Letter of Recommendation

A Letter of Recommendation for Scholarship (LOR) is a formal letter written by a lecturer, research supervisor, direct manager, or person who knows the applicant well to assess the candidate's capacity, qualities, and suitability for the scholarship program.

Typically, a letter of recommendation focuses on the following:

• Academic and professional competencies: Ability to acquire knowledge, think critically, research, and solve problems.

• Personal qualities: Sense of responsibility, initiative, perseverance, and adaptability.

• Soft skills: Ability to communicate, work in a team, lead, and build relationships.

• Outstanding achievements: Projects, extracurricular activities, work experience, or community contributions.

• Development potential: Ability to meet the requirements of the program of study and make future contributions.

Letters of recommendation are usually presented in about 1–2 pages, but this is only a reference point. The language, length, number of letters, and submission method depend on the requirements of each scholarship program.

A scholarship recommendation letter gives the admissions committee more perspective on the applicant in addition to transcripts, CVs, and personal essays. Instead of just listing achievements, the recommender can provide real-life examples of how the applicant studies, works, and handles situations.

Here are the prominent roles of a quality letter of recommendation:

• Demonstrate a mindset and spirit of learning: Letters of recommendation help the admissions committee better understand the candidate's mindset, creativity, passion, and inquisitive spirit for the field of study.

• Highlight personal qualities and competencies:

  Besides grades, scholarship recommendation letters provide an additional perspective on the candidate's character, leadership skills, and contributions through extracurricular activities, charity, or community.

• Assessment of future development potential:

  Specific comments from the recommender help the committee better understand the candidate's academic goals, development orientation and ability to integrate and contribute positively to the university environment.

Writing a letter introducing yourself will not be too difficult, however, the layout and format of the letter will impress the reader from the first time. You need to be consistent in aligning the text, choosing the font size and font format to suit the purpose of the letter.

3.1 Prologue

Start with a brief description of the "referrer". Let the admissions committee understand more about the relationship between you and the recommender (how long you have known each other, the positions and responsibilities of each person's work and project). In the introduction, you need to highlight some of the strengths that prove you deserve the scholarship.

Tips for writing an introduction:

• Maintain a straightforward, moderately formal tone

• Limit the length of the opening paragraph to a maximum of 6 lines. Avoid dragging and lengthy lines

• Do not use too common descriptive words such as intelligent, kind, hardworking

• Cliché opening sentences such as "It is with great pleasure..." or "It is an honor to recommend..."

3.2 Body

Show support for the student by stating why the individual deserves the scholarship. If the body is divided into several small sections, focus on one skill and achievement at a given time. The scholarship recommendation letter should also be in sync with your study abroad application, and the content meets the requirements of the scholarship and the course.

Tips to make the body better:

• Add metrics, examples that clarify students' abilities and experiences

• Make sure the stories and events are real, personal and accurate. This will help you gain the trust of the judges to help the profile be more appreciated.

• The transitions of the paragraphs should be concise and easy to understand. Be arranged in a certain chronological order.

3.3 Conclusion

Briefly repeat your strengths and achievements that are relevant to the scholarship level. Express why you are different from other applicants. Add a few notes showing the referrer's willingness to talk and provide information to help testify to you.

"Please feel free to contact me at ... should you like to discuss [Your name]'s qualifications and experience further. I'd be happy to expand on my recommendation."

Tips for the ending:

• Concise (about 4-5 lines)

• Provide contact information (email, phone number) for the school to contact if they have any questions.

Each university will have different rules for letters of recommendation. Some schools only value letters of recommendation from reputable lecturers and professors in the school; others want letters of recommendation from the company or any organization you have worked with. No matter who your recommender is, you should double-check and make sure your letter of recommendation meets the following factors:

1. Briefly explain the relationship between you and the letter writer.

Your cover letter should mention how long you've known each other, and what your relationship is. It could be a manager, a mentor at work, or a lecturer in charge of your subject.

2. Emphasis on the experience of working together

Collaboration based on the face-to-face aspect always has a positive impact on the admissions committee as this clearly shows the level of interaction between the recommender and you. Working directly with each other is an important factor that shows that the letter writer knows you better than people you only know through others or only work with remotely.

3. Make sure all information is authentic and accurate.

A scholarship recommendation letter needs to accurately assess your abilities and suitability for the course or scholarship you want to apply for. The writer should focus on your suitability instead of speaking well of you in other points.

For example, the referrer might mention outstanding skills related to the field you want to study, or mention your ranking such as top 3 or top 1% in your class or school.

4. Avoid reminders of grades

Unless requested, a restriction letter of recommendation mentions grades in any of the student's exams or personal projects. Grades and achievements have been shown in transcripts and documents in study abroad applications. Mention of grades will make the letter lengthy and off-topic.

If you need help on how to present a scholarship recommendation letter based on your grades and personal achievements, don't hesitate to contact IDP's counselling team for the best advice.

Often, universities will have their own essay requirements, and a separate template for English letters of recommendation for those who want to apply for a scholarship. You'll come across topics that are quite common, such as: Write about someone who has had a big influence on you, what book has influenced you, or simply a special memory in your life.

Refer to the sample letter of recommendation to study abroad in English from Arizona State University:

[Your Name]

[Street Address]

[City, State Zip]

[Today's Date]

Admission Office

[University Name]

[University Street Address]

[City, State Zip]

Dear Admission Committee,

Introduction paragraph. Include a brief statement about who you are and the purpose of the letter.

Provide details and facts about your relationship to the student being recommended, as well as facts about the individual — including achievements, involvement, employment and responsibilities.

Provide a statement about why the student is qualified or recommended by you with examples that support your recommendation.

Closing paragraph. Summarize your recommendation and state whether you would be willing to further discuss anything mentioned in the letter.

Sincerely,

Signature

[Name]

Prepare an impressive scholarship recommendation letter with IDP

A scholarship recommendation letter is an important part of your study abroad application, helping the admissions committee better understand the candidate's abilities, qualities, and development goals. A well-prepared letter, with specific and persuasive comments, will contribute to highlighting your application.

To complete your study abroad application and find the right study abroad scholarship opportunity , you can contact IDP for advice on choosing a school, program of study, and necessary documents. A team of counselors will accompany you in the process of preparing your application, helping you understand the requirements and complete each step.

If you are planning to study in Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, New Zealand and Ireland in the near future, please contact our consultants for any questions.