Download LOR Template and Guidelines

Description

In short: A recommendation letter is the only part of your application written by someone else — which makes it the part you influence indirectly, through who you ask and how well you brief them. This pack covers both, plus templates your referee can actually work from.

Who you ask matters more than their title

Applicants routinely chase the most senior name available. A department head who taught you once will write something polite and empty. A lecturer who supervised your project for a semester will write something specific — and specific is what carries weight.

Choose the person who can answer this: “What did this student do that others in the cohort did not?” If your referee cannot answer that from memory, the letter will be generic no matter how impressive their designation.

What’s inside the file

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Academic referee template

Structure for a professor or supervisor, covering the standard sections a committee expects.

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Workplace referee template

A version for a manager, framed around professional judgement rather than classroom performance.

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How to ask

A polite email script, how much notice to give, how to follow up without nagging — plus a question bank to work through with your referee.

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Referee brief sheet

A fillable handout for your referee: their details, your marks, the programme, deadlines and the specific points worth mentioning.

The brief sheet is the whole trick

Your referee is busy and teaches dozens of students. Handing them a page that says which programme you are applying for, when it is due, and three concrete moments they witnessed turns a vague letter into a detailed one — with almost no extra effort on their part. This is the single highest-return thing in the pack.

Timing

1Ask at least four weeks before the deadline — earlier during exam season.
2Send the brief sheet, your CV and the programme link the same day they agree.
3Follow up once, politely, about a week before the deadline.
4Confirm submission, then thank them — and tell them the outcome later.

One caution: many universities require the letter to be submitted directly by the referee from an official email address or portal link. A letter you send yourself may be rejected outright. Check each university’s process before you start.

Frequently asked

My referee asked me to draft it myself. Is that allowed?

It is common, and not improper as long as your referee reviews, edits and submits it under their own judgement. Write it in their voice, keep it honest, and expect them to change it. The templates exist for exactly this situation.

How long should a recommendation letter be?

Around 400 words. A letter that runs long tends to drift into listing projects, which is what your CV is for — the value of an LOR is the referee’s judgement of you, supported by one or two specific examples.

How many letters do I need?

Usually two or three. Most programmes want at least one academic referee; for applicants with work experience, one professional referee is often expected too. Check each programme, as requirements vary.

Can I use the same letter everywhere?

The substance can carry across, but the programme name and any course-specific reasoning must be updated. A letter naming the wrong university is a well-known and entirely avoidable way to lose an offer.