Study in UK – September Intake 2025
How to Write an LOR for Studying Abroad?
When you prepare your study abroad documents, you will come across LORs. Now, what is an LOR? What is its importance? And how does it impact your study abroad application? And more importantly how to Write an LOR for Studying Abroad? You must have a thousand questions on your mind. Don’t worry, you are getting all the answers in this blog. We understand your complexities and the fact that overwhelming the study abroad documentation process can be. So, to ease your tension, here we bring you the ultimate guide on what is an LOR? Let’s learn everything about LOR here.
What is an LOR?
Famously known as LOR, stands for Letter of Recommendation.
When you are planning to study or work abroad, you are required to submit a list of documents. One of those documents is an LOR, a professionally written letter of recommendation. This document sheds light on you as an academic scholar, or a working professional based on your requirements.
As you are a student who is looking for how to write an LOR for studying abroad, then your LOR should focus on highlighting your academic strengths, achievements, and potential. Universities abroad require at least 2 LORs from every applicant. This document helps the admissions committee in analysing the right potential of every applicant who stands at the same level.
Importance of LOR to Study Abroad
Here is why an LOR matters the most in your study abroad journey:
- It validates your academic or work performance from a third party
- Adds credibility and context to your resume and SOP
- Helps universities assess your fit for their programme
- Sets you apart from other applicants with similar scores
Types of LORs
There are majorly two types of LORs:
Who Writes the Study Abroad Letters of Recommendation
It is true that you cannot write the LOR yourself but now the question is who the best fit is to write a letter of recommendation for you. Here is what your ideal recommender must look like.
- Someone you have closely worked with in an academic or professional setting
- Someone who is able to provide examples and not generic praise
- Someone who holds credibility like professor, team lead, HOD, or manager
NOTE: When choosing a recommender, do ensure to ask for their permission and provide them a context about the programme and university you are applying for and what you would like to be included in your LOR.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in an LOR
LOR is always written by a professional, either your professor or your employer, who knows you closely and have seen your achievements. Here are some common mistakes that students make in their LORs that you must avoid at every cost.
- Choosing Wrong Recommender: Choosing a friend or a relative to write your letter of recommendation is not the best choice. A professor or a manager who has worked closely with are able to highlight your personality better. Hence, choose your recommender wisely.
- Using One LOR for All: Thinking that one LOR will work for every university is a big mistake. You need to customise your LORs for every university. Each LOR should reflect how you are the best fit for the offered courses by the university.
- Writing LOR Yourself: Another common mistake that you must avoid at every cost is writing the LOR yourself. The purpose of a letter of recommendation is to get a recommendation from someone else and not by yourself.
- Exceeding Word Limit: The letter of recommendation is of a particular limit 400-500 and it shouldn’t be exceeded. However, many students think that the more they will write about themselves and exceed the word limit is better. That just shows unprofessionalism.
- Ignoring the Format: You cannot ignore the format of a letter of recommendation! It has to be on the official letterhead of the institution or the organisation and must follow the right structure ending with official signature and stamp.
Format of an LOR
Following the right format and structure of an LOR is very crucial. Here is what the official format of a letter of recommendation is.
Tips to Write a Strong LOR for Study Abroad
When you have decided who will be writing your letters of recommendation, it is important for you to make them understand a couple of things just to be on the safe side. Here are some tips of writing the flawless LORs.
Tip 1- Stay Professional
A letter of recommendation is an official document that is required for your university admissions. The admission committee members want to see you as a serious and ambitious applicant for your degree. Hence, whoever you ask to write your letter of recommendation make sure their writing tone and vocabulary are strict and professional. Avoid informal language, spelling mistakes, and cliches. Ensure the LORs are error-free and professionally written. Universities are intend to reject applicants with poorly written LORs.
Tip 2- Follow the Format
Your LOR must follow the right format. The official format of an LOR is it should be written on the official letterhead of the institution or the organisation, include recommenders name, designation, contact information, and signature. A well-written LOR is considered the one that has an introduction, right amount of body paragraphs including skills and examples, and a well summed conclusion. Following the right format for both or any number of required LORs is a good way to present yourself.
Tip 3- Stick to the Word Limit
It is important for you to give complete brief to your recommender about deadline, word limits, and what all you want to be included in your recommendation letter. Many students intend to exceed the word limit by thinking the more the better. However, the truth is, the limited the better. Even though every university has different requirements and the word limit for LORs but the standard word count for university LORs is 400-500 words. By sticking to the word limit and submitting the LORs before the deadline gives you a better edge of getting accepted.
Tip 4- Match the Programme
An effective LOR is the one that connects your skills and experience with the specific programme you’re applying to. This is why it is suggested to go for customised LORs for every university and programme. The alignment of your interests and skills to the programme that you want to pursue shows the university that you are not just any candidate planning to study abroad but an ambitious brat who is prepared for the specific challenges of their programme. Having your interests matching your programme increases the value of your SOP as well.
Tip 5- Highlight Specific Strengths
A vaguely written LOR is of no use. Writing adjectives like “hardworking” and “intelligent” may not impress the admission committee that much. Your recommender must be specific when it comes to your praises. As evert anecdotes count, it is important for your recommender to include specific examples such as successful projects, academic results, or leadership in extracurricular activities to increase credibility. The admission committee wants to see why you are a great choice for their programmes and hence, highlight your specific strengths and achievements is crucial.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to write an impressive LOR is to use a formal tone, structure it well, and include specific examples of achievements and skills. Aligning the content of the LOR with the targeted course and university, keeping the message honest, customised, and within the word limit along with making sure it is formatted on the official letterhead with a signature is what they call the best LOR.
The best opening sentence of a letter of recommendation is considered, “I am pleased to recommend [Student Name], whom I have known as a dedicated and high-performing student in my [Subject] class at [Institution], for admission to your esteemed [Programme Name] at [University Name].” This is the formal example of a well-written LOR introduction.
The best recommender is someone who has closely supervised your academic or professional work—like a professor, thesis advisor, or manager, who can provide detailed, personalised insights into your skills, character, and suitability for the programme you’re applying to.
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