What is a LOR? A Letter of Recommendation is an integral part of the admission application package, written by a professional or expert whose been a witness to your achievements and growth. In Australian universities, LORs are generally a compulsory requirement for post-graduate courses whether they are master's degrees of taught courses or research courses. Normally one/two Academic LORs, and one professional LOR are asked from the applicant. Learn more about different types of LORs:
One of the unique aspects of LOR requirements in Australia is that recommendations must be course-specific but not university-specific. This way, the reference letters submitted aren’t written with the destination university’s stature in mind, thereby making it all the more genuine and unbiased. Some other key aspects of submitting and obtaining letters of recommendation for Australia are:
- Applicants need to select and approach their recommenders in advance as many universities in Australia ask for the referee’s emails and send them a unique link to upload the LOR online
- Other than that, universities might ask to submit the LORs via mail in a sealed envelope. Read how to submit LORs to international universities.
- The Letter of Recommendation for Australia must be written in English and have an official language and tone.
- Referees have to give their official contact details and show a willingness to answer any further queries raised by the selection committee/selectors.
Sample Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for Australia
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am glad to have this opportunity to recommend [Candidate’s Name] for the Masters of Science course in Mechanical Engineering at your renowned institution, [Institution Name]. I taught [Candidate’s Name] for two years as a professor of Mechanical Engineering and Sciences at [Candidate’s UG Institution Name] while he completed his undergraduate degree of B.tech with specialization in my subject.
He came across as a bright student who was curious to learn and have wonderful grasping power. He diligently performed all the tasks given in the class or for the projects in or outside the college premises.
As an Engineering student, he enthusiastically took part in the projects, researches, and workshops and displayed abilities to work in teams as well as independently with great ease and perfection. He possesses good communication skills and has a helping nature towards the classmates as well as other students. He even served in the student council for a year and showed his mantle in leadership and organizational skills.
During his bachelor’s degree in Engineering with specialization in Mechanical Engineering xxx demonstrated innate reasoning and analyzing skills. He showed extraordinary self-discipline by completing difficult and time-consuming tasks and actively participated in the programs meant to increase the goodwill of the institution in the community.
He likes to take initiative and in his final year, he was amongst the top 5% of students who completed their research project and internship training with flying colors in the designated time period. He is a result-oriented and research-inclined student, who deserves to gain advanced knowledge in the subject area of ABC as he has the ability to create and innovate.
His excellent academic background, extraordinary personal, professional, and literacy skills make him a worthy applicant for the [Course Name] at your institution. He has a vision for creating XYZ from the study of the ABC, which will not only benefit him, his career but also the entire community.
During my in and outside classroom interactions he has shown his cultured behavior and potential as a student and a citizen, thus I would strongly recommend him for admission to [Course Name]. In case of any further queries, please feel free to contact me on the given numbers.
[Recommender’s Name]
[Institution Name]
(Tel.: +XXXX)
(E-mail: XXXXX@mail.com)
The letter of Recommendation for different courses needs different specifications:
Guidelines for Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for Australia Universities
As discussed, Australian universities require LOR for postgraduate taught or research-oriented and doctorate degree courses. There is hardly any institution that requires a letter of recommendation for undergraduate courses.
Some institutions specify the word limit or the criteria that must be part of the recommendation letter, others leave it to the referee to decide what he may wish to write to recommend the applicant.
| Name of Institution | Letter of Recommendation Requirements |
|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | 2 Academic/Professional LORs |
| University of Sydney | 2 LOR in specific Performa |
| Australian National University, Canberra | 2 LORs Academic/Professional |
| University of New South Wales, Sydney | 2 LORs Academic/Professional |
| University of Queensland | 1 LOR recommended |
| Monash University | 2 LORs Academic/Professional |
| University of Adelaide | 1 or 2 LORs Academic/Professional |
| University of Western Australia, Perth | 2 LORs Academic |
| RMIT University | 1 LOR Academic/Professional recommended |
Guidelines for Writing/Obtaining LOR for Australia
Some of the general guidelines and tips for getting a letter of recommendation for Australia are:
- Letter of recommendation must be written on the official stationery, depending upon the type of LOR required.
- These must contain relevant and verifiable information because Australian universities tend to verify the provided information.
- The LOR must serve its purpose of recommending the applicant by detailing the qualities that will help the candidate obtain admission.
- LOR should specify the context in which the applicant is known to the referee and the acquaintance tenure should be at least a year or more to ensure that the observations made by the referee have properly evaluated in different situations.
- The Letter of recommendation is the document that talks about the unique qualities of the applicant from the referee’s perspective and should not be a reinforcement of achievements, awards, and certificates obtained by the applicant.
Irrespective of these guidelines, each applicant planning to get a letter of recommendation (LOR) for Australia universities should verify the course-specific instructions. Furthermore, they must guide their chosen recommender(s) in a similar manner, to avoid any issues.
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