What Reviewers Look For in the Graduate School Recommendation Letter (MS/PhD)
This rubric reviews whether a graduate recommendation letter offers a credible, firsthand case for the candidate. It looks for concrete examples, fair comparisons, evidence of graduate-level potential, and a clear endorsement, presented in focused and professional writing.
What We Check
Whether the letter establishes the writer's basis for judgment - the role, duration, and setting in which the writer observed the candidate - and whether every judged quality stays inside that vantage.
Whether each claimed quality is proven by a described incident in which the candidate's own action is visible.
Whether comparative claims name their reference class and window.
Whether the letter's evidence speaks to what graduate study selects for - independent inquiry, analytical ability, research and writing skill, persistence - rather than reciting the record.
The letter's commitment: an explicit endorsement whose strength is stated in words a committee can quote, free of hedges the letter never explains.
Mistakes We Flag
- Not explaining your relationship to the candidate
- Readers need to know how long and in what role you have known the candidate so they can understand the basis for your judgment. Claims should stay within what you personally observed.
- Using praise without examples
- Lists of traits such as hardworking or brilliant carry little weight unless a specific incident shows what the candidate did. The candidate's own actions should be clear, not just the course or team's outcome.
- Making vague or overly broad comparisons
- A comparison is more credible when it identifies the group and period you are comparing the candidate with. Broad superlatives or percentages without context are less useful.
- Repeating the resume or course description
- The letter should add your own appraisal of the candidate's work, such as analytical ability, inquiry, research, writing, or persistence. A course syllabus, grade list, or secondhand activity description does not show what you observed.
- Ending with a hedged or unsupported endorsement
- State your recommendation clearly rather than relying on phrases such as "should do well" or unexplained reservations. The conclusion should not introduce new praise that the body of the letter never demonstrated.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I say about how I know the candidate?
State how long you have known the candidate, in what capacity, and the setting in which you observed their work. Keep your judgments grounded in that firsthand relationship.
Do I need specific examples?
Yes. Describe incidents that show the candidate's own actions and support the qualities you claim, rather than relying on general praise, duties, or boilerplate language.
Can I compare the candidate with other students or peers?
Yes, when the comparison is genuine and clearly bounded. Name the relevant reference group and time frame, and do not make a ranking broader than your own experience supports.
What abilities should a graduate recommendation letter emphasize?
Focus on evidence relevant to graduate study, such as independent inquiry, analytical ability, research and writing skill, persistence, and intellectual strengths. Add your own judgment rather than simply restating grades, awards, courses, or resume activities.
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