Are References Confidential? I am a postdoc who has been supervising a Master's student, who is applying for a PhD. The application uses an online system, and I have been notified that I have been designated as a referee. In general, will this be entirely confidential, such that the student will never see the reference I have written? Or will the student then see my reference on their application, with the ability to download it and read it?

Of course, I could ask my institution about this directly, and also this may vary between different universities, but I am wondering what the expected rule would be. My university is in the UK.
In the UK all references can be revealed if the student makes an application to the University under the Data Protection Act for a copy of their application record. The record would contain full disclosure of their entire file including all correspondence, including emails, and minuted discussions of the application. This would have to be a formal application and would accrue a fee.

Normally, in all other circumstances, the references would be kept confidential. Most UK universities would warn referees about the Data Protection Act when requesting a reference.