Recommendation Letter
A full recommendation letter your professor can adapt. Print on official letterhead and sign.
Before you use it
- Must be signed and, ideally, stamped with the institution's seal.
- Provide two letters from associate or full professors.
- Give recommenders your CV and study plan plus 3–4 weeks' notice.
- Include specific examples: generic praise is far less convincing.
Recommendation Letter
Guidance: Give this to your recommender to adapt. It should be printed on official letterhead, signed, and ideally stamped. Replace every [bracketed] placeholder and delete the guidance lines.
Letterhead & Addressing
Guidance: The recommender prints this on institutional letterhead and dates it.
[UNIVERSITY / INSTITUTION LETTERHEAD]
[Date]
To the Admissions Committee,
[University] / China Scholarship Council
Re: Recommendation for [Applicant Full Name]
Opening
Guidance: The recommender states who they are and how long and in what capacity they have known the applicant.
Dear Members of the Committee,
It is with great confidence that I recommend [Applicant Name] for admission to the [PhD/Master's] program in [Field] at [University] under the Chinese Government Scholarship. I am [Your Title, e.g. Associate Professor] in the Department of [Department] at [Institution], where I have known [Applicant Name] for [duration] as both their instructor in [courses] and supervisor of [project/thesis].
Academic Ability
Guidance: Back the praise with specific rankings, grades, and a concrete achievement.
Academically, [Applicant Name] is among the strongest students I have taught, ranking in the top [X%] of a class of [number]. In my [course name] course they earned [grade/result] and consistently demonstrated sharp analytical thinking and genuine intellectual curiosity. What distinguishes [him/her/them], however, is the ability to move from theory to independent work: during their [project/thesis] on “[Topic]”, [Applicant Name] [specific achievement: designed an experiment, built a model, solved a difficult problem] with minimal supervision and presented the results with clarity and rigour.
Personal Qualities
Guidance: Illustrate character with a concrete example, not generic adjectives.
Beyond technical ability, [Applicant Name] is [reliable, collaborative, resilient]. [He/She/They] [concrete example: mentored junior students, led a team, persisted through a setback], which speaks to the maturity required for demanding graduate study abroad. [His/Her/Their] written and spoken communication is excellent, and I have no doubt [he/she/they] will adapt well to an international academic environment.
Closing & Signature
Guidance: End with an unreserved recommendation and full contact details for verification.
Given [Applicant Name]'s intellectual strength, work ethic, and clear research direction, I am confident [he/she/they] will excel in your program and contribute meaningfully to the research community. I recommend [him/her/them] without reservation and would be glad to provide any further information.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Recommender Full Name]
[Title], Department of [Department]
[Institution]
[Email] | [Phone]