Applicant Asked to Read My Letter of Recommendation?

Applicant Asked to Read My Letter of Recommendation?

Check the waiver first. If the student waived access, the application service told programs you wrote the letter on the understanding that the student "would not be able to view it", and the student's waiver is binding. Do not send it or read it to them. If they did not waive, the same services say they may ask you for a copy.

Our recommendation, when the student waived, is a short, warm no that confirms the letter was submitted and offers what the student actually needs: feedback on their work, given as their supervisor, separate from the letter. If you have not written the letter yet, start with how to write a medical school letter of recommendation.

Every page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. AAMC's AMCAS and ERAS letter pages refused our automated retrieval that day (HTTP 403), so AAMC's own waiver wording is not quoted here. The Liaison help pages loaded, and the FERPA regulation was read through eCFR's official API.

What the waiver says, service by service

AACOMAS (DO), CASPA (PA) and PhORCAS (pharmacy residency) use the same waiver text. ADEA AADSAS (dental) words it differently. All four collect letters through Liaison Letters, the recommender portal.

Two more lines matter to you as the writer. AACOMAS, CASPA and ADEA AADSAS each say: "Selecting Yes indicates to programs that your evaluator completed their evaluation with the understanding that you would not be able to view it." All four say: "Once you make a selection, you can't change it, so consider the choices carefully."

So a waived letter is not only a private document between you and the student. Programs were told how it was written. Showing it to the student makes that statement untrue.

What FERPA actually says

The waiver comes from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The regulation, 34 CFR 99.12, says a postsecondary institution "does not have to permit a student to inspect and review" records that are:

"Confidential letters and confidential statements of recommendation placed in the student's education records after January 1, 1975, if: (i) The student has waived his or her right to inspect and review those letters and statements; and (ii) Those letters and statements are related to the student's: (A) Admission to an educational institution; (B) Application for employment; or (C) Receipt of an honor or honorary recognition."

The same section says a waiver "is valid only if" the institution "does not require the waiver as a condition for admission" and it "is made in writing and signed by the student." It also says the institution shall "Give the student, on request, the names of the individuals who provided the letters and statements of recommendation." So the student can learn who wrote. The waiver covers what the letter says.

ADEA AADSAS adds when the right applies: FERPA "does not give you the right to inspect evaluations submitted to a school until you are admitted to and attending that school."

What the student can see anyway

The Liaison Letters help page tells writers: "applicants can view your contact information and any information you add to the Profile page (i.e., phone number, email, etc.) in their full application PDF." The student also sees that your letter is complete: PhORCAS, for example, marks completed evaluations "Complete" with a date.

You can check which choice the student made. The same page says: "You can view if an applicant waived their rights under the Access field."

How to say no

Our view: if the student waived, do not share the text, a summary of it, or a "rough idea" of what it says. Confirm that it was submitted, tell them you agreed to write because you could support them, and offer a separate conversation about their performance. That conversation is ordinary feedback from a supervisor, and it gives the student what they are really asking for.

The countercase: if the student did not waive, the services' text says they may ask you for a copy, and AADSAS says you are not obligated to give one. The services tell programs, in text addressed to the student, that the evaluation was completed "with the understanding that you may choose to view it in the future." Sharing it is consistent with what they were told.

Constructed example: a reply email

Constructed example, written by us, not a real email. Context (invented): Dr. E. Whitfield wrote a CASPA evaluation for Jonah Park, who waived access and has now asked to read it.

Draft that gives too much (37 words):

Hi Jonah, I can't send the letter itself since you waived, but I mostly wrote about your work in the clinic and your patient follow-up, and I said you were one of my best students this year.

Revised reply (75 words):

Hi Jonah, thank you for asking first. Because you waived access, I wrote the letter as a confidential one, and I'm going to keep it that way so programs can read it as written. It was submitted on October 2, and CASPA shows it as complete. I agreed to write because I could support your application. If it would help, I'm glad to meet and talk about your clinic work and what to keep building.

The first draft passes on the letter's content in summary, which is the thing the waiver covers. The revised reply confirms the facts the student can already see, keeps the content private and offers feedback as a separate conversation.

If they did not waive

Check the Access field before you answer. If it shows the student did not waive:

1. The AACOMAS, CASPA and PhORCAS pages say the student may ask you for a copy.
2. ADEA AADSAS says you are not obligated to provide one.
3. AACOMAS and CASPA say choosing "No" "does not allow you to view your evaluation via the application", so the application does not show it to the student.

If you share it, send the final submitted version, not a draft.

Questions letter writers ask

Can the student change the waiver after I submit?

Not in these applications. AACOMAS, CASPA, PhORCAS and ADEA AADSAS each say: "Once you make a selection, you can't change it."

Can I show the letter after the cycle is over?

The services' pages give the waiver no end date and say the choice "can't" be changed. FERPA's section 99.12, which sets what a postsecondary institution must let a student inspect, says a waiver "may be revoked with respect to any actions occurring after the revocation" and that a revocation "must be in writing." The programs were told you wrote the letter on the understanding that the student "would not be able to view it."

The student says another physician shared their letter. Does that change anything?

No. Each waiver is the student's choice for each request, and each writer answers for their own letter.

Can I let the student draft or upload the letter?

No upload: the Liaison pages say evaluations "cannot be completed or submitted by the applicant or another party on behalf of the evaluator." If a student offers to draft it, see what to do when asked to write your own letter. If the letter discusses a hardship or disability, see what a letter may say about a disability or hardship and the consent step it requires.

Get a free review of the letter

Get a free Quick Review of your recommendation letter against GradPilot's residency letter of recommendation rubric before you submit it. It checks that the letter states how you know the candidate, rests on incidents you saw, and closes with an endorsement whose strength is clear. For a medical school letter use the medical school letter of evaluation rubric, and for PA, dental or pharmacy letters the health professions evaluation letter rubric.

Program directors writing for a fellowship applicant can see the program director letter for fellowship for what that letter states.

Related pages: how a PhORCAS reference works, the CASPA evaluation form guide, the ERAS letters of recommendation guide and the medical school and residency essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• Liaison, AACOMAS Evaluations (no year stated): waiver text.
• Liaison, CASPA Evaluations (no year stated): waiver text.
• Liaison, PhORCAS Program Materials (no year stated): waiver text, "Complete" status.
• Liaison, ADEA AADSAS Evaluations (no year stated): FERPA timing; writer not obligated to give a copy.
• Liaison, Complete a Recommendation (no year stated): Access field; what applicants see.
• U.S. Government Publishing Office, eCFR 34 CFR 99.12 (current text, read through eCFR's official API): FERPA limits on inspecting waived letters; waiver conditions; revocation.
• Not retrieved (HTTP 403): AAMC, AMCAS Section 6 letters page and ERAS Letters of Recommendation chapter.