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Letter of Recommendation for PhD: Sample, Format & Writing Tips

By Urvi Agrawal

Updated on Jul 24, 2025 | 6.42K+ views

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Latest update: The NIH has updated its reference letter guidelines for PhD and postdoctoral applicants. Now, referees must include explicit details on the candidate’s research preparedness, provide institutional and departmental context, and ensure compliance with submission protocols via eRA Commons.

The Letter of Recommendation PhD is written properly can substantially influence the probability that a candidate will be accepted. A survey by the Council of Graduate Schools noted that recommendation letters are one of the first three factors (along with academic records and research experience) that are taken into account in more than 90 percent of graduate PhD programs in the U.S.

These letters of recommendation make the admission committees understand intellectual capabilities, research potential, work ethics, and academic honesty of a student; all of which cannot be observed explicitly by the grades or the test scores. An enthusiastic advisor ought to be a professor or a research supervisor who knows the academic labor of the applicant.

This blog offers a doctoral-level example of a Letter of Recommendation, guidelines, and suggestions on formatting the letter and writing so that it will be outstanding. Being either a referee or a student, seeking advice, the ability to produce a powerful LOR could be a crucial step in winning competitive applicants to a PhD.

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This article explores PhD recommendation letters in detail, including their format and sample templates.

How to Write a Letter of Recommendation for PhD?

There is also a method of writing a Letter of Recommendation for PhD so that it could show both academic and research aspects and the personal qualities of the student. An effectively written LOR can play an important role in the admission decision. 

The following are tips for writing a good recommendation:

  • Make a Good Introduction: It is necessary to make it clear what the letter is all about and the relationship between the applicant and the writer.
  • Academic and Research Achievements Highlight: Emphasize the academic and research achievements of the candidate, and his or her technical competencies.
  • Talk About Personal Capabilities: State characteristics like commitment, solutions to problem-solving, and intellectual interests.
  • Give Particular Examples: Give concrete examples that will show the skills and contributions of the applicant.
  • Conclude with a Confident Recommendation: Make a strong application to conclude with a positive recommendation of the reasons why the candidate is good for the PhD program.

To obtain a strong position as a successful candidate, a Letter of Recommendation for PhD should be effectively structured to provide the necessary information about the qualifications and potential of the applicant.

You can also explore the upGrad guide on LOR for MS in the USA.

What is the Ideal Format and Structure of an LOR for PhD?

The best letter of recommendation (LOR) for PhD needs to have a proper structure, identifying the learner's academic, research ability, technical, and individual qualities.

Below is the ideal format and structure of an effective LOR for PhD:

Section

What to Include

Example Snippet

Introduction Name, designation, institution, and relationship of the recommender with the applicant, as well as duration. "I have met ABC more than 3 years ago, when he was my student at XYZ University and I was one of his Professors of Computer science and also his research supervisor."
Academic & Research Abilities Studies, research interests, coursework, and accomplishments. "ABC was among the 5 per cent of his class and had published a study about image recognition based on AI."
Technical Skills Use of technical tools or software and programming, and laboratory work. "He created an object detection model that is based on real-time, and he used Python and TensorFlow."
Personal Qualities Leadership qualities, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. "ABC is a team-oriented person with an analytical mind and good leadership abilities."
Research Experience Internships, publications, conferences, research projects. "He did his work on AI-based medical imaging at ICML 2024."
Comparison to Peers Comparison of the candidate with the others that are in the opinion of the recommender. "ABC is in the 2 percentile of the students I have mentored within the course of the past ten years."
Specific Anecdote Real example showcasing innovation, persistence, or academic growth. "He solved a data-imbalance problem by generating a synthetic augmentation technique; he did it all by himself."
Suitability for PhD Why the candidate would be a perfect fit for the program and how he or she fits the research objectives of the university. "His work is concentrated in ML, which is in line with the research that your department has in AI and Data Science."
Conclusion Final endorsement and an offer to provide further details. "I highly recommend ABC and welcome any queries regarding his application."

 

Our Readers Also Read about LOR for masters: Ideal Structure & Tips to Write 

Sample Letter of Recommendation for PhD

Below are sample Letters of Recommendation (LORs) tailored for PhD applications. We have provided both Academic LOR and Professional LOR samples. These samples will help you understand the ideal structure, tone, and content required for a compelling recommendation.

 

 

Academic Letter of Recommendation for PhD-

[Recommender’s Name]
[Designation]
[Department Name]
[University Name]
[Email Address]
[Date]

To,
The Admissions Committee
[University Name]
[Department Name]
[University Address]

Subject: Recommendation for [Applicant’s Name] – PhD Program in [Field of Study]

To the Admissions Committee,

I would wish to proffer this letter of Recommendation to PHD admission of [Applicant Name], who was a very good student in the [Department Name] at University Name. It is my. [Professor/Research Advisor] pleasure to attest to the worthiness of [Applicant] after having served him in the past [X] years of his undergraduate/postgraduate degree work.

[Applicant Name] had a very high level of record through the academic track and only in X percentile of all the students in the department. Their dedication to research is, in fact, evident as they authored their thesis in [Research Topic] where they delved into [Brief Explanation of Research]. Their competency in disintegrating complex issues and offering innovative solutions is a pointer of their great abilities in conducting autonomous studies.

Besides, [Applicant Name] has participated in [research projects, academic conferences, or journal publications], which is an indicator of him/her being interest in contributing something to knowledge creation within his/her field of study. It is quite noble that they could complete [Project/Research,] and this culminated in [Mention Publication, Award, or Recognition].

Besides being an academic student, [Applicant (Name)] is a self-driven and a team player. They participate in the [University Club, Research Group, or Teaching Assistant Role] and are experienced, such that they exhibit leadership, teamwork, and devotion towards the academic community.

[Applicant Candidate] to participate in your PhD program is a person I can strongly recommend because of her ability to perform research, and having a good educational foundation alongside a commitment to her career. To learn more information, you can call me at [Email/Phone].

Sincerely,
[Recommender’s Name]
[Designation]
[University Name]

Professional Letter of Recommendation for PhD- 

[Recommender’s Name]
[Designation]
[Company Name]
[Email Address]
[Date]

To,
The Admissions Committee
[University Name]
[Department Name]
[University Address]

Subject: Recommendation for [Applicant’s Name] – PhD Program in [Field of Study]

To the Admission Committee,

It will be my pleasure to recommend [Applicant Name] to your PhD course in [Field of Study]. It has surprised me to have seen [Applicant at Company Name] as their [Job Title] perform a very good job in analytical and research skills in the [X] years that I have been in [the Company Name].

[Applicant Name] has been instrumental in terms of [state relevant examples of projects, research activity, or product development] and has also applied his or her expertise in [technical skills, available tools, and approaches] to conquer complex assignments. They have enhanced the process or have managed to developed an innovation, or have managed to published a research finding. All this shows that they are capable of conducting in-depth studies in an area and transferring this knowledge to usable ones.

This is because the uniqueness of [ApplicantName] lies in the fact that he/she can think independently and adopt a research-like way of looking at problems. They have been most useful in their role towards [data-driven decision-making efforts or research-based projects]. They also do marvelous roles of leadership and teamwork, where they are the ones who are likely to train younger members of our group and instill the culture of knowledge sharing within our group.

Being highly founded in [relevant field], research-oriented, and able to both work on new solutions and create them, I think that [Applicant Name] will not only manage to pass your PhD program but would even like it. I would be pleased to tell you a few more particulars, but I don;t advise their admission a bit.

Sincerely,
[Recommender’s Name]
[Designation]
[Company Name]

Also Read: LOR Samples for Undergraduate Applicants

Who is the Right Person to Write Your Letter of Recommendation?

Choosing a recommendee is one of the most important things that you should do in drafting your Letter of Recommendation (LOR) in pursuing a PhD. An LOR presents an outside, objective opinion, which is something that cannot be added by any form of document that you write yourself, such as your SOP or CV.

The Importance of the Recommender:

Your admissions committees want to see credible recommendations by persons capable of attesting to your good intellectual work, your research ability, and capacity to pursue a doctorate. An excellent LOR PhD can play to your advantage most of the time.

Recommenders (Best-Ideal) in a PhD LOR:

  • Academics, Mentors, or Professors: You can select someone who instructed you in your fundamental classes or your thesis, or your research projects.
  • Research Advisors or Project Supervisors: Those individuals under whom you have conducted research and who have a chance to talk about your technical capability and analysis skills.
  • Professional Supervisors (where applicable): When coming up with industry experience, it is also possible to discuss a team lead or manager who participated in research along with research involvement (particularly in interdisciplinary programs provided at the post-doc level).
  • Someone with a Long Memory: Select a recommender who knows you well and can elaborate on your strengths, achievements, and development, not one with a high title with little contact.

Looking to write an LOR for a research internship? Check out our LOR samples for research internships.

Important Tips to Write LOR for PhD

Writing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for a PhD involves detailing and craft planning. The following are things you (or your recommender) can do to compose a powerful LOR:

  • Selecting the Right Recommender: It is desirable to have someone who is well acquainted with your academic or research abilities, possibly a professor/ supervisor/ mentor in your field.
  • Preference to academic and research credentials: Your recommender should be well respected academically or professionally in the field you have chosen to pursue your PHD.
  • Make a Connection With Your Recommenders: Contact your recommenders early enough to allow them to take their time in writing a good letter.
  • Send Important Papers: Send your research proposal, resume, statement of purpose, and list of your accomplishments and objectives.
  • Capitalize on Specific Strengths Per LOR: In case you might be using several LORs, make sure that each focuses on various strengths; research, technical, personal, or analytical.
  • Strengths and Capabilities: The writing needs to emphasize such strengths as critical thinking, self-researching capacity, and teamwork skills.
  • Meet the University Deadlines: All online-recommendation-forms and recommendation-letters should be submitted long before the deadline of the PhD application.
  • Make it Real and Equivalent: The suggestion must be sincere, genuine, and not overrated.
  • Establish Identity: The mentor ought to address who they know you to be, the period of knowing you, and your relationship to each other ( guide, mentor, professor, etc.).

Read More : Tips to Craft a Compelling SOP for Course Change

Do’s and Don’ts of Writing a PhD LOR

A well-crafted Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for PhD can significantly impact an applicant’s admission prospects. However, certain mistakes can weaken its effectiveness. Below is a structured table outlining the key do’s and don’ts to follow when drafting a strong PhD LOR.

Do’s Don’ts
  • Provide specific examples.
  • Avoid generic praise.
  • Maintain a formal tone.
  • Do not exaggerate.
  • Highlight research strengths.
  • Avoid repetition.
  • Keep it concise and well-structured.
  • Do not neglect formatting.
  • Customize for each university.
  • Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • End with a strong recommendation.
  • Do not forget your contact details.

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Conclusion

An effectively written Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for a PhD has a crucial purpose of boosting the potential of an applicant by reflecting academic competence, research potential, and personal qualities of a candidate. An effective LOR is not biased, supplies a solid and realistic evaluation, focusing on important attributes of the question that fit the requirements of the program to get a PhD. Selecting the preferred recommender and making sure that he or she focuses on the important set of skills and experiences will matter a lot in receiving admission.

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FAQs

How do I choose the right person to write my PhD recommendation letter?

Can I ask a non-academic professional to write a PhD recommendation letter?

Is it okay to write my own letter of recommendation for a professor to sign?

How many recommendation letters are typically required for a PhD application?

Do PhD programs verify recommendation letters?

What are some universities in the UK that don’t require reference letters for Master’s programs?

How should I approach a recommender for a PhD LOR?

What should I do if my professor delays my request for a reference letter?

When should I ask for a reference letter for PhD admission?

How important are reference letters for PhD admissions?

Does the LOR compare the applicant to other students?

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Urvi Agrawal

89 articles published

Urvi has 3 years of experience as a content writer and marketer. Over years, she has established herself as a study-abroad expert and is adept at crafting compelling and engaging content for students....

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