32+ Sample Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School

What Is a Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School?

According to usnews, Yale’s acceptance rate for its school of engineering and applied science is only 14%. On another note, University of Michigan‘s acceptance rate for all its master’s program are at 8% for computer science and engineering, 3.7% for creative writing, and 71.1% for master of public administration. Even if not all academic institutions or graduate schools have the same acceptance rate, it is relatively obvious that not all applicants can be accepted for admissions. Simply put, getting admitted on your desired graduate school is a cut-throat undertaking that you must prepare for. Aside from reviewing for examinations and interviews, asking the right person to write a letter of recommendation can be beneficial for your application.

In comparison to marketing letters, a letter of recommendation for graduate school is also used to market the person to whom the specified document is for. It is important for a letter of recommendation to provide relevant and necessary information that can be used by the screen committee as a basis on whether they should accept a graduate school applicant or not. With this, you have to ensure that you are knowledgeable of strategies, tactics, and tips that can enable you to create a striking and memorable letter of recommendation for graduate school.

If you have hesitations or if you do not want to recommend an individual in the best way possible, then might as well not accept the task of creating a letter of recommendation rather than getting involved only to harm his or her chances of getting in on his or her graduate school of choice. If you want to develop a letter of recommendation for graduate school for a friend, an acquaintance, a student, an employee, or a mentee,  you have to make sure that you will do your best to help. Always keep in mind that writing the specified document is a responsibility that you should take seriously as this can affect the life of another person that you are associated with.

Standard Content for a Graduate School Letter of Recommendation

Aside from using our printable templates and samples as your references so you can develop an excellent letter of recommendation for graduate school, it is also important for you to be aware of the details that you will put together in the document’s content specification. If you plan to create a short letter of reference, you have to ensure that the content of the document can make up for the few words that you will write. Use details that are aligned with the purpose of the letter of recommendation and are suitable for the field of study that the candidate plans to take. Here are some of the standard content that are expected to be seen in a generic letter of recommendation for graduate school:

The strong statement of recommendation or the purpose why the letter has been written: Never forget to have a statement of recommendation. You can go as simple as “I highly recommend…” so you can have a simple yet high-impact letter introduction.The reason/s why the reference decided to recommend the candidate: It is important for your graduate school letter of recommendation to be as realistic and as measurable as possible. You should not give details that are not real or made up. Ensure that you will specify activities, experiences, and other instances that made you say the things that you have disclosed in the document.The relationship between the reference and the candidate: Have a clear presentation of how you are connected with the candidate. The academic institution or graduate school needs to know your relationship with the candidate so they can ensure that the recommendation is unbiased, objective, and real.The strengths of the candidate and how these can be showcased within the entirety of the letter of recommendation for graduate school’s content: Make it a point to highlight the candidate’s deliverable and potential. Specify how getting admitted to the graduate school can enable the individual to grow and optimize his or her skills and expertise not only for his or her advantage but also for the benefit of other people.The supporting details and other additional information that can validate recommendation claims and other key points specified in the letter: As we have specified above, you need to site references and actual circumstances. Aside from this, you can also share some information that you have directly heard from other entities and reliable sources which only proves the things that you are giving focus with on your discussion.

Factors to Consider When Making a Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School

When making a long letter of reference, it is still important for you to focus on the relevance of the matters that you will raise. A lengthy letter of recommendation does not always equate to a high-quality one. Hence, you should narrow down your discussion to only what is essential for the endeavor. If you plan to recommend someone for graduate school, ensure that your letter is well-made and is a reflection of who you are as a professional. Aside from this, you have to closely look into a number of variables that can affect the effectiveness of the document during the screening process. Some of the factors that you have to consider when making a letter of recommendation for graduate school include the following:

The discussion flow or the way that the content presentation of the letter of recommendation for graduate school was organizedThe credentials of the reference who will write the letter of recommendation that makes him or her qualified to recommend a candidateThe overall quality of the letter of recommendation for graduate schoolThe tone and language selection for the content of the letter of recommendation for graduate schoolThe layout that you will use for the letter’s format and structure developmentThe alignment of the expertise and deliverable of the candidate with what the higher academic study is all aboutThe requirements, qualifications, and standards of the graduate school

8 Steps for Developing an Impressive Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School

Just like HR letters, letters of recommendation for graduate school are also expected to be formal and professional. With this, you have to familiarize yourself with the process, development guide, or any procedure that you can easily follow whenever you are asked to develop a letter of recommendation. Are you now ready to begin the creation of a letter of recommendation for graduate school? To help you have a desirable and impressive output, here is an eight-step process that you can refer to if you plan to develop a great letter of recommendation for graduate school any moment by now:

1Have a draft or an outline of the things that you would like to discuss in the letter of recommendation for graduate school so you can have a reference or a guide once you begin to develop the actual document.2Look for a suitable letter of recommendation for graduate school template that you can easily modify so you can get the help that you need in terms of document formatting and proper content placement or organization.3Write the date when you have written the letter of recommendation for graduate school followed by an inside address, a subject line, and a formal greeting.4Begin the content of the letter of recommendation for graduate school by briefly presenting yourself and your credentials, how you are connected with the candidate, and a statement of recommendation.5Present the strengths of the candidate and make sure that you will give actual instances, circumstances, and samples on how these strengths played a vital role in terms of helping the candidate himself or herself, the community, researchers, members of an organization, or a targeted group.6Have a discussion about more subject matters that can reflect how qualified and fit the candidate is with the line or area of advanced or higher study that he or she wants to pursue.7Write a strong conclusion that will surely be remembered by the screening committee.8Have your closing remarks and sign the document.

Benefits of Having a Believable and Presentable Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School

Have you ever created project proposals? Developing a letter of recommendation for graduate school has a mostly similar concept as you also need to propose the approval of an individual’s bid to entering a particular graduate school. With this, it is essential for you to present details that can make an applicant marketable. Having an outstanding letter of recommendation can be very advantageous for a graduate school candidate. As an applicant for a higher level of academic study, a few of the many benefits that you can get if you will have a believable and presentable letter of recommendation for graduate school include the following:

A letter of recommendation for graduate school can help the entities who will review the application documents of a candidate see the individual from another person’s perspective.A letter of recommendation for graduate school can specify more information that are not written or included in all the other application documents sent by a candidate.A letter of recommendation for graduate school, if done accordingly and excellently, can better the chances of a candidate to get the attention of the academic institution in a positive manner.A letter of recommendation for graduate school can help set the candidate apart from other graduate school applicants which can be very useful if there are only limited slots for admissions and enrollment.

Do’s and Don’ts for Creating the Best Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School

As per University of Washington’s 2018 graduate school admissions summary, only 12,231 applicants or 33.54% of the total 36,466 applicants for admissions were offered enrollment. Out of this number, only 5,914 were able to enroll. Many schools also have the same trends with even some only having a 10% admissions rate. Even if the decision of getting you admitted does not solely rely on the letter of recommendation that your reference will pass or submit on your behalf, it is still best if you can ace all the necessary requirements of your prospective graduate school. If you are writing the specified document for someone, here are some do’s and don’ts for creating the best letter of recommendation for graduate school that you should always keep in mind:

Do use a letter of recommendation template so you can ensure that you will have a well-developed and properly formatted letter of recommendation for graduate school.Do optimize a content checklist so you can have a relevant discussion of particular key points and subject matters.Do browse through a number of letter of recommendation samples, especially those that are used for the benefit of graduate school candidates, for you to have a better idea or perspective on how you can create an outstanding document.Do have a systematic flow of thought presentation so the screening committee can easily understand what you are talking about.Do not make the letter of recommendation for graduate school solely about the candidate as you also have to specify the benefits of a successful candidacy to other entities especially to researches and the community.Do not skip presenting who you are as you need to convince the entities who will look into the letter of recommendation that you truly know what you are talking about and that you have the professional experience that enabled you to see the potential of the candidate if he or she will be given the chance for admissions.Do not make your discussion vague, irrelevant, and generic as this can lessen the impact and effectiveness of the letter of recommendation for graduate school document.

Letter of Recommendation for Graduate School FAQs

A letter of recommendation for graduate school can be tricky to develop especially if you do not have any idea on how you can make a candidate stand out. There are common questions that are asked by different entities about the proper development and usage of the specified document. If you have any questions of your own, make sure to raise these so you can get answers that can help you develop a high-quality letter of recommendation for graduate school. Two of the questions that are frequently asked with regards a letter of recommendation for graduate school are as follows:

What should be the focus of a letter of recommendation for graduate school?

The main focus of your letter of recommendation for graduate school is the reason why you believe an applicant deserves to be considered for admissions on his or her chosen field of study. You can support your claims for recommendation by providing information based on how you know the applicant, the relationship that you have with him or her, the potential of the individual to succeed, his or her skills, talents, expertise, and other deliverable that you are aware of, as well as the actual instances and experiences that presented opportunities where he or she used a particular knowledge area or skills set related to the desired area of higher study as an advantage. Properly put all of these key matters together so you can set the right direction in terms of developing the best letter of recommendation for graduate school.

Does a letter of recommendation for graduate school need to be formal?

There are letters of recommendation for graduate school that are written in an informal manner. However, we suggest you to take the formal route as the specified document will be screened by entities from an academic institution, organization, or body. The more formal, proper, and professional your letter of recommendation is, the easier it will be for you to get the attention, trust, and approval of the screening committee. More so, a formal letter of recommendation exudes credibility; confidence; and professionalism which are very important during the processes of application for graduate school admissions.

A great letter of recommendation for graduate school can highly impact the chances of a student applicant in terms of getting accepted for his or her targeted academic year. Were you asked to created a recommendation letter for graduate school? If you want to help better the chances of a candidate when it comes to getting accepted to a graduate school, make sure that you will develop an outstanding, believable, and detailed letter of recommendation. Use our available templates, samples, and other references to your advantage.