Graduate Application Guide

Letters of Recommendation - Frequently Asked Questions

Letters of recommendation are required for all doctoral programs and many master’s and advanced certificate programs. Letters should come from persons who know you and can comment on your academic qualifications in relation to the field you wish to pursue for graduate study. Recommenders should be chosen from people most familiar with your former or current studies, research interests, or work. References or recommendations of a personal nature should be avoided. If you have been out of school for some time, a letter from an employer or supervisor may be provided.

Applicants must register their recommenders via the online application system. Recommenders will then be able to submit their recommendation electronically, either before or after you submit your application.  It is imperative that you accurately enter the information as your recommender will receive an automated email from Embark Online Recommendations [messages@notification.embark.com] informing him/her of the online recommendation process.

It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure that the letters of recommendation are received/submitted by the stated deadline. 

Number of Required Recommendations

Please consult the Graduate Application Guide to determine the number of recommendations required for your program of interest.   The online system allows for up to three recommendations. 

Registering Recommenders

Log on to the online application.  BEFORE registering a Recommender please complete the following sections on the Application form:

  • Recommendation Waiver (Signature of Applicant [type your full name] and Date)
  • Certifying Statement and Signature (Signature of Applicant [type your full name] and Date)

Failure to complete these sections can result in your recommender having problems submitting a recommendation.

Registering Recommenders

  1. Click on the "Recommendations" button on the left navigation menu
  2. Click on the "Register Recommender" button
  3. Fill out the Recommender required information
  4. Click the "Submit Registration" button.  If the submit registration process is successful, a NOTIFICATION email will be immediately sent to the recommender.   At this point you can inform your recommender that they should have an email from [messages@notification.embark.com] in their inbox.

Recommender Status

The online system allows you to efficiently monitor and follow up with your recommenders. In the Recommendation section you can view the status of registered recommenders.  The various states are as follows:

  • "Registration Unconfirmed” indicates that the recommender has never used or accessed the Embark Online Recommendation System. 
  • “Registration Confirmed” indicates that the recommender has a pre-existing account or has at least logged in before, but has not yet started the online recommendation. 
  • “In Progress” indicates that the recommender has accessed the recommendation form one or more times. 
  • “Submitted” indicates that the recommendation has been successfully submitted and is pending final processing by the university.
  • “Received” indicates that the university has received the online recommendation.

Submit the Application before Recommendations are submitted

Applicants may submit their application before their recommenders submit their recommendations and vice-versa.     Either way, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the Office of Graduate Admissions receives all materials by the stated deadline.

Deleting Recommenders (Correcting Registered Email Address)

To correct the email address that was registered for a recommender, the applicant must delete the recommender and re-register them with the proper email address. 

Deleting Recommenders

  1. Click on the "Recommendations" button on the left navigation menu
  2. Under "Delete Recommender" select from the drop-down menu the recommender you wish to delete
  3. Click on the "Delete Recommender" button
  4. Re-Register the recommender with the proper email

Recommenders Notification

During the online recommendation process the system will send two notification emails to the recommender:

  1. when recommenders are registered, they are notified with their login and password
  2. when recommenders complete and submit a recommendation, they receive a confirmation

Recommenders failed to receive the Notification Email

Occasionally recommenders will fail to receive the automated emails with their login information. This is usually due to their email security settings and spam filters.

  • First ask the recommender to check their SPAM folder for an email from messages@notification.embark.com.
  • Or ask recommenders to add messages@notification.embark.com to their email safe list or address book. Once it is added, resend the email notification through the recommendation section of the online application. 

Resend the Notification Email

To resend the notification email, navigate to the Recommendation Section and select the box next to the name of the recommender, then press the

Resend Registration Email

  1. Click on the "Recommendations" button on the left navigation menu
  2. Select the box next to the name of the recommender
  3. Click the "Resend Registration Email" 

If the recommender still has not received the email notification, please contact Embark’s Technical Support staff  at support@embark.com, http://support.embark.com or (415) 315-1551.

Recommenders that can NOT use the online recommendation system

The Office of Graduate Admissions understands that in very exceptional circumstances a recommender may not be able to use the online system to submit letters of recommendations electronically.  Your application will receive full consideration as long as your recommendations are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline. 

Although this is not the required method for sending recommendations and can delay the processing of your application, please make sure that any recommendations mailed to our office are accompanied by a completed Document Cover Sheet .  

Unfortunately we will not accept faxed or emailed letters of recommendations.   

NOTE(S)

  • Contact information:  Embark’s Technical Support staff  at support@embark.com, http://support.embark.com or (415) 315-1551 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Pacific Standard Time).
  • Recommenders should NOT submit an online and a paper recommendation.  This makes for double work for the Office of Graduate Admissions staff. 
  • Applicants can not revoke a recommendation letter once it is in progress or submitted by the recommender.