HPA is happy to advise and provide application support for any student or alum applying to health professions schools. Please be in touch if you are a current or prospective applicant and would like access to our applicant materials via Canvas and our applicant listserv.
For Princeton students and alumni who are ineligible for a composite letter, HPA will collect individual letters of recommendation on their behalf and send a packet of the individual letters out to schools with a brief cover letter. There are no deadlines or other criteria required for individual letter collection, though we ask students using this service to release their application information to Princeton prehealth advisers for data collection purposes. Note that some professional schools (especially allopathic medical schools) will see it as a ‘red flag’ if an applicant is eligible for a composite letter and does not receive one.
For allopathic (MD), osteopathic (DO), and dental schools, letter packets are sent through the AMCAS, AACOMAS, and AADSAS letter writer services, respectively – you need only designate that you’re receiving a letter packet and do not include each individual letter writer separately.
To get started, contact HPA and provide a brief description of your plans.
Letter Collection FAQ
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- Writers only have to send one set of letters to us rather than sending a letter to each individual program to which you're applying.
- We will check for proper formatting (date, signature, letterhead stationery) and reach out to you and your writer if changes need to be made.
- Your letters will remain on file with us to use for future applications to professional schools and scholarships/fellowships (note that we do not offer this service for job applications).
- We provide a cover letter and description of Princeton policies that may be helpful to professional schools evaluating your materials.
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In 2025, we're piloting a Letter Request System where you fill out a form that generates an email to your recommenders and they can upload their letters directly to us.
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- Medical and dental school: We upload through letters portals. We will have you complete and submit a form through our applicant Canvas site to indicate that you'd like your letters sent.
- Veterinary school: Your individual writers will need to complete a specific form when you submit your VMCAS application, so it's best to request directly from each writer.
- Postbac programs: If you have an HPA committee letter (i.e., you have previously applied to professional school), we can forward your committee letter and individual letters to postbac programs. If not, you should request individual letters, which HPA can send if the postbac program does not include Likert scales or another evaluative component as part of their letter requirement.
- Other programs: We can send to any professional school that does not include Likert scales or another evaluative component as part of their letter requirement. Reach out to us if you're applying to another profession.
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A letter packet will include:
- A cover letter with your name, details about the program to which you're applying, and our contact information. If you are applying to medical or dental school and do not meet our committee letter eligibility requirements, we will explain this so that schools recognize that this is the case.
- Individual letters of recommendation that you have indicated that we should send. You are responsible for telling us exactly which letters to send.
- A description of Princeton policies to help schools understand our curriculum.