FAQs for MSt referees

If you have agreed to provide a reference on behalf of an MSt applicant, these FAQs will guide you through the process:

How do I access the system?

If an applicant has given your email address as part of their application, you should have received an email. Use the access code provided in the reference request email to log in to the Referee Portal.

You can return as many times as needed until your reference is submitted.

What kind of file can I upload?

The following file types are supported: *.docx, *.doc, *.rtf, *.pdf.

The size of the file must not exceed 2 MB and all uploaded files are converted to PDF format.

Can I amend or retract my reference after submission?

If you wish to make any changes to your submitted reference after submission, please contact the ICE Admissions Office.

I have not received the email requesting a reference

It can take up to 36 hours after submission of an application for referee accounts to be created.

If you have not received an email after this time has passed, please contact mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk.

I have logged into Graduate References but can't see the application(s) I expected to see

This might be because the application is ‘Inactive’.

Please contact the applicant, who will have access to further information about the application.

I have submitted my reference but the applicant claims not to have received it

References are required to be logged by the admissions office prior to appearing on an applicant's account.

Both you and the applicant will receive an email to confirm submission of the reference when all steps have been completed.

Is my reference confidential?

We would not normally disclose references to applicants unless the referee gives written permission.

However, under the Data Protection Act, we are obliged to provide information if instructed to do so by the Information Commissioner or a Court.

References are held electronically with the student's application, along with all other supporting documents.

Applicants cannot view these electronic documents; they will only know when they have been received.

I wish to provide a reference on paper

You should request that the applicant follow the instructions below to provide you with:

• an Academic Reference Instruction Form, with Part I filled in by the applicant;
• a cover sheet they will be able to download from their self-service account.

Send those items, along with your reference on headed notepaper with an original signature (we cannot accept electronic or scanned signatures), to the address given at the bottom of the form.

All three things should be sent as a package, in a sealed envelope, with your name signed across the seal.

Submitting a reference on paper

If you do not have an email address for your referee, or the referee is unable to use the Electronic Reference System, please follow the steps below:

1. Applicants or Referees can contact mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk to advise that a reference will be provided on paper.
2. Please provide the Referee's contact details (usually an email address or a postal address).
3. Admissions will send a Reference Instruction Form to the Referee which provides further information.
4. The Referee must then send the following two documents as a package:
   • their reference on headed notepaper with an original signature (we cannot accept electronic or scanned signatures)
   • the completed Reference Instruction Form
5. They should send these in a sealed envelope, with their name signed across the seal, to the address given at the bottom of the form.

Please note that if the form is not included with the reference we may have trouble matching it with your application.