All Guides: Graduate School Applications: Requesting Reference Letters

Requesting Reference Letters

Requesting a reference letter is a key step in the graduate school application process—these letters provide admissions committees with insight into your academic abilities, work ethic, and character from the perspective of someone who has worked closely with you. A strong reference letter can help differentiate you from other applicants and offer valuable support to your application.

In this section, we'll guide you through the process of requesting a reference letter, including how to approach potential referees, what information you can provide to help your referee write their letter, and more.

This section covers:

Creating an action plan to request reference letters, including choosing the right referees, providing the right information to your referee, tips to ensure you get a strong reference, and more.
Customizing a reference letter template you can send out to your potential referees.
Crafting a professional and polite response in cases where a professor might say no to a reference letter request, and creating a plan to find alternative references.

Graduate School Applications

Requesting Reference Letters

This section covers:

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