Modified on: Tue, 3 May, 2016 at 8:41 AM
| VMCAS STRONGLY recommends that applicants get S.E.T. for verification by August 15th!The E in S.E.T. stands for:Evaluations – Have all THREE of your required evaluations “Complete” by August 15th.VMCAS will not accept late application materials. |
All evaluations must be submitted to VMCAS electronically. In this section, please enter information for a minimum of THREE (3) references, and up to a maximum of SIX (6) references. VMCAS is not responsible for verifying an evaluator’s identity. If a discrepancy is found, VMCAS reserves the right to contact the applicant or evaluator to investigate. VMCAS reserves the right to share the discrepancy without comment to all VMCAS programs.
There are three parts to a VMCAS reference:
1. On the “Evaluations” page, click the blue “Create Evaluation Request” button to add a reference.
2. Enter full name and e-mail address into the system, and assign a deadline by which you would like this reference completed. We encourage applicants to select a date which is at least four weeks in advance of the VMCAS deadline. You may also write them a personal message, which is optional.
3. Select your waiver decision (please see more information on waivers below) and check the permissions release boxes.
3. ONCE THIS INFORMATION IS SAVED, AN E-MAIL IS IMMEDIATELY SENT TO THE REFERENCE. Please advise your references to monitor their junk e-mail and spam folders for messages from “vmcasinfo@vmcas.org,” subject heading “Evaluation Request Submitted,” as these e-mails are automated and therefore sometimes filtered as spam. Reach out to your references and confirm that they have received the email notification.
4. The e-mail sent to the reference includes a link to the Evaluator Portal where they can create an account and set up their own username and password. The reference will log into this site and see your name under the heading “Open Evaluations.” Your reference will click either “ACCEPT” or “DECLINE” to accept or decline your request. If they select decline, you will receive an email notification.
5. Once your reference has accepted your request, your name will become a clickable link. Upon clicking on your name, they will be asked to complete a ratings grid, and upload an open letter of reference in .PDF, .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX format. Please note the file size limit for letters is 5 MB.
5. Once they have completed their reference, they must click “SUBMIT EVALUATION” to send it to VMCAS. This action occurs immediately, and the evaluation will show up as “completed” on your application with a complete date. Your reference can also click “Preview Evaluation” to create a .pdf copy which they can save for their records.
6. Monitor your evaluations’ statuses in the Status Menu of your application. Follow up with any references which still read as “Requested” or “In-Progress.”
NOTE: NO PAPER LETTERS OR FORMS SHOULD BE MAILED TO VMCAS. Evaluations must be completed & submitted entirely online.
When you enter a reference, you are asked if you wish to “WAIVE” or “NOT TO WAIVE” your right to view the reference. This waiver is not a creation of VMCAS, but is part of U.S. Federal Law and must be filled out for any letter of reference, including those you may have obtained to attend your undergraduate institution.
Please review the information below before making your decision. Once a decision is made, it CANNOT be changed.
Selecting “YES” indicates to the school that your evaluator wrote their letter of recommendation with the understanding that you would never be allowed to view it. If you select this option, you will never see the content of your letter. However, programs may view this type of letter as a more accurate representation of an applicant’s qualifications.
Selecting “NO” indicates to the school that your evaluator wrote their reference with the understanding that you may choose to view it in the future. Please note, however, that checking this option will NOT allow you to view your reference via VMCAS. If you have not waived the right to view your reference, you may ask your reference for a copy of their recommendation, or, once you matriculate into a veterinary program, you may ask to view the reference in their offices. However, programs may view this type of letter as a less accurate representation of an applicant’s qualifications.
NOTE: It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor their application for evaluation receipt, even after you have submitted your application. VMCAS will NOT notify applicants concerning missing evaluations. Applicants must follow up with any references in a “Requested” or “In-Progress” status and ensure all reference materials are completed to avoid delays in processing their application. You may view the status of your evaluations at any time in the Evaluations section.
If you wish to submit a committee letter as part of your VMCAS application:
A: Nothing. They are all the same thing.
A: You are required to list at least THREE (3) evaluators on your application in order to submit to VMCAS and you may list up to SIX (6). These must then be completed through the VMCAS evaluations website.PLEASE NOTE: VMCAS will verify your application as long as THREE (3) evaluations are listed. Any additional references received by VMCAS will be available to your schools immediately once they are completed.
A: There are a number of resources available on the AAVMC website. Click here for an evaluation requirement chart, or check the school descriptor page.
NOTE: VMCAS will not check to be sure you have sent the type of references required by your schools. It is your responsibility to learn the requirements of your schools and acquire the necessary references.
A: The file uploaded by references may not exceed 5 MB. The Evaluator Portal will not allow references to exceed this file size when uploading their assessment.
A: NO. You may not submit more than five evaluations via VMCAS, and VMCAS can not accept additional or substitute letters. However, you may want to contact the schools to which you are applying in inquire as to whether they will accept an additional or substitute letter. If so, you would send this additional letter directly to them.
A: Your reference has saved some information on your reference, but has not yet submitted your letter of reference. Only submitted references can be sent to your programs.
A: Restrictions regarding the length and number of references have been determined by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the VMCAS Admissions Committee, which is made up of admissions officers from VMCAS participating veterinary programs. These restrictions reflect the veterinary programs’ desire to receive concise assessments and allow a certain degree of standardization in the amount of consideration given to each applicant’s reference material.
A: No. Each evaluation is sent to all programs that you applied to.
A: NO. All letters of reference must be completed via the Evaluator Portal by the evaluator themselves.
A: If you wish to submit a committee letter to VMCAS, Enter the committee chair or their alternate as the evaluator who will also complete the ratings section. This single evaluator must be listed on your application with the individual’s name. Do NOT label this letter as being from a group; i.e. “Thesis Committee.” The composite letter and ratings still must be submitted electronically through the VMCAS Evaluator Portal. The committee letter must be combined into a single document which can then be uploaded using the upload option and must adhere to the 5MB upload limit. Please note that a committee letter only counts as ONE evaluation for the purposes of application requirements. VMCAS applicants using a committee letter must still submit additional individual evaluations, completed by references who were not involved with the committee letter.
A: Even after you submit your application, you may edit, delete, or replace evaluators whose status is still listed as “Requested” or “Accepted.” Once a reference is “completed,” you may not make changes to that reference, regardless as to whether or not you’ve submitted your application.
A: Evaluator e-mail notifications for electronic references are sent immediately once you save the evaluator’s information into the system. Please advise your evaluators to monitor their junk e-mail and spam folders for messages from “vmcasinfo@vmcas.org,” subject heading “Evaluation Request Submitted” as these e-mails are automated and therefore sometimes filtered as spam. If your evaluator has not received their request within 24 hours, click the pencil icon to the right of the reference’s name on your VMCAS application, and then click the “Resend This Evaluation Request” button at the bottom of the page.
A: If the reference continues to experience difficulty, they should contact VMCAS customer service directly by phone or e-mail so that we may assist them.
A: To change the e-mail address of an evaluator, please log into your VMCAS application and click the pencil icon to the right of the evaluator’s name on your VMCAS application, and then edit the required information. Click the “Resend This Evaluation Request” button at the bottom of the page to resend the request to the correct address.
A: You can monitor the status of your reference at any time by returning to the “Evaluators” section of the application. Each reference has a “STATUS” bar underneath. References which we have received will have a green “Status: Completed” flag and include A COMPLETE DATE. Since the references are completed electronically, these updates occur in real-time. Therefore, as soon as your reference clicks “submit” on the reference website, it also shows up on your application. If your reference does not have a complete date, then we have not received it.
A: Yes. Once you have successfully filled out your application, you can submit it to VMCAS. However, your application will not be processed until VMCAS has received all of your official transcripts, at least three listed evaluations, and your payment.
A: Even if you have not waived your right to view the reference, you still cannot access the reference via VMCAS. If you have not waived the right to view your reference, this means that you may ask your reference for a copy of their recommendation, or, you can request to view it at the time of an interview with VMCAS veterinary program. This is, however, at the discretion of the program not VMCAS.
A: NO. As per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), VMCAS may not release letters of reference to anyone other than your designated schools, including other schools or the applicant themselves.
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