Letter Service Online

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If you still cannot login, it may be because you are entering incomplete or inconsistent information according to the data in our online system. The student CalNet ID is the same as your BearFacts login. Contact CalNet Administration for help with your CalNet ID.

If you are logging in through a non-CalNet page, once you have checked and corrected the problems listed above, if you still can't login, contact us by email or phone at (510) 642-1716 to verify that you are using the correct information to log in.

You need to go to the Alumni Login page and click on “Forgot Your CCID” link to retrieve your CCID by email. When you login with your email and CCID, you will be prompted to create a new password. Keep in mind that this is for Alumni and non-registering clients only. All currently registered Cal students will log in via CalNet.

Your packet will include in the following order of appearance:

1. Letter Service Cover Sheet. This cover sheet will have your full name, any information you may have entered in the "Supplemental Info" field, and the last four digits of your SSN if you had entered it when you made your request. This cover sheet also includes the Letter Service address & phone and our privacy notice. It also clearly states that UCB does not have any pre-professional committees.
2. Letters Checklist. This page is for the receiving school/program. It will list the school program name, your name and last 4-digits of your SSN (if you had entered it), names of the letter writers that are in this packet and the number of letters enclosed.
3. Letters/Matching Forms. Photocopies of your letters/matching forms in the order you had selected them when you make your request.

All of these items are then stapled together and sent in one envelope.

If your membership is expired, you may continue using your online file without limitations by paying the increased mailing fees, called One-Time-Sends. You will be automatically directed to the One-Time-Send request page. You can pay these increased mailing fees or choose to Reactivate your file. If you wish to reactivate your file, login to the Letter Service system and go to the UC Alumni Reactivation page to extend your expiration date. This will allow you to pay a lower mailing fee which is preferable when mailing to numerous institutions within a year. Otherwise, you may proceed to submit your OTS request. There is no limit to the number of times that you may submit a One-Time-Send request. Currently registered students have their membership automatically extended when they log in using CalNet. Contact the Career Center if this does not happen.  

This may be useful if you only plan to send letters to one or two schools. Using the One Time Send feature does not reactivate your file.

You will need to submit two identical requests. There is a charge for each set of letters sent.

There are several pre-approved matching forms that we will allow to be mailed with your letters of recommendation. They are used to match the incoming letters with an applicant's file at the following institutions : LSAC (LSDAS), AADSAS, OMSAS, Pharmacy programs, Veterinary programs, and UC Berkeley Optometry School. Please do not confuse these matching forms with other institutions’ recommendation forms or waiver forms.

If you are planning to send your letters to any of the pre-approved institutions, we must receive the completed matching forms before you make your online request. Forms that just need to be filled out by you such as LSAC or AADSAS can be dropped off in person or sent. If these institutions accept faxed copies of your forms, you can fax them to us at (510) 642-4958. Please note that The Letter Service will not alter/complete these forms in any way for you.

It is your responsibility to confirm that we have received your mailed or faxed matching forms by logging in and viewing your list of letters (no phone inquiries, please). These forms will be posted online within 1-2 business days of receipt. You can distinguish these forms from your letters because they will be listed as MATCHING FORM plus a writer’s name, indicating the letter to which it is matched. It is your responsibility to select these forms along with the corresponding letters when submitting an online request. We do not attach forms to letters, You must choose a form and also the letter to go along with that form. Your request will still be processed if you do not select the appropriate matching forms or letters. We will not hold your requests pending receipt of any matching forms.

The Law School Admission Council matching form may be downloaded from your LSDAS online account. The Applicant and Recommender portion of the form must be fully completed by you, including the Applicant's Signature which waives your right to see the letter if your letter is confidential. Incomplete LSAC forms submitted to the Letter Service will not be used and your letters will be sent without the forms. LSAC requires every letter of recommendation to be accompanied by their matching form. Letters submitted without this form will be considered incomplete by LSAC and will be returned to the Letter Service. If the letters are returned to our office by LSAC, it will be your responsibility to submit the LSAC forms and pay the re-mailing fees if you want to re-mail your request.

If you want to send your letters from your Letter Service file to AADSAS for distribution to dental schools by AADSAS, submit an AADSAS Letter of Evaluation Matching Form for each letter you want to have sent. These AADSAS forms should be posted on your file before you make your online request. The form can be found on the AADSAS website.

We understand that many medical schools have been asking applicants to include their AAMC number on their letters of recommendation. Unfortunately we cannot alter letters, however we have provided a feature on the Letter Service request form that will allow you to display this number on the cover page that is attached to your letters before they are mailed. To do this you can enter the AAMC number in the "Supplemental Info" field on the "Make Request" page. Be sure to type in AAMC in front of the number so that medical schools understand the purpose of the number and our office will treat it accordingly. The "Supplemental Info" field is intended for use by those applying for academic employment and medical school only. Any other information (other than AAMC number, birth date, or job title) will not be displayed.

The Career Center Pre Health Counselors and the Letter Service spoke with the Admissions people at USC medical school. We learned that they are interested in your AAMC ID number arriving with your letters of recommendation. The AAMC ID number will be on the page that covers your letter packet if you remember to include your AAMC ID number as part of your request. Ignore the USC instructions and make your letter service request as you always do. Be certain to put in your AAMC ID number as part of your request in the Supplemental Info field, as that is the key identifying information they want at USC on your cover sheet.

You should always feel free to contact the schools to ask questions about their secondary applications.

Get on the CareerMail Pre-Med list; look for messages labeled "Especially for Applicants"

Make a Mini-Appointment to speak with a Career Counselor any afternoon at 2111 Bancroft in our Information Lab. We'll help you make good judgment calls as you prepare your secondary application materials.

Medical schools know that UCB does not have pre-medical advisor letters or committee letters. In case they need to be reminded, this is noted in the cover letter of every packet you send.

1. Registration Form: This form is for registering for our services if you choose not to register online.
2. Credit Card Authorization Form: This form is used only if you choose not to take advantage of online payment options.
3. Degree Verification Form: If you are not currently registered, you may still be eligible for Career Center services including the Letter Service by using our Degree Verification option which allows us to verify that you are still a student in good standing and expect to complete your degree at UC Berkeley by the end of the current semester.

After you establish a file and login to your online file, these forms are available:

1. Authorization Form: This form must be signed and submitted to the Letter Service before you can send your letters to institutions.
2. Letter Forms: These are the forms you may provide to your letter writers as letterhead for your recommendations. You can access these forms only after you have registered with the Letter Service. Remember, writers can use their professional letterhead.
3. Waiver Statement: This form is required for each recommendation solicited and must be received before letters can be sent to schools. You can access these forms only after you have registered with the Letter Service. If you are already a registered user, log in to access the waiver form.

You can correspond with the Letter Service by telephone, mail, or email. Requests and payments can be submitted online. Online payments must be made using a credit card with a US or Canadian billing address. Credit cards with other foreign billing address can be used to make payment by phone at (510) 642-1716. Instructions are available from this website. Log on to the Letter Service system to submit requests and/or payments.

Another option is to have a friend or family member deal with the Letter Service on your behalf. They can handle transactions and requests with the Letter Service in place of you. You must provide them with your login information and have on file a signed authorization which allows them to conduct transactions on your behalf.

For the Dean Recommendations (for law school and graduate school), clients must go to 123 Sproul Hall (tel: (510) 642-1883). Transcripts can be ordered at the registrar's office at 120 Sproul Hall (tel: (510) 642-4721).

The fastest way to determine whether a letter has arrived and is ready to be included in a request is to login to your Letter Service account and click on the "Letters" link. All of your letters that have arrived and been processed will appear.

The Letter Service staff begins posting new letters as soon as they arrive. All letters are posted within 1-2 business days of receipt, and your letter will appear in your online account as soon as it has been entered by our staff. Both you and your letter writer will be notified by email when a letter is posted and complete. If UCLink is experiencing problems, you may not receive this email or may receive duplicate emails. Emails are sent as a courtesy, and since email reliability can be erratic, the best way to check on the status of your letter is to login and review your file.

Posting incoming letters as quickly as possible is a high priority, and during this busy time of the year, answering phone calls or emails regarding the arrival status of a letter only serves to impede this critical process. Letter writers may misjudge how long it takes for a letter to arrive or when it actually entered the mail system. If you are waiting for a letter, please check your account online a couple of times a day. If you don't see it listed there, there is no additional information we have to offer.

All letters submitted to the Letter Service must be accompanied by a waiver statement form signed by you indicating that your letter writer is aware of whether or not you have chosen to make the letter confidential, and therefore "waived" your right to see it.

If we receive a recommendation from your letter writer that is not accompanied by a waiver form, it will not be available for use until a signed waiver is submitted. To do so, download the form (It is available as a PDF after you login - see the box titled "Letter Service Forms" on the right hand side of the screen), fill it out and sign it, and mail or hand deliver it to the Career Center. When we have posted the waiver statement, your letter will be complete and you will be able to select it when you go in and make a request.

If you would like a letter that arrives without a waiver form to be posted to your file as an "open/non-confidential" letter, you must provide the letter writer with a signed waiver form indicating that you have not waived your right to view the letter and have her/him submit it along with a new copy of the letter. If you just want that letter to be "closed/confidential," simply complete a waiver statement and mail or deliver it to us.

Federal law and university policy precludes us from sending out a letter for which we lack a signed waiver form.

The Letter Service will provide an "unofficial" copy of any non-confidential letter when requested. There are two ways to receive the text of a non-confidential letter: 1) You can come to our office in person during business hours with your photo ID to pick it up or 2) You can send us an email with the following information: your full name, last 4 digits of your Social Security Number or your Career Center ID, the name of the letter writer whose letter you wish to read, and your mailing address. The first unofficial copy of each letter is free; any additional copies are $1.00 each.

We need to receive an email stating that your writer is requesting a copy of their letter so it can be updated. This email can be from the student or the writer. We will need the writer's full name and current mailing address at their place of business. We will mail to them, free of charge, a copy of your letter, a blank letter form, and self-addressed envelope as soon as possible.

You have the option of using the Career Center Letter Forms or having the letter writer use their professional letterhead. The Letter Service does not accept letters on school-specific recommendation forms nor their waiver forms. If the instructions on the form state that they are "required", contact the school and inform them that you are using the Career Center Letter Service to forward your letters. The schools will then expect your letters to come from us in our pre-approved format. In working with graduate and professional schools nationally and internationally, we have come up with a format that has been universally accepted. Please note that some schools may request a "ranking". The Career Center has a letter form available with a ranking grid included since UC Berkeley does not have a faculty ranking committee. If your letter writer wishes to use their department letterhead, you may want to ask them to place your social security number on the recommendation. This would help to match your letters with your file at the Letter Service and at the institutions you apply to. Please see our FAQ on matching forms.

Please contact the Letter Service by email to request letter(s) that you no longer intend to use to be retired. All requests for retiring letters must be in writing.