Sample Faculty/Staff Recommendation Letter

* FOR A LETTER GOING DIRECTLY TO AN EMPLOYER OR GRADUATE SCHOOL

Dear [Name of Employer or Graduate school official]:

This reference letter is provided at the request of [name of student], who has asked me to serve as areference on [his/her] behalf. It is my understanding that [name of student] is being considered [by yourorganization for the position of [job title], or for admission to the [name of program] at [name ofinstitution]. Please be advised that the information contained in this letter is confidential and should betreated as such. The information should not be disclosed to [name of student] or anyone in your[organization or institution] who would not be involved in the [hiring decision or admission decision]regarding this individual. Additionally, the information should not be disclosed to anyone outside of your[organization or institution] without the consent of the student.

Ihave known [name of student] for the past [number of months, semesters, years] as [he/she] has takenthe following courses which Iteach at [name of college]: [list courses, give briefdescription of content ofcourse]. As [his/her] professor, Ihave had an opportunity to observe the student's participation andinteraction in class and to evaluate the student's knowledge of the subject matter. Iwould rate thestudent's overall performance in these subjects as [average, above average, outstanding, etc.]. This isevidenced by [his/her] grades—[state the grades],

[One or two specific examples of the student's performance may be appropriate.] As part of [his/her]grade in [name of course], the student was required to prepare a research paper. The paper wasdesigned to measure the student's ability to research, analyze the results of the research, and write aboutthe research process and conclusions. [Discuss how the paper submittedby the student indicated to youthe student's skills in these areas.] Based upon this, I rate the student's skills as [competent, excellent,superior, etc.],

The one area in which the student performed well above average was in [specify skill area, e.g., oralcommunications], [Give specific example to support this.]

Ibelieve the student would perform competently with your [organization or graduate program] and hasgood potential, if challenged, to make a contribution to your [organization or field of study] .

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me at [phone number or email address,suggested times you might be available].

Sincerely,

[Signature]

Typed nameTitleInstitutionAddressPhone or email (optional)