Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for Masters – Format, Sample, Tips

Among the thousands of applications arriving at your preferred university abroad, your application must stand out. You need an extra push to convince the university authorities of your suitable candidacy and strong potential for the course you wish to apply for. References from people in high power or with impressive professional experience generally come in handy at this time. A Letter of Recommendation, also called a Reference Letter, serves this purpose in your application for admission to a university of your choice. It is one of the most vital documents attached to your application at the time of admission.

What is a Letter of Recommendation for a Master’s?

A Letter of Recommendation or LOR is simply a Reference Letter shared by your past academic institution (school/university) or employer, highlighting your vital achievements and strengths. A mention of these in the Letter of Recommendation for a Master’s is quite helpful to the university you're applying to, as it brings forth your strong potential for the candidature.

How to Write LOR for MS?

All concerned authorities interested in sharing a LOR to increase your prospects at admission must know how to write a recommendation letter for a student. For this, it is vital to ask someone who knows what an LOR is and its key components so that the letter adds weight to your application and increases its chances of acceptance.

1. Make sure that your recommender is right for you. You may have a long list of people that know you well and like you for your strengths, but the person you choose for writing a LOR for your MS should be well-versed with your academic/work milestones achieved and bring them out in a professional manner.

2. Make sure to check with the university you apply to for their preferences (if any) concerning the recommender for the LOR. Some universities specifically require LORs from professors or heads of institutions (such as of a school or previous university attended). In the case of MS courses, a reference letter from a past employer is also appreciated to learn more about the student’s professional skills concerning the course being pursued.

What is the Structure/Format of LOR for a Master’s?

A LOR for Master's courses is generally a single-page document of roughly 400-500 words. The letter's structure is broadly classified into 4 or 5 short paragraphs: introduction, body (2-3 paras), and conclusion/summary. Most universities accept this general Letter of Recommendation format for students. Detailed below is the specific Letter of Recommendation format for Master’s courses:

1. Introducing the recommender: The LOR starts with a brief introduction of the recommender, mentioning the designation, name of the college/university where they hold the position, and the department they are a part of. The recommender also highlights their relationship with the student, how long they have known each other, and in what capacity. The recommender can also specify the subjects they taught the student and in which grade/semester.

2. Highlighting the student’s positive academic traits: The first paragraph of the body of the LOR focuses on one single positive quality of the applicant concerning their academic background. The recommender should ideally stress why this quality particularly impressed them.

3. Discussing positive personality traits: This paragraph can talk about another quality of the applicant, this time referring to their personality, such as thinking out of the box. The recommender can share specific examples of when and how they observed this trait in the student.

4. Emphasising yet another attribute: This paragraph stresses some soft skills of the candidate, such as organisational skills, leadership tendencies, teamwork, entrepreneurial capabilities, and the like. Again, the recommender must provide valid examples to support their arguments.

5. Summarise the student’s portfolio: The concluding paragraph can be a summary of the student’s overall traits discussed in the body of the letter. It should reiterate why the candidate is a strong prospect for admission. The recommender’s complete contact details can be shared in the concluding para, including their contact number and/or email address.

Tips for Writing a Letter of Recommendation for MS

A LOR for MS is one of the most vital documents that you would be required to submit to the applied university. Hence, ensure it is perfect and presents your case strongly to the concerned authorities. Bearing the following tips in mind while your recommender drafts the Letter of Recommendation would be helpful:

LOR Sample for MS

A Letter of Recommendation is a crucial document most universities require for Master's courses. However, it can sometimes get quite daunting for the student to look for the perfect recommender to write a well-crafted LOR for the latter's application process. To help the case, a few LOR samples for MS can help understand the style, format, and approach to writing the letter.

Here is one sample of a Letter of Recommendation for a Master's that we hope will help you.

Please note that this sample is strictly for reference purposes. Kindly avoid using it "as is". As mentioned in the tips above, your LOR should be authentic and unique and not a plagiarised version to prevent any chances of rejection.

Sample LOR for MS
I, Pradeep Mathur, Head of the Department of Biochemistry at St. Xavier’s College, Bangalore, take extreme pleasure in writing this Letter of Recommendation for Shalini Bhalla, a brilliant Undergraduate student of Biochemistry at our university. I have had the pleasure of teaching Shalini for 4 years as part of her course at the college, during which I have known her to be a highly motivated and sincere student.

Shalini can be easily described as an all-rounder - academically and personally. A top scorer every year, she goes the extra mile to help her fellow students learn and achieve their academic goals, which speaks a lot about her altruistic personality. This particularly came to my notice in the First Year of the UG course when I saw Shalini devoting her time and efforts after college hours to help a fellow student who was particularly weak in one of the semester subjects.

Seeing her keen interest in helping others, I recommended her name to the university for the tutoring council, which comprises hard-working and brilliant students who are asked to share their knowledge and learning with their peers in an attempt to grow and excel together. Shalini also showed a keen interest in extracurricular activities, mainly Fine Arts. During her course tenure, she has regularly participated in several arts and painting competitions at the university and inter-college levels. She has always displayed exemplary performance in each of them.

She was approached by one of the Art Societies in Bangalore to conduct her Exhibition of Arts at the H.A.L Fine Arts Society in Bangalore in 2022, which was a commendable success. In addition to her academic and non-scholastic qualities, Shalini also displays some remarkable traits in her persona - leadership, teamwork, creativity, and adaptability to any person or situation. Furthermore, Shalini is extremely agreeable and conscientious. I would only be delighted to recommend her for the next step of career growth she wishes to pursue - a Master's in Biochemistry at your esteemed university.

I have no doubts in affirming that Shalini would continue to exhibit the same values and skills during her Master's, which she brought to the table during her Bachelor's at our university. I wish her all the best in all her endeavours with the hope and confidence that she will be a valuable asset to every institution and organisation that she becomes a part of in the future.

Yours truly,

Pradeep Mathur
HoD, Biochemistry
St. Xavier’s College, Bangalore, India
Tel: +91 xxxxx xxxxx
professional Email ID

FAQs

How is a letter of recommendation different from a reference letter?

Common confusion arises because the terms 'recommendation' and 'reference' imply the same connotations. This is why the two letters are often confused one for the other, while in reality, they are not the same. A reference letter is more generic, talking about the person's personality traits and character in general. Conversely, a LOR that specifically highlights the candidate's academic and professional strengths, endorsing their application at the university applied to.

How to submit your Letter of Recommendation?

The recommender can submit their Letter of Recommendation written for the student (candidate) to the overseas university, either online via their email ID or online form submission at the chosen university's login portal. Alternatively, the recommender can also submit the LOR by traditional post/mail to the university.

Who should write letters of recommendation for a Master’s?

In the case of students applying for MS courses, most universities abroad accept LORs from the Professors of the previous university/college where the student has completed their studies. Additionally, if the student also has some prior work experience in the related field of study, a team lead/Manager from the last company worked for may issue a Letter of Recommendation for the candidate.

What things should you avoid in a letter of recommendation for a Master’s?
Some common things to avoid while writing a LOR are:

1. Choose the right person for a recommendation. Your recommender should be someone adept at analysing your personal and professional strengths and abilities. It is not enough that they just know you.

2. Be sure to share strong and prominent examples from your academic and professional life experiences in your LOR. They help put up a strong case for your candidature.

3. Keep the tone of writing the LOR formal but also warm. For example, using the student's name in the letter instead of addressing them as the "candidate", "student", or "applicant" is a much better idea.

4. Don't ask your recommender to write the LOR in a rush. Substantial research into your past is essential for them to write a well-crafted document in your favour.

Do universities verify recommendation letters for Master’s?

This depends entirely on the university to which you have applied. Some universities may get in touch with the recommender via the contact details provided in the letter, while others may generally assume the authenticity of the letter and proceed with the application review.

Can a letter of recommendation for a Master’s be written by the employer?

Several Master's courses at international universities require a LOR written by the candidate's previous/past employer(s), as the case may be. However, this depends from one university to another; hence, it is best to check the specific requirement of the university about the LOR.

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