CAAPID Letters of Recommendation: Who to Ask, and How to Make Sure They Deliver
You get three slots. One is not optional. The other two decide how well an admissions committee understands you beyond a transcript. Here is exactly how CAAPID’s evaluation system works, and how to choose people who will actually write you a strong letter.
How CAAPID evaluations actually work
These are the mechanical rules from ADEA CAAPID’s own application help center.
Up to 3 evaluationsYou can enter information for a maximum of three evaluations in the portal. Some individual programs may ask for more, so check each program’s own requirements too.
One dean-level letterOne of your three should come from the dean, or the dean’s designee, at the dental school where you earned your degree.
Evaluators submit it themselvesYou cannot complete or submit an evaluation on behalf of your recommender, and neither can anyone else acting for them. They receive an email invitation and submit it directly through the portal.
Who should my three be? Pick a person
Choose someone you are considering asking, and see how strong a pick they typically are.
Your one mandatory letter
CAAPID expects one of your three evaluations from the dean, or the dean’s designee, at your dental school. There is no substitute for this one, so confirm early in your timeline that they will write it and know your deadline.
Good for academic and clinical depth
A professor who supervised real clinical or academic work can speak to specifics: how you handled a difficult case, how you took feedback, how you performed under supervision. Ask someone who remembers you clearly, not just the professor with the biggest title.
Good for showing US-practice readiness
A US-practicing dentist who has actually watched you work can address exactly what an admissions committee wonders about internationally trained applicants: how you function in a US clinical environment. This is the letter TSB most often recommends as the third slot.
Useful only if they know your clinical work well
An employer can be a strong choice if they have watched you treat patients and can speak in detail. If the relationship is mostly administrative, an admissions committee will notice a letter that stays vague, so weigh this against the shadowing-dentist option above.
A relationship is not the same as an evaluation
Being a family friend does not give someone anything specific to say about your clinical skill or professional judgment. A letter that reads as a personal favour rather than a professional assessment tends to weaken an application rather than help it.
They cannot evaluate what they have not seen
CAAPID’s evaluation form is built around professional and clinical qualities. A personal friend outside dentistry has no basis to assess them, and a generic character reference does little for an admissions committee reading dozens of these.
Should you waive your right to view the letter?
CAAPID asks you to choose before you send the request, and the choice cannot be changed afterward.
Waive (recommended by most advisors)You will never see what was written. Admissions committees generally read a waived letter as more candid, since the writer knows you cannot see it. This is the more common choice.
Do not waiveYou may be able to access the letter later, after you are admitted and enrolled. You can also ask your evaluator directly for a copy, though they are not obligated to give you one either way.
12 tips, in three groups
Tap a group.
A dean or professor who taught you five years ago and barely remembers you writes a thin letter. Someone who supervised you in the last one to two years, even in a smaller role, usually writes a more specific, more useful one.
A detailed letter from a supervising dentist beats a generic one from someone with a bigger title. Admissions committees read the content, not just the letterhead.
If all three people only know your academic side, the committee learns nothing about how you handle real patients. Aim for a mix: institutional standing (the dean), clinical or academic depth (a professor or mentor), and practical readiness (a US-practicing dentist).
This is the one slot with no substitute, and dean’s offices can be slow. Start this request before the other two so a delay here does not put your whole timeline at risk.
A direct conversation lets you gauge whether someone is genuinely enthusiastic or just being polite. A lukewarm yes often becomes a lukewarm letter.
You choose the completion date when you request the evaluation in the portal, and it should sit comfortably before your program deadlines. Give your recommender weeks, not days, especially around a dean’s busy calendar.
Offer your CV, your personal statement draft and two or three specific moments you would be comfortable having them mention. This is standard practice, not presumptuous, and it helps a busy recommender write something specific instead of generic.
If someone seems unsure, or says they “don’t really remember much” about your work together, consider a different recommender. A hesitant writer usually produces a short, vague letter, which can do more harm than good.
Once someone agrees, request the evaluation in the CAAPID portal right away so the invitation email reaches them while the conversation is still fresh.
A single reminder a week or two before their target date is normal and expected. Evaluators are busy and appreciate a nudge rather than being surprised by a missed deadline.
Even if you have waived your right to view the letter, a thank-you note after they submit it is simple professional courtesy, and keeps the relationship open for future recommendations.
Confirm in the CAAPID application that each evaluation shows as completed rather than assuming a “yes” from your recommender means it was submitted. People forget, and the system will not chase them for you.
Recommendation-tracking checklist
Tap each item as you complete it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit more than 3 letters?
Can I see what my recommender wrote?
Can I write the letter myself and have them sign it?
What if my dean will not write one?
Master the CAAPID Application
Our $1,800 program reviews all three of your letters of recommendation alongside your personal statement and CV, with suggestions your recommenders can act on. The choice of recommenders always stays yours.
Not sure who your three should be?
Message our Admin Team with Dr. T and Dr. Kaur on WhatsApp with questions about your recommenders or the full CAAPID application program.
Current as of 29 September 2026. Source: ADEA CAAPID Applicant Help Center (Evaluations section). The recommender-selection guidance and tips are TSB’s own practical advice, not official ADEA material. Requirements can change and individual programs may ask for more than three evaluations; confirm on your CAAPID application before you request any. Educational content, not admissions advice or a guarantee of acceptance.