Teacher recommendation letter for students may be required when students apply for colleges or universities. Understanding how to write honest and positive letters of recommendation for students will help you stand out from other candidates and achieve your goals.
If you are a student, a sample of great recommendation letters for college or university will help you understand how to get strong letters from teachers. If you are a teacher, the sample in this guide will motivate you to help your students get into a college or university.
What is a Teacher recommendation letter?
A recommendation letter is an official document that highlights all the personality traits of an individual to aid them in his/her application process. A student seeking to apply for a college or university admission may use a letter of recommendation from his/her teacher as an official document of consideration. This document focuses on the applicant’s goals, achievements, skills, and strengths written by his/her teacher or mentor.
Why is a recommendation letter important for a student?
Most admissions officers at four-year colleges, especially private institutions, try to make the process thorough. They try to make the student feel like a “whole person” in place of judging him/her only on academic grades and results. Since they hardly meet the student in person, letters of recommendation as well as one’s own essay play an important role in identifying the student’s intelligence and qualities.
That’s why letters of recommendation from a teacher, to be exact someone who already knows his/her students quite well, carry weight in a student’s application. A letter that not only expresses strong support but also highlights a student’s strong academic and personal strengths that increases the chance of the student to get an admission at that institution.
How to write a recommendation letter for a student?
For your convenience, we created 6-steps to make the process easier for you:
- Academic information of the student
For starters, talk to your student and ask about his/her academic grades & achievements, personal achievements, extracurricular activities, and their Grade Point Average (GPA). Then ask him/her which program and institution he/she wants to enroll in. You can use this information to customize your letter to support and highlight your student’s success. If he/she wants to apply for another program, you may ask to review the personal essay that he/she is about to include in the application.
For more details, you should ask the reasons why your student is applying and what he/she expects to accomplish or achieve from this opportunity. You can also include your opinion on this information in your letter for more personal and detailed recommendations.
- Write your letter accordingly
You must properly address to whom you are writing this letter so that it reaches the correct person and makes the letter look more personalized for your reader. The student must indicate to whom to address the letter of recommendation, such as the admissions counselor. If specific contact information is not provided, you can address the appropriate department, such as Human Resources or the office of admissions.
Write a general letter that highlights the relevant attributes, if a student is applying to more than one university or college. For example, if a student is studying a particular course/subject, highlight his/her accomplishments in that area of field and all the successful projects or awards that he/she received.
- Your introduction and qualifications
Your references provide admissions committees with valuable feedback about the candidate for which your credibility matters. At the beginning of your letter, state who you are and whether you are qualified to speak on behalf of the students. Please include your name, designation, place of work, etc.
- Your professional relationship with the student
Keep introducing yourself by discussing how long you have known this student and in what capacity. This element expands your designation, directly explaining your role in the student’s academic life. Describe your first impressions of the student and how you have seen him/her develop into a progressive student. You may include your perspective on the student based on how he/she has surprised or impressed you in the classroom, assignments, or other educational settings.
- Student’s qualifications
Colleges and universities often look for candidates who can contribute to the institution and how he/she will bring value to it. The admission counselor might be interested to know whether the student will join the clubs and other organizations of the college or university and be serious about his/her education at the same time.
Think about the reader of the letter of recommendation and provide examples and information about how the student would benefit the college or university. Make sure to include the student’s potential success by mentioning his/her contributions at your school. You can include few examples from his/her academic information, like:
- Sports
- Volunteering
- Academic grades
- Participation in competitions, awards
- Projects (Individual and Group, both)
- Clubs (Contribution and achievements)
- Leadership roles like club president or captain of any team
- Presentations and public speaking experiences and achievements
- Conclusion of your letter
A recommendation letter has the power to be a decision maker because a teacher recommendation letter for students can change the admission counselor’s mind. You can end the letter by reiterating your support of your student’s qualifications. You should attach your contact number and email address in the letter so that your reader can contact you for queries.
Template of a teacher recommendation letter for a student:
[Professional greeting] [name of recipient],
My name is [your first and last name], and I’m a [add your position title] at [name school or organization]. I’m writing on behalf of [candidate’s first and last name], who is applying to your [name school or program]. [Candidate’s first name] was [share how you know the candidate]. I’ve known [candidate’s first name] for [number] [timeframe]. During that time, I found them to be [share your general impression].
[Candidate’s first name] worked on [share example project]. They displayed [share characteristics or skills]. [Additional details about candidate’s performance or skills.]
In the time I’ve known [candidate’s first name], I saw them grow [share how they have improved at something]. Based on their research and career goals, I see them continuing to develop [name skills or abilities where they can continue learning]. Your graduate program in [name area] can help them achieve their professional goals and continue this growth.
[First name of candidate] has my strong endorsement for admission into your graduate program in [area of study]. Based on their [name skills or characteristics], they can [connect to program].
If you have further questions or want any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. You may [preferred method of contact], anytime [preferred time of day].
[Closing],
[Space for written signature]
[Print full name]
[Title, department]
[Name of school]
[City, state]
[Phone number]
[Email address]
2 Examples of teacher recommendation letter for student by BWBS:
Example 1:
Dear Admissions Committee,
It is a great pleasure to recommend Stacy for admission to your engineering program. She is one of the most exceptional students I have encountered in my 15 years of teaching. I taught Stacy in my 11th grade honors physics class and advised her in the Robotics Club. I am not surprised to find out she is now ranked at the top of an extraordinarily capable class of seniors. She has a keen interest in and talent for physics, math, and scientific inquiry. Her advanced skills and passion for the subject make her an ideal fit for your rigorous engineering program.
Stacy is a perceptive, sharp, quick individual with a high aptitude for math and science. She is driven to understand how things work, whether they be the old computer hard drives in the school library or the forces that hold our universe together. Her final project in class was especially impressive, an investigation of frequency-dependent sound absorption, an idea that she said was sparked by not wanting to bother her parents with her hours of guitar practice at home. She’s been a strong leader in the Robotics Club, eager to share her knowledge with others and learn new skills. I have the students in the club prepare lessons and take turns leading our after-school meetings. When it was Stacy’s turn, she showed up prepared with a fascinating lecture on lunar nautics and fun activities that got everyone moving and talking. She was our only student teacher to be met with much deserved applause at the end of her lesson.
Stacy’s personal strengths are as impressive as her intellectual accomplishments. She’s an active, outgoing presence in class with a great sense of humor. Stacy’s the perfect person to get a group project rolling, but she also knows how to sit back and let others take the lead. Her cheerful nature and openness to feedback means she’s always learning and growing as a learner, an impressive strength that will continue to serve her well in college and beyond. Stacy is just the kind of driven, engaging, and curious student that helped make our classroom a lively environment and safe place to take intellectual risks.
Stacy has my highest recommendation for admission to your engineering program. She has demonstrated excellence in all that she puts her mind to, whether it’s designing an experiment, collaborating with others, or teaching herself to play classical and electrical guitar. Stacy’s endless curiosity, combined with her willingness to take risks, leads me to believe there will be no limit to her growth and achievements in college and beyond. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at xyz@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ms. Randall
Physics Teacher
Marie Curie High School
Example 2:
Dear Admissions Committee,
It is hard to overstate the meaningful contributions that William has made to our school and surrounding community. As both his 10th and 11th grade History teacher, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing William make profound contributions both in and out of the classroom. His school and community service is motivated by a strong sense of social justice, which he informs through a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of historical trends and events. I can say with confidence that William is one of the most caring and driven students I’ve ever taught in my fifteen years at the school.
As a child of immigrant parents, William is especially drawn to understanding the immigrant experience. He produced an extraordinary semester-long research paper on the treatment of Japanese-Americans in the U.S. during WWII, in which he went beyond all expectations to conduct Skype interviews with relatives of his featured subjects to incorporate into his paper. William has a great capacity to draw connections between past and present and to ground his understanding of current issues in the context of historical events. He never retreats to a simple answer or explanation, but is comfortable dealing with ambiguity. William’s fascination with U.S. and World History and skill for deep analysis have made him an exemplary scholar, as well as a motivated activist driven to promote civil rights and work towards social equity.
In sophomore year, William noticed that the college planning seminars students attended included little information for first generation or immigrant students. Always thinking about how institutions can better serve people, William spoke with counselors and ESL teachers about his ideas to better support all students. He helped collect resources and design a college planning curriculum for immigrant and undocumented students to enhance their college access. He further helped organize a group that connected ESL students with native English speakers, stating his mission to be helping ELLs improve their English and increasing multicultural awareness and social cohesion at the school as a whole. William identified a need and worked with students and faculty alike to meet it in an extremely effective and beneficial way. Ever the history scholar, he did plenty of research to back up his ideas.
William believes passionately in social progress and working for the common good. His own personal experiences, along with his profound grasp on social history, drive his advocacy work. He is a talented, intelligent student with the charisma, confidence, strong values, and respect for others to make a huge difference in the world around him. I’m looking forward to seeing all the good that William continues to do for his fellow humanity in college and beyond, as well as the excellent work that he will produce at the college level. William has my highest recommendation. If you have any questions, please contact me at example@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jackson
History Teacher
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School
