offices of the DeanOffice of Student AffairsResidency Application Manual The Residency Application - ComponentsLetters of Reference

Letters of Reference

Letters of Reference (LoR) are an important component of the residency application. Most programs require 3-4 LoRs; specific requirements vary by specialty and program. OSA recommends confirming individual program requirements early in the application process. OSA and Specialty Advisors can provide individual guidance. Students should aim to have all letters uploaded prior to the application release date (i.e., before 9/24/2024), we recommend giving letter writers a deadline of September 1st to submit their letters to ensure letters arrive on time. Rarely, some letters may be uploaded after the applications are released, in this case we recommend discussing in advance with your OSA Advisor. For those students planning to obtain a letter from a September rotation, plan to discuss your intent with the faculty member at the beginning of the rotation. Note that once a LoR is assigned to a program it cannot be unassigned. MyERAS and most application systems have a maximum of 4 LoRs, so if you are waiting for a late letter, do not assign an alternative letter as a placeholder.

The MyERAS Letters of Recommendation section allows the applicant to manage requests for LoR and to assign LoRs to programs during the application Process. Through the LoR Portal, letter writers can directly upload the LoR to the applicant’s portal.

Creating and Confirming LOR Entries

My ERAS allows the applicant to create a list of people who will write letters on your behalf.

An unlimited number of LoR authors may be entered and finalized; however, no more than four (4) letters may be assigned to any individual program.

To Finalize LoR Author(s):

  • Click on the Documents
  • Click on the Letters of Recommendation
  • Enter LoR Author information: LoR Author Name, LoR Author Title/Department, and Specialty(s) to which this letter will be assigned (optional field).
    1. Programs will be able to view the LoR Author Name, Title/Department, and the "I waive my right to view my Letter of Recommendation" response you select. However, the specialty you enter is visible ONLY to you, the Office of Student Affairs, and your LoR Authors. The purpose of the specialty field is to help you identify your LoR(s) when assigning them to programs. 
    2. The optional program director selection is NOT applicable to medical students; this is only used for residents and fellows
  • Select Yes or No for “I waive my right to view my Letter of Recommendation.” We strongly encourage you to waive your right to view.
  • Finalize your LoR Author(s).
  • A Unique Letter ID is generated for each Letter Request Form
  • Click on the “Actions” button and choose if you’d like to download the letter request or email the letter request.
  • You may hand deliver, mail, or email your Letter Request Forms

Repeat this process for each LoR Author that will be writing a letter for you.

You will have the opportunity to edit and delete before finalizing your LoR Author(s). Once you finalize a LoR Author, you cannot delete it. If it contains errors, you will need to enter and finalize a new LoR Author. 

Requesting LoRs

An applicant may request a letter from a letter writer by downloading and sending a Letter Request or by emailing the Letter request directly from the MyERAS portal. To generate a Letter Request Form through ERAS, the LoR Author must be finalized. LoR Authors can submit LoRs using the ERAS LoR Portal to upload LoRs themselves. Y

Assigning LoRs

Once an LoR has been uploaded by the letter writer, it can be assigned to saved and applied to programs through MyERAS by selecting “assign” under the Actions column of the LoR. LoR assignments to programs that have already been applied to cannot be changed. Once the maximum number of 4 LoRs have been assigned to any given program, additional LoR assignments cannot be made.