LOR for the UK for Indian Students
While applying to any foreign university, students usually require 2-3 LORs for the application procedure with other significant credentials such as the SOP, essay, resume, and financial documents. For UK universities, two LORs are usually needed for the application process. These can either be academic or professional. Regardless of its type, the letter must showcase an applicant's eligibility for the degree program.
It is essential to draft a pleasing LOR so that it catches the attention of the application processing committee. For that, it is important to know what to include and what not to include in a LOR. The details regarding the same are explained in this blog. Read the blog further to know more.LOR for Undergraduate Program in the UK
Most universities in the United Kingdom process Undergraduate admissions via the UCAS portal, where all your supplementary documents are uploaded. Usually, for pursuing a UG course in the UK, you need at least one LOR (2 at maximum). Your subject teacher, school teacher, head teacher, or school counsellor can provide you with the same. When two letters are needed, at least one should be from the school counsellor.
LOR for Postgraduate Program in the UK
If you are pursuing a Master's degree in the UK, you will need two LORs. In addition, depending on your university and department, you may need to provide an academic and professional LOR. Please note that LORs for MBA degrees are primarily professional. However, according to the university's instructions, you may also need one educational reference.
LOR Format for MS in the UK
If you are pursuing an MS degree in the UK, please follow this format. We have also provided all the proper guidelines for your reference.
- The first paragraph is the introduction paragraph. Here, the recommender introduces himself/herself with their name, title, company, college name, etc. They also explain their relationship with the student and why he/she stands out.
- The second paragraph explains one quality – this is the best quality of the applicant.
- The third paragraph explains the second quality – it differs from the first.
- The fourth paragraph explains the third quality – the third and last quality to be presented.
- The fifth paragraph is the conclusion – this summarises all qualities of the applicant and ends on a positive and robust note about the student.
LOR Samples for MS in the UK
As the Head of the IT department at XYZ University, Jaipur, I am happy to write this Letter of Recommendation for Mr ABC, an Undergraduate student of this department. I have known ABC for three years, so I can confidently discuss his skills and qualities. He is a highly motivated and sincere student who has actively focused on every opportunity our university offers. Introduction paragraph. The recommender introduced himself and the relationship with the student with the quality highlights.
ABC has consistently been among the top scorers of his batch throughout his course. He was thus one of the few to be offered the chance to pursue an Honors degree. This requires the completion of extra credits and a publication to receive the degree. He is currently working towards that in parallel with his standard courses. The student council also selected him to teach first-year students who needed tutoring when he was in his second year. The second paragraph. The Recommender explained one quality.
Additionally, ABC has also successfully represented our college in numerous programming competitions, both nationally and internationally. Most recently, his team designed software for 'Crop Health Analysis' and won the National Programming Challenge by QPR University. Moreover, his design reports frequently have something different and innovative and solve a real-life problem. Besides this, he has also sparked many students' interest in IT by organising technical workshops, competitions, and talks. For example, his event, based on 'IoT challenges,' arranged as a part of our annual technical fest in 2020, proved to be a great success. The third paragraph. The recommender explained the second quality.
Furthermore, ABC was an approachable and effective IT club president from April 2019 to March 2020. In his term, the work of this club went on seamlessly. He not only mentored his juniors in a technical capacity, but his complete dedication was undoubtedly laudable. The fourth paragraph. The recommender explained the third quality.
ABC has a powerful sense of community and teamwork, with an undeniable passion for IT. He has demonstrated excellent leadership skills and proved himself to be a valuable student of our department, time and again. He will be an asset to any college he is a part of and complete the course with flying colours. Thus, I strongly recommend Mr ABC to your esteemed institution and wish him the best. Conclusion. Ends with a solid and positive endorsement of the student.
Yours sincerely,
Full name of the Recommender
Designation, Department
Name of Institution, City
Contact No:
Email ID
How to Write a LOR for the UK?
You can follow this step-by-step guide to write a perfect LOR for your course. We have explained the proper guidelines in this section so that your letter has the most potential to get you selected.
Step 1: Start the LOR with an introduction of the recommender. It should include their credentials, such as their name, title, college or company name, and their relationship with the student. Note the critical points for this first paragraph.Include details of how long and to what level the recommender has known the student.
Highlight the student's stands. The recommender can compare how the student is better than other students in his batch.
The recommender should also mention how many people they have supervised under their batch, class strength etc.
End the paragraph with the student's outstanding qualities that motivated them to recommend the student. Note that this line must highlight the qualities they will explain in the following sections.
Step 2: We need to discuss one quality of the student in the second paragraph. Then, repeat step 2 with the second and third qualities for the third and fourth paragraphs. Combined, these should be the top 3 qualities of the applicant.
Step 3: The fifth paragraph is the conclusion, where you summarise the student's strengths and provide a solid and positive endorsement.
Writing all this by yourself can still be a complex process. Therefore, to save time and have more efficiency in the LOR, we recommend taking the help of the experts at AECC.
Tips to Write a LOR for the UK
To help you further enhance your LOR, here are some valuable tips. These are easy to understand and in a simple format. Still, if you have any doubts, please get in touch with our experts.
- We recommend using a custom LOR for every program or profile you apply for.
- Check your CV or resume thoroughly before writing the LOR to get a surface look at yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
- Make a list of your abilities with examples from your past academic or work experience. That way, you will include everything required in your LOR.
- Use active voice throughout your letter.
Things to Avoid while Writing a LOR for the UK
Now that you know how to write a LOR for a UK University, there is one final thing left before you can write one and submit it to your desired university. Here are the things you should avoid while writing a LOR for the UK.
- Making the person having the least knowledge about you your recommender.
- Making your LOR a recap of your resume/CV.
- Adding irrelevant, out-of-context, or unnecessary information.
- Writing short LORs.
- Not including examples.
- Optimistic tone.
- Forgetting to type your LOR on the University letterhead and placing it in a sealed envelope.
- Making spelling and grammar mistakes in your LOR.
- Using politically incorrect language.
- For example: "To the Admission Officer – I am delighted to recommend Mr John Smith's application for your prestigious MS program in Information Management. ………. He is a kind-hearted person. He has created an application which helps mentally challenged individuals such as those suffering from Asperger's Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, etc., to play games and spend their time productively". – Here, what if the committee member of the university or college suffers from the mentioned disorder? It could hurt the reader and decrease the chances of getting admission.
10. Personal references from friends or family members.
It is essential to write a good LOR because every university's admission committee is sure to have a thorough read of it. An ideal LOR will be around 500 words long and include all the points mentioned in detail above. Even if your university has not made LOR a compulsory requirement for admission, it is good to have a LOR as it helps your application stand out from the rest.
Still have any queries? Get in touch with aecc and get satisfactory answers. Our professionals and counsellors will help you get answers to all your study-abroad doubts. It is better to clarify all your queries because one small mistake can even lead to the rejection of your application. So, always feel free to contact us!