Career Center
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Phone 817-735-5020 Fax 817-735-2605
An EEO/Affirmative Action Institution
ERAS Letter of Recommendations
Guidelines and Best Practices
Important: If you cannot write a supportive letter of recommendation (e.g., if you did not work with the
student very long or did not have a favorable experience), please let the student know that he/she should
request a letter from someone else.
Letter writers may begin uploading Letters of Recommendation (LOR’s) for residency applicants when
ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) opens for the next application cycle, traditionally in June
at the beginning of the student’s third year. Since applicants gain access to have LOR’s uploaded on their
behalf at the start of their third year clinical rotations, it is suggested that you draft the letter while the
student’s performance is fresh in your memory rather than waiting until they actually submit their
applications to residency programs at the beginning of fourth year. It is highly recommended that letters
be submitted by September 1 of the year preceding the next Match cycle (e.g., by 9/1/19 when the
application opens for the 2020 Match).
Please note that per ERAS policy (as well as how the electronic system is programmed), LOR’s for all
applicants must be uploaded to ERAS using the ERAS Letter of Recommendation Portal
(LoRP) and must
be uploaded by either the LOR author or his/her designee only. The student’s medical school ERAS Office
(aka, “Designated Dean’s Office”) is not able to upload letters of recommendation, no exceptions.
To help you in preparing a strong LOR, you may ask the student to provide you with a current CV and the
personal statement that the student is writing for his/her application to residency. You may also want to
discuss with the student his/her goals and aspirations, and specific strengths the applicant believes he/she
will bring to a residency program and the profession of medicine.
There are three important components to a compelling letter of recommendation:
1. Your assessment of the student’s strengths, preferably from working directly with him or her;
2. Your assessment of how the student will perform as a resident and future member of that
specialty;
3. Anything that may distinguish this applicant from others.
Guidelines for Writing Letters Most Valuable to Residency Programs
• Limit your letter to one or two pages. The strongest letters include at least three paragraphs.
Length of the letter may be interpreted by some programs as a measure of strength of the
recommendation, although some my specify “one page or less” (such as the military).
• Explain how you know the applicant and your relationship. Do you know this applicant from an
academic, clinical, or research setting? State how long have you known the applicant and how
well.
• Tailor your letter. Give the reader a sense of the applicant’s potential as a future physician, as
well as in other areas on which you can comment (e.g., research, advocacy, their chosen
specialty). Specific areas to comment on include: intellectual ability; analytical skills; attitude
toward learning; communication skills; initiative, motivation, and persistence; and personal
achievements. Highlight ACGME core competencies where possible.