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Letters of Rec5 min read·Updated May 3, 2026

Should You Waive Your FERPA Rights on Letters of Recommendation?

Yes — but here is exactly what waiving FERPA means, what adcoms infer if you do not, and the rare cases where keeping access makes sense.

ByElias Woodbury·
Key Takeaways
  • A FERPA waiver gives up your federal right to view letters of recommendation written about you.
  • Adcoms heavily weight waived letters because they signal candor. Unwaived letters are treated as significantly less credible.
  • Nearly all successful applicants waive their right — this is the strong default.

What FERPA Is and Why It Matters

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that gives students the right to access their educational records — including letters of recommendation written about them. When you waive your FERPA rights on a letter, you give up the legal right to view that letter\'s contents.

AMCAS, AADSAS, CASPA, TMDSAS, and PTCAS all ask whether you are waiving FERPA on each letter of recommendation you submit. The answer is visible to both your letter writer (when they upload) and to admissions committees.

Why Adcoms Want You to Waive

Confidential letters are presumed to be more candid. The reasoning is straightforward: if a writer knows their letter will be reviewed by the applicant, they may soften criticism or omit reservations. Waived letters do not face that constraint.

Adcoms treat waived letters as significantly more credible. Unwaived letters are still accepted at most schools, but they carry less weight and may signal that the applicant lacks confidence in their writers.

What Happens If You Do Not Waive

  • Adcoms may discount the letter\'s value.
  • Some letter writers refuse to write unwaived letters; not waiving may limit your pool.
  • Some schools have policies that downweight unwaived letters explicitly.

In practice, nearly all successful applicants waive their FERPA rights on every letter. The strong default is to waive.

Edge Cases Where Not Waiving Is Considered

  • The writer asked you not to waive. Rare but possible — some writers want you to see the letter for non-medical-school reasons (career references, internal employer documentation).
  • You have a personal reason for retaining access. If the letter has uses beyond medical school admissions, you may prefer to retain access. This is unusual.
  • You suspect the writer may include inappropriate or inaccurate content. If you have this concern, the right move is to not use this writer at all — not to keep access and submit a lukewarm letter.

For most applicants in most circumstances, waiving FERPA on every letter is the correct decision. Some letter writers may share their letter with you voluntarily after submission — this is common practice and does not violate the waiver.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students the right to view their educational records — including letters of recommendation. When you waive this right, you give up that access; the letter is sent confidentially to schools and you never see its content.

Confidential letters are presumed to be more candid because the writer knows the applicant will never see them. Unwaived letters may be self-edited to spare the applicant, and adcoms treat them as significantly less credible.

Yes. When a writer is invited through AMCAS Letter Service or a similar system, they typically see whether you have waived. Some writers will only agree to write if you have waived.

Some writers will voluntarily share their letter with you after submission. This is common and does not violate the waiver — you have given up the legal right to access, not the writer’s right to share.

Almost never. The only common cases: (a) you genuinely want to retain access for personal/career reasons unrelated to medical school, or (b) a letter writer specifically requested you keep access. Both are rare.

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About the Author

Elias Woodbury
Elias Woodbury

Co-Founder · Dental School Applicant

B.S. BiochemistryAADSAS Applicant 2026Co-Founder, White Coat World

Elias went through the AADSAS process in 2026 and built White Coat World to give every pre-health student the guidance he had to piece together himself. He writes about the tactical side of applications: hours, GPA, and what schools actually care about.

Educational Disclaimer: White Coat World provides educational resources for pre-health students. Admissions requirements vary by institution and change each cycle. Always verify shadowing hour requirements, GPA cutoffs, and application deadlines directly with your target schools. This content is not licensed advising.