All you should know about Letters of Recommendations – Part 1

When a student decides the career path, many questions come his/her way. It is always advisable to find the correct answers to all your questions before you move ahead. Hence, in a series of four blogs, you would find all the solutions to your frequently asked questions about letters of recommendations for MS aspirants.

What is a letter of recommendation (LoR)?

Letters of recommendation, sometimes called reference letters or letter of evaluation, are mandatory requirements for most programs at undergraduate (Bachelor level) or graduate (Master or above level) studies outside India. Some programs in Australia, and some unique programs such as the Computer Engineering department at Arizona State University, do not require any LoR.

So do all programs require LoRs?

No. As mentioned above, some programs might not need LoRs. You will have to check under admission requirements for the program you are applying to. Alternatively, start the online application, and you can find under Recommendations tab whether LoRs are required.

How many LoRs do I need to submit?

Usually three, but some management programs ask for only one evaluation while some programs such as Colorado University Boulder ask for four referee names.

Why so many?

University policies – you cannot argue against them. If you cannot find so many referees, don’t apply to that program.

So can I not apply without Letters of Recommendation?

If it is mandatory for the application to be processed, No you cannot apply without the LoR.

That’s it for Part One. If you have more doubts, you could either wait for the next part or comment below. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

You can view our video on the topic

Written by:

Ajit Singh
Head – International Products
Team Endeavor
For more about him, you can click here.