Iowa Letters of Recommendation Package

Letters of recommendation tend to be most important when you're applying to small private colleges and schools which have holistic admissions philosophies.Recommendation letters are an important tool that these colleges can use to get a personal perspective on your strengths and background.

You can submit your application when ready, even if your recommenders have not completed and submitted letters of recommendation for you yet. Be sure to add the requests to your applications before you submit. That way when your recommenders complete the recommendations, the colleges will have access to them.

Three strong letters are better than three strong ones and one lukewarm. Submitting more material doesn't mean that the admissions committee will spend more time with your application. A diluted application may make a weaker overall impression than a short, focused one.

You should email the institution to which you are applying and ask their graduate admissions team if they would accept more than three letters. Whether it's acceptable, irrelevant, or above a threshold to send more than 3 letters is subject to the preferences of the institution to which you are applying.

Essays and Letters of Recommendation will not be required for students applying to Iowa via the Common Application just as they are not required through our institutional application. Students will self-report GPA, number of core course units completed and ACT/SAT test scores within the Common Application.

Most schools require two letters from teachers and one letter from a counselor, but allow students to submit additional letters if they wish.However, some students go beyond the typical two teacher/one counselor limit and submit three, four, or even five letters of recommendation.

Most selective colleges and universities require one to three recommendation letters with your application, usually from your guidance counselor and at least one teacher. Recommendation letters are typically submitted electronically through the school specific supplements on The Common Application.

Colleges often ask for between 2 and 3 letters of recommendation, but each institution has different requirements, so be sure to check! On the flipside, some colleges ask you to not send them if that's the case, don't send them. The best thing you can on your college applications is follow directions to the letter.

To be eligible for admission, you must: Meet the high school course requirements. Present an ACT composite score of 26 or higher (SAT: EBRW+M 1230). For students entering in Fall 2021, you may be admitted to this college without a test score.