Last updated: 10 October 2026 · For master’s and PhD scholarship applications
A recommendation letter (also called a reference letter or letter of recommendation) is the only part of your scholarship application that someone else writes about you. That is exactly why selection panels trust it. Your essays say what you think about yourself. Your referee says what they have seen you do.
Many good applicants from Nigeria and Ghana get this part wrong. They ask the wrong person, ask too late, send no information to the referee, or worse, write the letter themselves and ask a lecturer to sign it. This guide shows you, in simple steps, how to choose the right referees, how to ask them, what to send them, and what a strong letter looks like. You also get a sample request email, a referee brief template and a full sample recommendation letter.
In this guide
What a recommendation letter is
A recommendation letter is a letter from a lecturer, supervisor, employer or manager who knows your work well. It tells the scholarship panel three things:
- How the referee knows you: for how long, and in what role (your lecturer, project supervisor, line manager).
- What you have actually done: real examples of your work, results and character, not just nice adjectives.
- How you compare with others: for example, “one of the best five students I have taught in ten years”.
Some scholarships call it a reference. Some ask the referee to fill an online form instead of writing a letter. Either way, the same rules apply: choose well, ask early and give your referee the information they need.
What the scholarships officially say
Every programme has its own rules. Here is what the official pages say, checked on 10 October 2026:
| Programme | What its official guidance says |
|---|---|
| Chevening (UK) | You must name two referees: two professional, two academic, or one of each. A referee can be someone who knows you in a professional or personal capacity, “but not a friend or relative”. Chevening does not contact your referees for you; you collect the letters and upload them no later than seven working days before your interview, or your application is no longer considered. References must be in English. Chevening’s FAQ says plainly that you cannot write your own reference (FAQ). |
| Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships (UK) | References from at least two people, and one must be your current employer if you are working. They must be signed PDFs, on letterhead or sent from the referee’s official email, and uploaded through the online system by the application deadline. The CSC does not accept documents sent outside the system. |
| University of Oxford (UK) | You register three referees, usually academic. At least two references must arrive by the course deadline for your application to be assessed. Referees submit through Oxford’s online system, and references you upload yourself “will not be considered authentic” (registering referees). |
| University of Edinburgh (UK) | Some programmes ask for no references, others for one or two. If you upload a letter yourself, it must be on headed paper, dated and with a handwritten signature. Referees should aim to submit within 5 working days, and the University cannot make a final decision until it has them. |
| DAAD EPOS (Germany) | You need a letter of recommendation from your current employer with official letterhead, signature and stamp, dated recently and not in a sealed envelope, plus certificates proving at least two years of relevant work. |
| MIT (USA) | Every department asks for one or more letters. Applicants never see the link recommenders use. You choose whether to waive your right to read the letters, and that choice cannot be changed after you send the request. Letters cannot be shared between different applications. |
Notice the pattern: the right number of referees, the right type, submitted the right way, on time. Get those four things right before you worry about anything else.
Who to ask (and who not to ask)
The best referee is not the person with the biggest title. It is the person who knows your work best and can give real examples. A lecturer who supervised your final-year project and remembers it will write a stronger letter than a Vice-Chancellor who has never spoken to you.
| Good referees | Weak or unacceptable referees |
|---|---|
| Your final-year project supervisor | A lecturer who only taught you in one large class and cannot remember you |
| A lecturer whose course you did very well in and who knows you personally | A family member, family friend or pastor (Chevening says no friends or relatives) |
| Your current line manager or head of department at work | A “big man” who has never supervised your work |
| The manager of a research project you worked on | A colleague at the same level as you, unless the programme allows it |
| Your NYSC or National Service supervisor, if you did real work under them | Someone who asks you to write the letter for them to sign |
De Auditor’s tip
Before you choose who to reference or recommend you, ask yourself one question: “Can this person give two real examples of my work without me reminding them?” If the answer is no, choose someone else, or spend time with them first so they truly know what you have done. This should come from a place of someone that knows you so well. As a dedicated and committed RCCG worker and member in 2016, our resident pastor was the one that recommended me for my school admission.
Academic or professional referee?
It depends on the scholarship and on your situation:
- Fresh graduates (less than two years after graduation): use academic referees. Your lecturers know your recent work best.
- Working professionals: use one academic and one professional referee, unless the programme says otherwise. The Commonwealth asks for your current employer if you are working, and DAAD EPOS needs an employer letter.
- Research master’s and PhD: academic referees who know your research ability, such as your project supervisor, carry the most weight.
- Graduated long ago: Edinburgh, for example, may accept a line manager instead of an academic if you graduated some time ago. Check your course page.
When to ask: your timeline
Lecturers in Nigeria and Ghana are busy, and strikes, exams and travel can delay them. Give your referees time. Here is a simple timeline that works for most deadlines:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before the deadline | Choose your referees. Visit or call them and ask politely if they can support you. |
| 6 weeks before | Send the formal request email with the referee brief (see below). |
| 3 to 4 weeks before | Register your referees on the application portal so they get the official link in good time. |
| 2 weeks before | Send a short, polite reminder. |
| 1 week before | Confirm the letter has been submitted or uploaded. Thank your referee. |
For Chevening, remember that the deadline for references is seven working days before your interview, not the application deadline. Many people relax after submitting the application and then rush their referees in March.
How to ask: sample request email
Ask in person or by phone first if you can, then follow up in writing. Here is a sample email you can adapt. Change every detail to your own.
Subject: Request for a reference: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship (deadline 20 October)
Dear Dr Adebayo,
I hope you are well. I was your project student in 2023, when I worked on the effect of rainfall patterns on maize yields in Kwara State under your supervision.
I am applying for the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship to study an MSc in Climate Change and Food Security in the UK, and I would be very grateful if you could be one of my referees. The scholarship asks for references that speak about my academic ability and my potential to contribute to development in Nigeria.
To make it easier for you, I have attached a one-page brief with my CV, the programme details, the points I hope a reference from you could cover, and the exact deadline. The portal will send you a link directly; you do not need to send anything to me.
I understand you are very busy. If you are not able to write a strong reference at this time, I completely understand.
Thank you very much for your time and support.
Yours sincerely,
Musa Ibrahim
Graduate, BSc Agricultural Economics (2023)
+234 800 000 0000
Fictional teaching example. Names and details are invented.
Notice what the email does: it reminds the lecturer who you are, names the exact scholarship and deadline, explains what the reference should focus on, makes the job easy with a brief, and gives the referee a polite way to say no. A referee who says “I can’t write you a strong letter” is doing you a favour.
What to send your referee: the referee brief
Your referee may have taught hundreds of students. Help them remember your best work. Send a short brief (one or two pages). Here is a template:
1. The scholarship and programme
[Scholarship name], [course and university], deadline: [date and time], how to submit: [portal link sent by email / upload / letter to me].
2. What the panel looks for
[Copy the selection criteria from the official page, e.g. leadership, academic excellence, development impact].
3. How you know me
[Course or project], [year], [role], [how long].
4. Three things you may remember
• [Specific piece of work, with result]
• [Something you did beyond what was required]
• [A quality the referee saw, with an example]
5. My plans
[One or two sentences on what you want to study and what you will do after.]
6. Attachments
CV, transcript, draft statement of purpose or motivation letter.
This is not writing the letter for them. It is giving them the facts so their letter can be specific and true. Let the referee use their own words and their own judgment.
What a strong letter contains
- Official letterhead, date and signature, and the referee’s title, institution and official email address.
- How long and in what capacity the referee has known you.
- Specific examples with results: projects, grades, initiatives, responsibilities.
- Comparison with other students or staff, if the referee can honestly say it.
- Your potential for the course and your plans after it.
- A clear recommendation at the end, without exaggeration.
- The right length: usually one page, sometimes two. Some portals limit the characters.
Full sample recommendation letter
This sample is written by a fictional lecturer about a fictional student. It is here to show you and your referee what “specific” looks like. Do not give it to your referee to sign, and never write your own reference: Chevening says clearly that you cannot, and other programmes treat it as dishonesty.
Department of Agricultural Economics
[University letterhead]
12 October 2026
Reference for Musa Ibrahim: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship 2027
I have known Musa Ibrahim since 2021, first as a student in my Agricultural Policy course and then as my final-year project student in 2022/23. I am a Senior Lecturer and have supervised about 60 undergraduate projects.
Musa’s project examined how changes in rainfall timing affected maize yields among 140 smallholder farmers in Kwara State. He designed the questionnaire himself, trained two fellow students to help collect the data, and analysed it in Stata. His work earned an A and was one of two projects our department selected for presentation at the faculty research day. What impressed me most was that he went back to the farmers in his community to explain his findings in Yoruba and Hausa, something no student had asked him to do.
In my Agricultural Policy course, he finished in the top five of a class of 120. He asks thoughtful questions, accepts correction well and meets deadlines without reminders.
Since graduating, Musa has worked with a state agricultural development programme, where he tells me he helps track input distribution to farmers. His choice of an MSc in Climate Change and Food Security follows directly from his project and his work, and I believe he will use it well when he returns.
I recommend Musa strongly and without reservation. I am happy to be contacted for further information.
Dr [Name]
Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics
[University] · [official email address] · [phone]
Word count: about 320 words. Fictional teaching example.
Why it works: it says how and how long the lecturer knows the student, gives three concrete examples with numbers, compares him with others honestly, links his past work to the course, and ends with a clear recommendation. There is no “he is hardworking, God-fearing and dedicated” without proof.
Mistakes that weaken your references
- Writing your own letter and asking someone to sign it. Chevening says you cannot write your own reference, and Oxford does not accept references uploaded by applicants. If it is discovered, you can lose the scholarship.
- Asking too late. A rushed referee writes a short, general letter.
- Choosing by title, not by knowledge. A specific letter from a lecturer beats a vague one from a professor who barely knows you.
- Sending no information. Without a brief, even a willing referee may forget your best work.
- Personal emails. A letter sent from a Gmail or Yahoo address can raise doubts; programmes such as Edinburgh ask for professional email addresses.
- Missing letterhead, signature, stamp or date, especially for DAAD employer letters.
- Wrong scholarship name or year in the letter, because the referee reused an old one. Check politely.
- Not thanking your referee, and not telling them the result. You may need them again next year.
Final checklist
- I know exactly how many referees my scholarship needs, and what type.
- My referees know my work and can give real examples.
- I asked at least six weeks before the deadline.
- I sent each referee a brief, my CV and my draft essay.
- I registered them on the portal early, with their official email addresses.
- I know whether I upload the letters or the referees submit them directly.
- The letters are on letterhead, signed, dated and in English.
- I sent a reminder two weeks before and confirmed submission.
- I thanked my referees.
De Auditor’s note
James Christian Unya, founder of Scholarship Auditor
Make I tell you something wey many people no wan hear: no go write your own reference come give your lecturer to sign. E fit look like shortcut, but na exactly the kind of thing wey dey cancel scholarship. These panels don read thousands of letters; dem sabi when the student na the writer.
Rather, do the work wey go make your referee proud to write for you. Go see am early, carry your CV and your brief, remind am of that project wey you do well, you fit use more than 2 days take explain to them, make it sink inside them and become part of what them know about you before, na so strong letters dey come. And when you win, abeg go back thank am. That relationship go still help you tomorrow, e dey important make you dey grateful maka tomorrow. Some people once dem done collect that letter, dem done disappear.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I write my own recommendation letter?
No. Chevening says plainly that you cannot write your own reference, and Oxford does not accept references uploaded by applicants. Help your referee with a brief and your CV, but let them write their own letter.
How many recommendation letters do I need for a scholarship?
It depends on the programme. Chevening asks for two, the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships at least two, Oxford asks you to register three, and some Edinburgh programmes ask for none. Check your programme’s official page.
Can my pastor or family friend be my referee?
Usually not. Chevening says a referee should not be a friend or relative. Choose a lecturer, supervisor or employer who knows your work.
Should my referee use a Gmail address?
Use the referee’s official work email where possible. Some universities, such as Edinburgh, ask for references from professional email addresses, and an official address makes the letter easier to verify.
What if my lecturer has retired or relocated?
Contact them anyway if they still know your work; many will help. If you cannot reach them, choose another lecturer or your current manager, and make sure the new referee has enough information.
Should I waive my right to see the letter (FERPA)?
For US universities, most applicants waive this right, and admissions committees often trust waived letters more. At MIT, the choice cannot be changed after you send the request, and Stanford says you cannot later “un-waive”.
When should I ask for a recommendation letter?
About six to eight weeks before the deadline. For Chevening, references are due seven working days before your interview, so plan for that date.
Sources and verification
Rules in this guide were checked on 10 October 2026 on the official pages of Chevening (references) and Chevening FAQs, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the University of Oxford, the University of Edinburgh, DAAD, MIT Graduate Admissions and Stanford Student Services (FERPA). The sample email and letter are original teaching examples about fictional people. Read how we check information in our Editorial and Corrections Policy.
Next, read our guides on how to write a statement of purpose and how to write a motivation letter, or browse every verified scholarship.
Yes, It is me. I’m the De Auditor
James, known as the De Auditor, is the founder and editor of Scholarship Auditor and the Founder and Group CEO of De Auditor Group Ltd, based in Benin City, Nigeria. He checks every scholarship against the provider’s official website before it is published, and corrects posts when providers change their rules. Contact: info@scholarshipauditor.com