What is a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)? - Samples, Tips & Format

What is a Letter of Recommendation?

An LOR, or letter of recommendation, refers to a document or endorsement that outlines the applicant's skills, achievements, qualifications, and suitability for admission to a particular course. This, in turn, helps admissions committees (Ad Com) thoroughly understand the applicant's admissibility to the relevant university. LOR meaning in admissions abroad holds importance because it aims to reach the admissions committee through trusted recommenders who know the applicants and can provide a detailed understanding of them. LOR also seeks to present a positive image of the applicant's academic standing and the recommender’s observations, experiences, accomplishments, contributions, and abilities. Qualified people write this letter to explain why applicants are a good fit and attest to their potential because they have professional experience and the authority to evaluate their academic performance.

Importance of Letter of Recommendation

Just like statement of purpose, the letters of recommendation are also important and hold great significance for an applicant's admission application for the following reasons:

• It serves as a credibility backing for the applicant's achievements.
• The admission committee can gain a better understanding of the applicant's skills, work ethic, and overall demeanour.
• The admission committee will also be able to understand the applicant's overall academic potential through the recommender's letter. 
• Also based on an LOR, applications can be upgraded with direct references about how applicants have shaped their academic journey despite challenges.
• An LOR that uses anecdotes to define the applicant's overall journey and abilities can leave a positive impression on the admissions committee.
• Effective letters of recommendation (LORs) can act as power boosters for the admission application, provided that the recommender shares their ideas.
• Additionally, the selection panel on the admission committee will receive details on how well the applicant is equipped with the skills required to complete the course they are applying for. 

Thus, LORs are most important for students as they serve as a background check through a trusted source. The LORs are equally important parts of the admission process for international applicants applying abroad. 

How to Write a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)?

Types of Letter of Recommendation 

Letters of Recommendation can be broadly classified into two categories based on the nature of the recommender, ad each LOR meaning varies from one another; check out below:

1. Academic Letter of Recommendation (LOR)

How to get a LOR from College: An academic LOR is a letter provided by a faculty member of your current or previous educational institution. Usually, universities ask you to provide two or three LORs from your previous institution. If you are applying for undergraduate courses, these may be your teachers from your school; if you are applying for Master’s or doctoral programs, they could be your college professors or HODs. The Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Format from Faculty often varies in content and requires the professor to highlight the applicant’s accomplishments as a course student. Often, these are more relevant to MS Colleges Abroad or Bachelor’s Courses abroad.

2. Professional Letter of Recommendation (LOR)

Most MBA colleges abroad have pre-defined work experience requirements. Accordingly, they request a Professional Letter of Recommendation from an immediate supervisor. The Professional Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Format from a Supervisor varies from an Academic LOR in terms of meaning and some specific content that focuses on the applicant’s ability to work within a team, the exposure to the domain as well as his/her leadership abilities, all necessary to the MBA course applied for.

Where do you need a Letter of Recommendation?

Any student planning to study abroad must submit a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) form or a letter of recommendation to the university. You will require at least two to three LORs from your college or professional background, regardless of the course (UG, MS, MBA, or PhD) or country. It is necessary to submit LORs with admission applications abroad.

UG students can obtain LORs from the school's principal, teachers, or counsellor. College instructors, internship supervisors, team leads, or managers from the organization they have worked for can write letters of recommendation for MS students. LORs for MBA candidates should only be professional, particularly if they have three years or more of experience. Recently graduated college students aspiring to get an MBA or PhD might request LORs from project supervisors, instructors, or project advisors.

Important Tips to Write a Letter of Recommendation

LOR Certificate: Unless specified otherwise, a letter of recommendation is a 400-500-word letter discussing a candidate’s strengths and achievements. There are some things you must include in a recommendation letter, such as the nature of the association and its tenure. Additionally, some basic formats should also be considered.

• Most universities require LOR or this letter to be on the official letterhead.
• The university’s letterhead is required for an Academic LOR; the company's letterhead is needed for a professional LOR.
• In the latter instance, it is crucial to remember that the recommender’s letterhead should be associated with the company where they are employed. If the recommender has moved on to another organisation, this usually poses a difficulty. Hence, the student must know how to choose the right recommender to write an exemplary LOR for them.
• An important point is that a LOR is not a repetition of an SOP. LOR differs greatly from an SOP; applicants must not mix the two documents. 
• An ideal LOR is supposed to demonstrate aspects/perspectives of your personality not mentioned in your SOP or resume. Therefore, the perfect recommender knows you well, has seen the calibre of your work, and is willing to share particular examples of your exceptional work and valued contribution.
• A generic LOR is a strict no-no, as it does not offer much value to your candidature for the program you are applying. Therefore, strong examples form the core of a good LOR.
• Applicants must remember that their application is one of the thousands the admission committee reviews for each intake. Now, to make a statement, concentrate on showcasing essential attributes and achievements supported by actual experiences through LORs.
• Another crucial thing to remember is to try to make each LOR distinctive. You can only do that by including instances exclusive to that particular recommender in every LOR.
• Making an Impressive Letter of Recommendation is as important as writing a winning SOP. Keep the formats in mind and avoid common mistakes on LORs when writing one. The recommendation letters for different courses need to be written accordingly.

Here are some examples to help you navigate easily:

How to Format a Letter of Recommendation?: Shiksha Guidelines

Out of all the formats and sample LORs available online, one is faced with the dilemma of choosing the right format. As previously mentioned, there are different kinds of recommendation letters depending on the course and the recommender. In addition to this, it is crucial to focus on the document’s formatting and content. Before getting on about the LOR format, let us understand the elements of an LOR Below:

Components of a Letter of Recommendation

Ideally, a few components of a recommendation letter must include:

1. Introduction:

The letter's introduction must establish a positive connection between the recommender and the applicant. This part of the LOR must include the years the applicant has been known, taught, or worked under the recommender. 

2. Qualifications and Skills of Recipient:

This section of the LOR is from where the actual recommendation letter takes form. Here, the recommender provides more context or specific details about the individual's qualifications, skills, accomplishments, and relevant experiences. This, in turn, helps the admission committee with a more tailored and effective elaboration that includes specific examples and anecdotes to highlight their strengths and capabilities.

3. Personal Attributes of Recipient:

The letter of recommendation for students must also include study/work ethic, integrity, communication skills, teamwork abilities, problem-solving skills and leadership qualities. Thus, another important aspect of the LOR. 

4. Recommendation for the Recipient:

This is the most important aspect of an LOR for a student. Here, the recommender can include why he/she feels the student/recipient is a good fit for the program and any particular anecdotes to help Ad Coms understand why. Also, highlight skills showcased before deemed fit for the applicant's admission abroad.

5. Closing Statement:

The LOR should conclude firmly, recommending the applicant. It must also show confidence in the applicant and their abilities to be admitted to a program they choose and portray that they will succeed if given the opportunity.

LOR Format

We at Shiksha offer our standards to assist students with the application process; these recommendations help students apply more quickly by providing advice on document quality and formatting. Here is a LOR format that may be useful for applicants to share with prospective recommenders. Take a look at the LOR sample format below for reference: 

To learn more about it, read the Shiksha Guidelines for LOR.

Sample LOR

Here is a sample LOR format for students looking at sharing LOR guidelines with their recommenders below:

This is what an ideal LOR looks like. Applicants can share this sample with their recommenders so they can write LORs similarly. Ensure that this is referred to only for reference and no content is plagiarised from this LOR or any other samples available on the net. 

Academic vs Professional LORs

Here’s a comparison table between Academic vs Professional LORs for your quick reference: 

Qualities to be Highlighted in an Academic LOR

While following the guidelines for writing LOR, you must choose the traits which can be included in an LOR. Here are some examples of the qualities one can discuss in an academic LOR, without repeating any of them in the successive LORS:

Vocabulary for Writing Letter of Recommendation

When you send your LOR form, you should have the following vocabulary to leave a strong impression on your admission reviewer: 

5 Tips for Writing a Strong Letter of Recommendation

LOR, meaning as it implies, is a 'formal letter describing abilities to help Ad Coms understand the capabilities and abilities of the applicants'. Thus, to showcase this and help the Ad Coms understand the applicant's worthiness for admission to universities abroad, it is essential to follow some tips for writing a strong letter of recommendation. These essential tips are as follows:

1. Do good research about the university (the applicant is applying to), the values and missions of the university and most importantly the admission trends in standardised test scores or class profiles. After understanding how the university requires its applicants to be, work your way for your SAT/ACT or GRE/GMAT and GPA scores. 
2. The recommender must be specific in his/her approach when writing an LOR. It should adhere to the word limit, the recommender must avoid boasting too much about the applicant, and the recommender should be able to give appropriate examples to share how the applicant is a good fit for the program. Most importantly, the recommender must understand the guidelines before sharing a recommendation. 
3. The language of the LOR should be very formal, and the recommender must avoid using slang or SMS language when writing one. Apart from this, in case the recommender has to submit a Word doc of the letter, it should be typed in Arial with a font size of 10-12 in black colour and not exceed one page of writing. Avoid using too much colour over the over-the-top decorations in the LOR.
4. The recommender should be honest about the applicant they are recommending. Use correct information and be truthful about everything written on the LOR. Sometimes, information on the LOR can be cross-checked with the applicant during admission or student visa interviews. 
5. Finally, the LOR is about the applicant, but the recommender must not forget to share about themselves and their relationship with the applicant. This part is very important for a perfect LOR because it helps Ad Coms understand the recommender's knowledge of the applicant and the length of their association.   

Apart from the above, applicants must ensure that they share the details of a LOR with the recommender, such as word limit, page layout, requirements, and key features, as they vary per university. Also, the recommenders' emails in the applications should be shared promptly for application submission. Based on these tips, writing a strong recommendation letter is possible. 

How to Request for a Letter of Recommendation?

Requesting a letter of recommendation is as important because it forms a major part of the admission application process. Applicants can request a recommendation this way:

• Requesting a recommender requires a lot of brainstorming to choose the right recommender. 
• Request them politely if you can share their email ID on the recommenders portal for the application.
• If they agree, brief them on how to write a LOR and what they should include.
• Also, inform them about the deadlines and to check their mailboxes for emails from the university when they receive an invite to write one and a confirmation upon submission.
• Since applicants cannot see what their recommenders write for them, they can also request a copy from their teachers, counsellors, professors, or managers.

Almost all applications need a minimum of two to three reference letters, so you must be sure your recommenders have agreed to write your letters ahead of time. Also, do not underrate the importance of an LOR, as it is almost as important as your admission essays, statements of purpose, resume, or any other document.

Checklist Before Submitting an LOR

Here is a Quick LOR checklist that you can share with your recommenders to ensure you have included everything important in your LOR: 

• Needed for: UG, MS, MBA, PhD abroad 

• Types created: Academic and Professional 

• Ideal Length: 350–500 words 

• Written by: Professors, HODs, Managers, Supervisors 

• Avoided: Generic praise, copied formats 
• Included: Specific anecdotes, official letterhead

A letter of recommendation is a document that lends credibility to your entire resume by demonstrating what knowledgeable and experienced instructors and individuals have endorsed about you. Similarly, while choosing the right recommender, you must remember key pointers that will help you submit outstanding LORs to the admission committee.