- Applicants are required to submit three letters of evaluation. For MD applicants, these include one clinical letter, one academic letter, and one other letter. MD/PhD Program applicants must submit one clinical letter, one academic letter, and one research letter.
- UNR Med prefers individual letters that are submitted by the writer directly to AMCAS or via Interfolio, but will accept Committee (or Composite) letters or packets that include all required letters.
- Letters of evaluation should be written by someone with whom an applicant has a professional or academic relationship. Applicants should not submit letters from family, friends, or parents' colleagues.
- Letters of evaluation should be written during the year immediately prior to the application deadline.
- Letters must be signed, and writers should be asked to submit letters on official letterhead.
- We encourage applicants to provide letter writers with a copy of their personal statement and resume along with the AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation.
Note for Reapplicants: Two (2) letters of evaluation from the immediate past application cycle may be submitted as long as they were written no more than one (1) years prior to the date you originally applied and meet all current requirements. The third letter must be new and dated for the current admission cycle year.
One (1) Clinical Letter of Evaluation
UNR Med prefers that the clinical letter of evaluation be written by a practicing physician, but will accept letters written by other healthcare professionals who can evaluate, based upon direct observation, an applicant’s interactions with patients, physicians, or other healthcare professionals; who can address an applicant’s passion for medicine; who can evaluate an applicant’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of being a physician; and who can provide an informed evaluation of the candidate’s interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills, and other professional competencies such as reliability, teachability, and adaptability.
One (1) Academic Letter of Evaluation
The academic evaluation should be written by a faculty member or instructor who has directly observed an applicant’s commitment to academic excellence and to continuous, life-long learning. Writers are invited to speak to the applicant’s experiences in the classroom, research lab, or as a teaching assistant or tutor. Writers should evaluate competencies that directly impact academic performance such as resilience, adaptability, collaboration, and capacity to improve.
Note: Non-traditional students who have been away from an academic environment for more than three years, who are unable to acquire an academic letter, may request a waiver by emailing officeofadmission@med.unr.edu to schedule a brief advising appointment with the Director of Admissions.
One (1) Other Letter of Evaluation
The third required letter may be a second clinical, or second academic letter, but can also be written by someone who can evaluate an applicant’s communication and social skills, pre-professional competencies, personal attributes, and how their life experiences have prepared them for success in medical school and as a future physician.
One (1) Research Letter of Evaluation (required for PhD applicants only)
The required research letter of evaluation should be written by a faculty member or research supervisor who has directly observed and can evaluate an applicant’s technical and research skills; document the applicant’s role on a research project; and speak to their contributions as a member of a research team. Writers are encouraged to speak to the applicant’s academic, professional, and personal readiness for a PhD program and their capacity for success as a future physician scientist.
