Sample Recommendation Letter for Students: Template and Tips

A strong recommendation letter for a student comes from a teacher who knows the student well and fits on one page. It says how the teacher knows the student, gives specific examples the teacher saw, compares the student with classmates and ends with a clear recommendation. A scholarship or summer program may ask for a shorter one.

This guide is for teachers writing a letter and students asking for one. If you're applying early action or early decision, plan for your letters to be in by that early deadline.

Facts checked October 2026. Sources are the Common App, College Board and the admission websites of Yale, Stanford, MIT and UC Berkeley.

How do you write a recommendation letter for a student?

Decide whether you know the student well enough to be specific, then get material from them and draft in the order below. MIT's guide for recommenders opens with the question your first paragraph should answer: "What is the context of your relationship with the applicant?"

1. Decide whether you can write a strong letter. If you barely know the student, tell them early. If you still write, MIT asks you to say so.
2. Ask for material. College Board suggests a résumé, work samples, the student's goals and their college list with deadlines.
3. Pick two or three moments you saw. Look for a question that changed a discussion, work beyond the assignment, or a setback and what came next.
4. Open with context. Name the class, grade and any other role, such as coach.
5. Compare the student with others. The Common App teacher evaluation asks you to rate the student against "other students in their class." Our advice: give a number if you can, as the sample below does.
6. Keep it to one page. That's College Board's limit, though the Common App form asks for 1,000 words or less. Skip the grade summary: College Board notes grades are on the transcript.

What does a sample recommendation letter for university admission look like?

Below is a complete letter from an AP Chemistry teacher for a college applicant. It is fictional: the student, teacher and school are invented. The notes after it show what the main details do.

Sample letter (fictional)

Dear Admissions Committee,

I taught Elena Torres in AP Chemistry in 11th grade, and I have coached her on our Science Olympiad team for two years. I recommend her enthusiastically.

In our October titration lab, Elena's group got a result 8 percent off the expected value. Most groups record a result like that and move on. Elena asked to repeat the trial at lunch. She found that our sodium hydroxide solution had absorbed carbon dioxide from the air and weakened. Her one-page write-up of the problem is now a handout every AP class gets before that lab.

Chemistry did not come easily to her at first. Her first unit test, on stoichiometry, was her lowest grade of the year. She came to office hours twice a week for a month and rewrote her notes as worked problems. By spring, classmates were asking her to explain limiting-reagent problems at review sessions.

On the Science Olympiad team, Elena trains new members in lab safety and data tables. At last year's regional tournament, her partner froze halfway through a lab event. She talked him through the next step instead of taking over, and they finished together.

In 14 years, I have taught about 600 AP Chemistry students. Elena is among the top five in independent lab work. In a college lab, she will be the student who stops to check a strange result. I recommend her without reservation and would be glad to answer any questions.

Sincerely, Laura Bennett, AP Chemistry Teacher and Science Olympiad Coach, Lakeview High School

Why this sample letter works

• Details only this teacher knows (step 3): the 8 percent error, the carbon dioxide and the handout still in use.
• A setback with a next step: the weak first test matters because of the office hours that followed. MIT asks how a student reacted to "disappointment or failure."
• Character shown through one event: the partner who froze shows how Elena treats classmates, so the letter never needs the word "kind."

Is there a college recommendation letter template teachers can fill in?

Yes: the template below follows the sample letter's order, and each bracket says what belongs there. If you're the student, your part is the brag sheet described further down, not a draft for your teacher to sign.

Our advice: if a bracket can only be filled with adjectives, cut that paragraph.

Dear Admissions Committee,

I taught [student's full name] in [course] in [grade]. I have also known [first name] as [coach, adviser or other role] for [length of time]. I recommend [first name] [your honest level of support, such as "enthusiastically" or "without reservation"].

[First moment: what happened, when, and a detail only you would know. Then what the student did next.]

[Second moment: a setback, a question or a piece of work that improved. Say what changed and how you saw it.]

[Outside class: one thing the student did for a team, a club or a classmate.]

[Comparison: "In [number] years, I have taught about [number] students in [course]. [First name] is among the [top few, or top number] in [specific quality]."]

[Closing: what you expect the student to do in college, based on what you saw. Your recommendation and an offer to answer questions.]

Sincerely, [your name], [title and subject], [school], [email]

How do you write a short recommendation letter for a student?

Keep the same order and cut it to one moment: context, one example, one comparison and your recommendation. When a program asks for a brief letter, we suggest 100 to 200 words. Check the program's form first; some set their own questions or limits.

For example, this fictional letter from a history teacher runs about 100 words:

Dear Selection Committee,

I taught Marcus Lee in AP U.S. History this year, and I recommend him for [program or scholarship]. For his research project on the 1936-37 Flint sit-down strike, Marcus found union newsletters in a university's digital archive. No student in my class had used sources like these before. He presented them to the class and answered questions for twenty minutes.

Of the roughly 300 students I have taught in this course, Marcus is among the five best researchers. He is also the student classmates ask for help before a test. I recommend him without reservation.

Sincerely, [your name], [title], [school]

Who should you ask for a recommendation letter?

Ask teachers from core academic classes who know you well. As of October 2026, Stanford requires two academic teachers, preferably from grade 11 or 12, or grade 10 if the course was advanced.

Yale notes that "the best recommendations are not always from the teachers in whose class you earned the highest grades." For example, say you earned an A in AP Biology but rarely spoke in class. In AP English you earned a B+ and rewrote two essays with your teacher.

Our advice: ask the English teacher, who has watched how you work, unless a college requires a specific subject.

How should a student ask for a recommendation letter?

Ask in person and early. Our advice: ask in the spring of junior year, and no later than six weeks before your first deadline. Then give the teacher a brag sheet and invite them through the Common App.

1. Ask in person. Name your colleges and deadlines, and ask whether they can write you a strong letter. College Board tells teachers to require at least two weeks' notice; treat that as the floor.
2. Give them a brag sheet within a few days of their yes (details below).
3. Invite them in the Common App. First you choose whether to waive your FERPA right to review your recommendations. Our advice: waive it. According to the Common App, waiving "helps reassure colleges that the letters are candid and truthful," and some recommenders write only if you do.

What goes on a brag sheet?

A brag sheet is a one-page summary that gives your teacher material for specific paragraphs. Include:

• Their class: the course and year, two or three dated moments, and one or two pieces of work you're proud of
• Activities: your main ones with roles and hours, the same details you'll need for the activities section of your application
• Goals: what you plan to study and why; if you're undecided, see our guide to choosing an intended major
• Colleges: each one, its deadline and how letters are submitted
• Context: anything a reader should know, such as a hard semester

We've found that the most useful line is a dated moment with one concrete detail. For example, Elena, the fictional student in our sample letter, might write:

October titration lab: our result was 8% off. I repeated it at lunch and found the NaOH had absorbed CO2.

What mistakes weaken a recommendation letter?

The one Yale and College Board both warn about is a generic letter: praise with no moments behind it. Yale says "a string of generic superlatives is not as useful as a specific, thoughtful discussion of your strengths." College Board tells teachers, "Don't use generic letters for recommendations."

• Restating the application: Berkeley asks letters to go beyond grades and a "laundry list" of activities.
• Praising traits most applicants share: MIT's critique of one sample letter says honesty and trustworthiness are "not uncommon among the nation's top college applicants."
• Leaving out concerns: MIT asks recommenders not to "shy away from giving us your honest impressions."

Checklist before a teacher submits

• The student's name, pronouns and any college name are correct
• The greeting fits every college, such as "Dear Admissions Committee"
• If you filled in the ratings grid, the letter's comparison matches it
• It fits on one page and has no grade summary

Frequently asked questions

Is a reference letter the same as a recommendation letter?

For college admission, yes: both terms describe the same letter, and the samples above work for either. If a job or volunteer form asks for "references," check whether it wants a letter or only a name and phone number.

Can someone other than a teacher write a recommendation letter?

Yes, usually in addition to your teachers. Your school counselor may write one: Stanford requires a counselor recommendation that includes a letter, and it accepts one additional recommender. Yale also accepts one additional recommender and suggests a research mentor's letter if you've done advanced science or engineering research.

What if a teacher says no?

Thank them and ask your next choice the same week. College Board's guidance says that when a teacher isn't comfortable writing a letter, declining is "in both their and that student's interest."