Letter of Recommendation Guide

Choose referees who know your work

A useful letter comes from someone who can describe your work in detail — a professor who taught you in a relevant subject, a project guide, or a manager who supervised you. A detailed letter from someone who knows you well is usually more helpful than a brief one from a senior person who does not.

Ask early and make it easy

• Ask at least four to six weeks before the deadline
• Share the list of programmes and deadlines
• Provide your CV and a short summary of the work they supervised
• Explain how the letter will be submitted (many universities email referees directly)
• Send a polite reminder a week before the deadline

Letters must be genuine

Recommendation letters should be written and submitted by the referee. Writing your own letter or submitting it on the referee’s behalf can lead to an application being rejected or an offer withdrawn.