Recommendation File Service FAQ

These FAQs provide additional details about the use of the RFS. The information is grouped by subject. Please click on the subject below to view the related FAQ:

Getting Started
Forms
Add Letters
Check Letter Status
Purchase Distributions
Send Letters
VirtualEvals (D.O. Medical Applicants Only)

FAQ: Getting Started

What is the Recommendation File Service? The file service allows you to collect, hold and send your recommendation letters over time for application to professional or graduate school.

Can I use the Recommendation File Service to apply for jobs or scholarships?
No. The file service cannot be used to forward letters for employment, internships, or in support of applications for fellowships or scholarships (unless they fund professional or graduate study).

Can you forward my transcripts or resume?
No. We will not forward photographs, copies of credentials, transcripts, institutions’ preprinted recommendation forms, resumes, curriculum vitae, or other materials.

What is the cost and how do I pay?
There is a fee each time letters are distributed from your file. Payment is made online by credit card. For a full description of fees, see the File Service Policies . ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. PURCHASE WISELY.

How do I get started?
Current UCSD-degree-seeking students or UCSD alumni: use your UCSD PID # and payment information to get started.

How do I log in to my file?
Using the username and password you created during the setup process, access the service anytime from the Recommendation File Service Login button.

How long will the Career Services Center keep my letters on file?
Files are retained until three years after their last distribution prior to September 20, 2009. If your file was not distributed prior to that date, your file will expire five years after you set it up.

Do I have to join Alumni Career Plus to access my file after I graduate?
No. Once you have set up a file it is yours for the duration, whether you’ve graduated or not.

Will I have access to the letters in my file?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, gives you the right to review the letters in your file. But you can waive that right. Indicate your choice on the Waiver and Routing Form you submit with each letter. For more information on waivers, see the FAQ.

Who else has access to my lettters?
Only RFS staff and other university officials have access to your file under FERPA. The RFS will only send letters to the professional or graduate schools you indicate, or Interfolio or VE, at your request.

I have two files. Can I transfer letters from one file to another?
No. We will not transfer letters from one file to another or share the same letter between multiple files. A separate letter must be received for each file.

Can I create another file for a different program?
No. As we phase out our service, no new files can be created within the RFS. You can set up a new file using www.Interfolio.com .

I keep getting an error message or a blank screen, what do I do?
DO NOT hit refresh or the back button to try to complete the transaction again. Check your “View Distribution Request History” to see if the transaction you tried went through before attempting to complete it again. Please contact the File Service as soon as possible if this does not resolve your error.

Why do I have to use Internet Explorer as my web browser?
The RFS was designed to be used with IE. Using other browsers may result in error messages, blank screens or multiple transactions.

My health professional school wants a letter from an advisors' committee. Does UCSD have one?
UCSD does not have a pre-health or pre-med advisory committee. Schools will not expect a committee letter from UCSD applicants. Send individual letters of recommendation in lieu of this committee letter.

FAQ: Forms Return To Top

Do I have to submit a Waiver & Routing Form with each letter?
Yes. A completed form MUST be received with each letter. Fill out and sign a Waiver and Routing Form  indicating whether you want to waive or retain your right of access to that particular letter and give it to your writer. This form will also serve to inform your writers if you will have access to the letter he or she writes.

Can I give you my Waiver & Routing Form separately from the letter?
No. The letter and the form must arrive together. Print and fill out a form and give it to your writer to be sent in along with the writer’s letter.

Do I have to waive my right to my letter?
No, but it is within your letter writer’s rights to decline to write a letter if you will have access to that letter.

Should I waive or retain my right to see my letters?
Schools typically prefer confidential letters. To decide, consider: your letter writer’s preference, your confidence in the letter writer, and the receiving institution’s preference.

Will you tell the school/program if I retained my right to see the letter(s)?
We do not disclose the confidentiality status of the letters we send, but the institutions you apply to may ask whether you waived your right to see your letters.

What if my school has institution-specific recommendation forms?
We cannot send school-specific forms with your letters. Letters are usually accepted in lieu of the forms. Contact the receiving schools to ask. If the program insists on receiving the forms, have your writer send the form directly to the program.

What do I do with application service forms (e.g., PharmCAS, LSAC, VMCAS, or AADSAS)?
If you are sending letters to law, or health professional schools through a centralized application service, you must bring or mail the application service matching forms to our office before you make a request. Please call us at (858) 534-4939 for further instruction.

FAQ: Add Letters Return To Top

When should I start collecting letters?
You are encouraged to approach letter writers at least two months before your application deadlines. For more advice on obtaining letters, please read our guide .

Who can put a letter in my file?
Anyone can submit a letter. Have your writers send the letter and Waiver and Routing Form to our office.

What if my writer doesn’t know what to put in my letter?
Give your writer a copy of our Writing Letters of Recommendation: Tips and Guidelines guide.

Can my writer email or fax my letter to the RFS?
No. We only accept letters that come through the mail or are hand-delivered to our office.

How many letters can I have in my file?
You may have up to 10 letters in each file.

Should the letter be on a certain type of paper?
Recommendation letters must be typed on official letterhead stationery with the writer’s contact information.

Are scanned signatures okay?
Original signatures are preferred, but clearly legible scanned signatures are acceptable.

Can you add to or change my letters?
No. We cannot alter the letters in any way. We will not add ID numbers or fix typos.

FAQ: Check Letter Status Return To Top

My writer sent a letter but it's not listed in my file. Where is my letter?
We generally post letters within one business day of receipt. Continue to check your online account daily. Be patient, US mail and campus mail can take several days. If we have not received your letter, it is your responsibility to follow up with your letter writer.

The Waiver Status for my letter says “You did not choose any option,” what do I do?
This means that we got your letter either without a Waiver & Routing Form, or with a form that did not clearly indicate if you wanted to retain or waive your right to see your letter. Mail, fax, or bring in a completed Waiver and Routing Form to our office to indicate your waiver choice.

The name of my writer is misspelled. Can you change this?
Because we receive so many letters each day, occasional typos are inevitable. This information is only seen by you and the RFS staff, but it can be changed. Contact the File Service to request the change.

How do I get a letter revised/updated?
Simply have your writer send the updated letter to the RFS.

Can you send a letter back to the writer to update it?
Yes. Call or email our office with the writer’s full name and current mailing address and we will mail a copy to them.

How can I remove a letter from my file?
You may have a letter removed by submitting written, dated, and signed instructions to our office specifying the letter(s) you wish to remove and the file type (medicine, law, etc.). Letters included in a VE Account and uploaded to VirtualEvals can not be removed.

FAQ: Purchase Distributions Return To Top

What is a distribution?
There are two types of recommendation file distributions. A "U.S. mail distribution" is a packet mailed to one address containing up to ten letters. A "VE distribution" is your pre-selected VE Account letters sent to one or more osteopathic medical schools that you select at one time.

Does it cost one distribution per letter or per school?
One distribution is one envelope sent to one school or application service; you can include as many letters as you like in each distribution.

How many distributions do I need to purchase?
If you use US Mail distributions, you’ll need to purchase one distribution for each school you want to send your letters to. If you are sending medical school recommendation letters using VirtualEvals (VE) you can select multiple schools at one time with a single distribution. Purchase wisely. There are NO REFUNDS.

I accidentally bought too many distributions. Can I get a refund?
No. There are NO REFUNDS. Purchase carefully.

FAQ: Send Letters Return To Top

How long will it take for the letters to be sent?

Distribution requests will be processed in the order they are received, within five full working days after the date the request is made.

Is rush service available?
No.You may pay extra for Express or Priority mail distributions, but this controls how fast the U.S. Postal Service handles your distribution, not how fast it leaves our office.

Can I pick up my letters to include with my application package?
No. We will only send letters directly to graduate or professional schools, fellowship application committees, or to application services. If asked to include your letters with your application, let the program know that the file service must send your letters separately.

Will distributions be sent during the December holiday period?
The Career Services Center closes during this period but the File Service does process distributions on a modified schedule. The deadline to have distributions processed before the winter holidays is in early December. Deadline dates are posted several weeks in advance.

The school did not receive my letters, what do I do?
This may occur for any number of reasons: incorrect address, problems with the mail system, filing errors at admissions offices. Always follow up with schools on distributions you have requested. If your letters have not been received a few weeks after the distribution date (posted on your online file service account), consider requesting another distribution.