Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for UK: Sample, Program Guidelines, Important Questions

A Letter of Recommendation/LOR/Letter of Reference is a letter written by a third party to the admissions committee to recommend an applicant for admission. The letter of recommendation for the UK is usually written by the applicant’s professional or academic acquaintance to assess and describe the applicant's qualifications and skills concerning the job they did or educational training they've received.

Some of the notable guidelines about the letter of recommendation for UK universities include:

• LORs for UK mostly have no standard format, but ideally, they should not exceed one or two pages as stated by the university.
• Most universities originally prefer academic references, but some programs within the university may decide to require a professional referee
• Personal references from friends or family members regardless of other academic or professional relationships are NOT accepted.

As specified, LORs are required to provide a professional analysis of the applicant's record and overall growth. In the UK, reference letters are submitted along with admission applications, thereby giving applicants enough time to choose the right recommender and guide them properly.

LOR for Undergraduate Programs in UK

Most UK universities process their undergraduate admissions through the UCAS portal. Your supplementary documents like a personal statement, recommendation letters, resume, all are to be uploaded on the portal. Checkout UCAS personal statement guidelines. Universities do not usually ask for additional references from UG applicants.

Only one letter of recommendation is required and should ideally by provided by one of the following:

• Schoolteacher
• School tutor
• Principal
• Headteacher

LOR for Graduate Programs in UK

Almost all of the top universities in the UK require two LORs for admission into graduate programs like Masters of Science, Masters of Arts, and Masters of Engineering. Depending upon the department and university, applicants will be required to provide academic and/or professional LOR.

Recommendation Letters for MBA Program: At least one professional reference and at most, two references, are always required for UK university applicants. These references may be required to entirely be from professional sources although some universities do require one from an academic and another from a professional source.

The table below gives the summary of MBA recommendation letter requirements in top UK universities:

Sample Letter of Recommendation for UK

Sample of a LOR written by a university lecturer for a student applying to study Masters in Mechanical Engineering:

(Official Referee’s company or institution Letterhead)

(Name of referee)
(Position of referee)
(Mailing address/contact address of referee)

(Name of desired recipient(s))
(Mailing address of desired recipient)
(Position of desired recipient)(Today’s date)

Dear (Admissions Committee/ Dean of Admissions),

My name is (referees name), a senior lecturer at (Name of University), and the Head of Mechanical Workshop Practices Unit at the same university. I am honored to recommend (applicant’s name) for the Master's Program at your university. I have known (applicant’s name) for the past five years teaching him courses in Fluid Mechanics (Semester 3), Naval Architecture (Semester 4), and Assembling Drawing (Semester 5). I have also supervised his mechanical workshop work for the last two subjects. Throughout his period with us, I have interacted with ABC on an academic and personal level, and without mincing words; I can say that his excellence and commitment in whatever he does is unprecedented. I am delighted to have the opportunity to teach such a sharp, inquisitive, and brilliant young man. In the past years, although being a talented student in the mechanical areas already, I have noticed how his interest has peaked in physics, math, and mechanical ideas while his high aptitude for math and science and curious nature has urged him to study and understand engineering concepts and ideas way above his level.

Moreover, he has excelled greatly in his classes and even graduated with a GPA of 4.0, and he was ranked in the top 10% of his class. He is always punctual to classes and has always submitted his assignments and term papers before the stipulated deadlines. He also has my highest recommendation for admission to your engineering program as he has shown excellence in all that he is given to do, whether it's participating in a group or designing an experimental project. His infinite curiosity and risk-taking abilities make me believe there will be no stopping his growth and achievements in college and career.

I have spoken to (applicant’s name) in detail about his long-term goals and ambitions and I strongly believe that your university will be the best for him, as your university is bent on helping students explore their potentials and ply new paths in innovations. I am also sure that the university will also benefit from his ever-growing pool of knowledge and ideas; (applicant’s name) always brings new things to any unit.

I hope you will grant him this admission.

Sincerely,

(Name of Recommender)
(Job designation)
(Name of University)

The letter of Recommendation for different courses needs different specifications:

LOR for UK: FAQs