Letters of Reference FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Opening a file and getting started
Obtaining letters from reference writers
Submitting requests to have your file sent
Following up on requests
How to contact the Career Center regarding my Letters of Reference File
Questions regarding length of eligibility, reactivation procedures, and shelf life

Opening a file and getting started:
How do I open a Letters of Reference account?

Follow the seven easy steps below:
1. Go to career.ucla.edu
2. Click on Graduate & Professional School Planning.
3. Click on Letters of Reference Service.
4. Enter your UCLA Logon ID and password.
5. For current students only: System will prompt you for email and phone number.
6. For Alumni only: Since you are no longer paying registration fees, the system will ask you for a credit card number to pay your annual reactivation fee.
7. The system will prompt you to download the service contract and return it to the UCLA Career Center to activate your account. You must submit your signed service contract to the Career Center in order to activate your account. You may fax your contract to us at 310.825.1007.

Obtaining letters from reference writers:

What’s the next step?

• Log into the Letters of Reference web site and print out the Waiver of Access Form to give to each author. Give both pages of this form to your reference writer since the second page contains critical instructions to authors, including our mailing address!
• Sign the form as an acknowledgement that the letter is confidential.
• Ask your author to: (1) Mail the Waiver of Access Form with the corresponding letter to the Career Center; and (2) Sign his/her name across the seal of the envelope to verify confidentiality.

How long does it take the Career Center to enter my new letters?

We are usually able to enter new letters into your LOR (Letters of Reference) File within three business days of receipt. However, during the peak activity months of September-December, please allow a few extra days.

Note: All mail is first processed through the UCLA Mail & Document Services Department. Letters sent through campus mail may take up to three weeks for delivery. Again, be sure to provide your letter writers with both pages of the Waiver Form so that your author will have our correct mailing address.

How do I check to see if my letters have been received?

• Go to career.ucla.edu
• Click on Graduate & Professional School Planning
• Click on Letters of Reference Service and log in to your account
• Click on My Letters

My reference writer wants a copy of his earlier letter for reference. What should I do?

Please ask your reference writer to contact us via email at pps@career.ucla.edu, or via regular mail at:

UCLA Career Center
501 Westwood Plaza, Box 951573
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1573

We can then arrange to send the earlier letter back to the letter writer.

How do I retire a letter?

• Log into your LOR account
• Click on My Letters.
• Click on the button corresponding to the letter you wish to retire.
• Warning: be sure you want to permanently retire a letter, since this process is irreversible!

Submitting requests to have your file sent:

How do I request that my letters be sent?

• Log into your LOR account.
• Click on Mail My Letters.
• Complete the easy seven-step request process. Important tip: be sure to review your request   carefully (addresses, Special Handling instructions if applicable, etc.) before completing the final   step to ensure that your request will be successfully processed! Remember that you are responsible   for paying fees on all requests that we send due to an incorrect address.

How do I know if you’ve received my request?

• Once you complete the seven-step request process, you’ll receive an automated email response that will include your confirmation number (required when submitting supplemental information if you’ve checked the “Special Handling” option) and the processing time window.
• Since all notifications and communications associated with the LOR service are done via email, make sure (1) you check your emails regularly, and (2) update your email address if it changes. Click on “Account Information” after logging into your account to make changes.

What if I need special forms or supplemental materials to accompany my letters?

For any self-managed applications (where the application must be sent together with letters of reference) or any requests that require special forms or additional information (such as the LSDAS L1, VMCAS , AADSAS form, or the AMCAS application ID) you must select “Special Handling” option in Step 4 of our 7-step request process. Be sure to indicate the nature of your Special Handling request in Step 5. You’ll receive an emailed confirmation after you’ve submitted your request containing the conformation number. Submit your supplemental material to our office with this confirmation number attached, along with the type of mail service (Priority or Basic Mail) that you’ve selected. Please note: the stated processing window will begin when we receive your supplemental material, not when you submit your request!

Critical note: Please DO NOT submit any supplemental materials prior to completing your request. All LOR Files are electronic, and we do not retain paper files to store forms in before you’ve completed your request. Any forms received prior to request submissions will be returned to the author or discarded.

I realize I made a mistake after I submitted a request. Can I cancel this request and receive a refund?

As the automated, emailed confirmation message indicates, you have a window of 30 minutes to cancel any requests once you have completed the seven-step request process. If you fail to cancel within 30 minutes, you will be automatically billed for this request.
To cancel a request:
  1. Log into your LOR account and click on “My Service Requests”.
  2. Click on the “Cancel” button next to the corresponding request number. Note: this button will only       appear within the 30-minute window after you’ve submitted your request.
Note: since the LOR system is automated, you must cancel online. Please do not call or email us to cancel a request.

Following up on requests:

How can I check to see if my letters have been sent?

• Log into your LOR account.
• Click on My Service Requests
• Critical note: Although our automated system assures that your letters are mailed as requested, we know of unfortunate cases where letters were incorrectly processed by our mail carriers, lost en route, incorrectly delivered or misfiled by the admissions office. Because these situations are beyond our control, the LOR Service Agreement states that the UCLA Career Center cannot be responsible for ensuring the delivery of letter packets we mail, nor for their delivery times or dates once we have released a LOR Service request to our carriers. As a protective measure, always follow up with admissions departments to make sure your letters have been successfully received.

How to contact the Career Center regarding my Letters of Reference File

Who can answer questions about my file?

• General questions can be answered by the Information Services staff at the front desk; and by sending an email to pps@career.ucla.edu.
• Specific questions about a particular request, your BAR statement, or other questions relating to your account must be submitted in writing to pps@career.ucla.edu. Staff members are working in a busy reception area and are unable to answer questions of this nature. We will respond to all written inquiries, in order of submission, within three business days. In most cases, we can respond by the end of the business day, providing we receive your email by 4:00PM.

Questions regarding length of eligibility, reactivation procedures, and shelf life

How long is my file active?

• Students: Once you’ve activated your LOR File by submitting your signed contract, your file will remain active through the last day of the month in the last quarter you enrolled. For example, if you are last enrolled or graduated in Spring 2007, your file will remain active through June 30, 2007. Exception: continuing UCLA students enrolled in Spring Quarter will have an expiration date of September 30. Your expiration date is automatically updated at the beginning of each quarter, as long as you're currently enrolled.
• Alumni: After you have graduated, you have the option of reactivating your file on an annual basis. Since you no longer pay UCLA registration fees, you will be charged a $75 annual activation fee to continue providing services to you.

If I’m an alumnus/alumna, how do I reactivate my file?

Follow the steps below:
1. From our web site at career.ucla.edu, click on either Alumni Services or Graduate & Professional School Planning.
2. Click on Letters of Reference Service and log into your account.
3. You will see this message: “Our records indicate that your account with us has expired. Click on 'Renew Account' to renew online”.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to renew your account.

I’m planning on working a few years before applying to graduate school. How long will the Career Center store my letters?

The Career Center will store your letters for a maximum period of 5years, dating from the most recent expiration date.
However, it is your responsibility to keep your contact information current in case we need to contact you regarding policy changes. Once the 5 year window has closed, your letters will be destroyed without notification.