VCU LOR Requirements
When you have completed the online application, please have your letters of recommendation sent to us. Name and AAMC ID are required on all letters of
recommendation.
a. If your school has an established premedical committee, your letter must come from them. The Admissions Committee policy is that students who attend schools that have formal premed advisors or premed committees must have a letter from that advisor or committee. Failure to provide this letter can be considered grounds for not pursuing the file further or for evaluating the candidate as less competitive than others. The committee believes those students whose undergraduate institution provides such a service is better able to evaluate the candidate in the context of that schools entire applicant pool. They also believe that students who have not availed themselves of the service may be less well prepared for medical education than those who have participated.
b. If you are not using a premedical committee, we require three letters of recommendation: two from faculty who have taught you in the sciences who can speak of your academic abilities and one in an ancillary (minor) field. The third letter may also come from someone who has worked with you, preferably in a healthcare related area. The purpose of submitting letters from science professors is to give the committee some sense about your academic ability and performance in the sciences. The Committee is interested in comments about your academics, about your skills as a participating member of the class and about your personal interactions with faculty. Letters are therefore reviewed by staff in the Admissions Office to be certain that the committee will find them useful. If you are notified that we have judged a letter as "nonscience" it is usually because the writer did not address issues of your academic skills and abilities in scientific subject matter.
You are welcome to appeal decisions by the office about whether or not a letter is "science" but keep in mind that granting this appeal will not bind the committee in any way and they will make their decision without regard to the waiver. Committee members may decide against an interview based upon their inability to judge your scientific prowess. The purpose of the "nonscience" letters is to give the Admissions Committee the assessment of someone outside the sciences who may have excellent knowledge about you. Their letter should discuss your personal attributes. Nonscience letters are most frequently from faculty outside the sciences, former employers, research mentors and academic advisors.
c. Information for NonTraditional
Candidates: If you have done graduate work since graduating from undergraduate school, it is extremely important to include a letter from either the program director, your advisor or a faculty member who taught you in your graduate program. If you have been out of undergraduate school long enough that you do not know faculty or the premed advisor, you may request a waiver of the requirement to have a committee letter. Under those circumstances the committee is comfortable with letters from those who have taught you recently as you prepared for your medical school application.
d. Information for MD/PhD Candidates: In addition to the three letters of recommendation or premedical committee packet requirement, the
MD/PhD candidates must also submit an MD/PHD Reference Letter using the format provided on the Instructions/Forms page. The form must be completed by a person who is familiar with your research background and experience.
Any correspondence sent to this office should include your name and AAMC ID # and be addressed as follows:
Admissions Office
School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University
1101 East Marshall Street
P.O. Box 980565
Richmond, Virginia 232980565