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Letters of Recommendation

The Office of Student Life collaborates with the Office of the Registrar to provide letters of recommendation, whether students are applying to law and graduate schools, seeking bar referrals, planning to participate in study abroad programs, or transferring to different colleges and universities. Additionally, this page contains Santa Clara's Student Conduct Records Policy, outlining what information is preserved and the duration of its retention.

Enrollment Verification Requests: An enrollment verification may be requested through your Workday account via the Academics app or by visiting the Office of the Registrar website and filling out an enrollment verification request form. If multiple forms need to be included, such as an Academic and Disciplinary form, Dean's Certification, or Transfer reports, they must be submitted all at once in the verification request. In the request, you will need to include the list of schools or individuals to whom you intend to send the documents. The Office of the Registrar will generate the transcripts and additional forms, then forward them to the Office of Student Life. OSL will complete the disciplinary information and send all documentation to the designated recipients.

Law and Graduate School Recommendations: You may request official transcripts to be mailed directly to the schools you are applying to. If there are additional forms to be processed, they can be sent to the Office of Student Life. The forms will be completed, along with a letter of recommendation, and sent to the requested schools.

Law Board Examiners and Federal Background Checks: If you attended or graduated from Santa Clara University after 1989, the forms may be sent to the Office of Student Life. If you attended or graduated before 1989, please direct the forms to the Office of the Registrar.

The Office of Student Life maintains a hard copy file and a digital record of a student’s conduct history. Conduct records are educational records and are thereby subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the University’s Student Records Policy.

The conduct record is confidential and is only shared internally with University officials, in instances when the student grants permission to release the record, or there is what FERPA defines as an “educational need to know” basis for the request. The conduct record is maintained throughout the student’s enrollment and thereafter, as indicated below. A student’s conduct record will only be released from the hard copy file to a person or party external to the University if the student has granted permission, where the disclosure of the record is permissible under the provisions of FERPA, or where the University is required to do so by law. The digital copy of the conduct record will only be released to an external person or party where the University is required to do so by law.

Retention of Hard Copy of Conduct Records

  1. The hard copy file of a student’s entire conduct history is kept for a minimum of one (1) academic year beyond the academic year in which the date of the last violation of the Student Conduct Code occurred. When a student commits a violation of academic integrity, the hard copy file is retained for the remainder of a student’s academic career.
  2. The files of any student who has received one or more of the following sanctions will be maintained for three (3) academic years beyond the academic year in which the student’s tenure in their current degree program at the University has ended:
    • Removal from University housing
    • Disciplinary probation
    • Deferred suspension
    • Suspension
  3. The conduct record of a student who has been expelled will be maintained for seven (7) years beyond the academic year in which the student’s tenure at the University has ended.

The University reserves the right to change this policy at any time at its sole discretion