LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR MASTER'S APPLICANTS
If you are applying for a master's programme after completing your bachelor's degree, you will typically need to submit two letters of recommendation. The vast majority of universities in the UK require at least one academic letter of recommendation. Some universities may ask for two, but if so one letter of recommendation can usually be from an employer. For professional degrees, universities may even require one of the letters to be professional in order to assess your relevant work experience and suitability for the profession. Your advisor can help you to determine how many letters you need for the universities you are applying to and which type (academic or professional) will be acceptable.
WHO CAN WRITE A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Your referee should be someone who knows you well enough in an academic or professional capacity to comment on your suitability for higher education in the UK. Universities will not accept letters of recommendation from family or friends.
One letter of recommendation must be an academic letter of recommendation, written by someone who knows you from your most recent educational institution i.e. from your bachelor's degree- and should address your academic skills and/or achievements. In countries where there are only large lectures and limited personal contact with lecturers, the universities we work with will not require a "personal" letter of recommendation and will accept a recommendation that says something about your qualities as a student.
When considering which professor or teacher to ask for a reference, consider a lecturer who taught a subject you performed well in. It does not need to be an instructor from a subject directly related to the degree you are applying for, although that can certainly help. You can then ask them to write about what it took to get this grade; knowledge, analytical skills, etc. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to suggest an informal meeting where you can show your CV and diploma and talk a little about your motivation to complete a master's degree in the UK. If your professor/teacher feels that they do not have a good enough basis to write a reference, suggesting a meeting may also be a good idea in this case as it will provide you with an opportunity to talk about yourself and your motivation for your studies, and to refer to previous achievements.
Finally, you can also ask your dissertation tutor, study counsellor, seminar leader or others who have taught you in some study context. The more recent the letter of recommendation, the better!
If it’s been 2 years or longer since you graduated from university, you may be able to submit a professional instead of an academic letter of recommendation. If so, it must be written by a someone that worked with you, has a higher hierarchical level and knows you well.
WHAT MUST THE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION CONTAIN
The letter of recommendation must be a complete statement written in English by the referee you have chosen on institutional letterhead and dated with their signature. Only providing the name and address of a referee is not enough, an actual letter must be provided! Thoroughly explain to your chosen referee what you are asking of them and if they agree, provide them with the link ‘Guidelines for referees’.
The letter of recommendation must have the referee's signature, and must be written on the institution's official letterhead (i.e. with the logo/contact details of the institution). It must be in a PDF format, or something we can easily convert to PDF.
The letter of recommendation should be half a page to one page and must also include all the referee's contact details (institutional/professional email address, phone number, the institutional address, signature and position). Unfortunately, lecturers can receive many requests, especially during peak application periods, and thus may be a little slow to write such recommendations. Make sure to ask them early and to agree to a deadline with them when they will have the letter finished, e.g. two weeks from when you have sent them the ‘Guidelines for referees’ link.
Please consider that universities sometimes give letters of recommendation a one-year validity, according to the date of issue.
HOW WILL THE LETTER BE SUBMITED
It's best if your referee provides the letter of recommendation directly to you so that you can upload it to our online application form. However, if they prefer to send it directly to us, they can do so via the form located on the ‘Guidelines for referees’ page. Remember to confirm with your referee that your letter of recommendation has been sent to Across the Pond! We will send both you and your referee a confirmation when the letter of recommendation has been received.
Some referees wish to submit the letter directly to the universities you are applying to. That's fine too but be aware that we won't be able to check the content and what the referee writes about you. You must also make sure that they actually send the letter to the universities after you have applied. If your referee wants to do this, you need to upload the contact details of the referee associated with the university (personal email such as gmail/hotmail mail is not approved). This must include full name and title (e.g. Dr./lecturer etc.), relationship to you (lecturer, dissertation tutor or similar), work email, university phone number, office address.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS
- Request a reference from your chosen referees. Feel free to ask more than one person to write letters of recommendation (it might be nice to have for later too!), and we'll help you choose the most suitable ones for studying in the UK.
- Send them the link to our ‘Guidelines for referees’
- Upload the letters of recommendations in our application portal if they don't send it directly to us.
We look forward to helping you with your application process!