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Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Sample for Master's — from a Professor
The best recommendation letters are specific and comparative. If you are a student, share your referee a 'brag sheet' of concrete examples; if you are a referee, replace every placeholder with a real observation.
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This is an original, illustrative letter of recommendation written by the LandingPrep editorial team — realistic but fictional. Universities and scholarship bodies run plagiarism checks, so copying any online sample (including this one) will damage your application. Study the structure, then write something that is unmistakably you.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Sample for Master's — from a Professor — full sample
To the Admissions Committee,
It is my pleasure to recommend [Student] for admission to the Master of Science in [program] at [University]. I am a Professor of [subject] at [University], and I have known [Student] for [duration], first as a student in my [course] class and later as a research assistant in my lab.
[Student] stood out immediately. In a class of [number], they earned one of the top grades, but what impressed me more was the question they asked after a lecture on [topic] — it led to a side project in which they [specific accomplishment, e.g. re-implemented an algorithm and benchmarked it against the published results]. They pursued this on their own initiative, far beyond what the course required.
When I invited [Student] to join my research on [topic], they proved equally strong at independent work. They [specific contribution], and when an early approach failed, they diagnosed the problem and proposed an alternative that worked — exactly the resilience graduate research demands. Among the [number] students I have supervised in the last [years] years, I would place [Student] in the top [percentage]%.
Beyond their ability, [Student] is conscientious, collaborative and genuinely curious — the kind of student who lifts the people around them. I recommend them for your program without reservation, and I am confident they will thrive in and contribute to your community. Please feel free to contact me if I can provide any further detail.
Sincerely, [Professor Name], [Title], [Department], [University] — [email]
Structure — paragraph by paragraph
| Relationship (1 short paragraph) | Who the referee is, and how and how long they have known the applicant. |
| Academic example (1 paragraph) | A specific instance of the applicant's ability that goes beyond grades. |
| Research / independence example (1 paragraph) | Evidence of initiative and resilience, plus an honest ranking against peers. |
| Character & recommendation (1 paragraph) | Personal qualities and an explicit, confident endorsement. |
| Sign-off | Full name, title, department and contact details — credibility matters. |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Vague praise ('a good student') with no specific examples — the #1 weakness in weak letters.
- No comparison or ranking — committees want to know how the applicant stacks up against peers.
- A letter that just repeats the applicant's CV instead of adding the referee's own observations.
- Letting the applicant write it and the professor sign without adding real detail — it reads generic.
- Copying a template without personalising it; admissions readers spot boilerplate instantly.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I copy this letter of recommendation sample?
- No — use it only as a structural model. Admissions systems run plagiarism checks, and a copied letter of recommendation is easy to spot and will hurt your application. Replace every fact, example and sentence with your own.
- How long should a Master's application (academic referee) letter of recommendation be?
- Most recommendation letters run about 400–600 words (roughly one page), unless the university sets a specific word or page limit — always follow their stated limit.
- Where can I build my own letter of recommendation for free?
- Use the free LandingPrep SOP builder to draft and refine your own letter of recommendation step by step, then tailor it to each university and program.