# Letter of Recommendation for a Student, From a Teacher > For teachers and professors: a recommendation letter structure, an example for a scholarship applicant, what to ask the student for, and phrases to drop. Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/recommendation-letter-for-a-student # A student asked me for a recommendation letter and the deadline is in two weeks. Bring what you know firsthand: the course, how the student compares with others you have taught, and two moments you remember. HidenGPT's Anything format turns that into a one-page letter with your observations in front, in your voice if you add samples. Admissions readers get specifics, and nothing you cannot vouch for. Updated October 15, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team Try it with your own details Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line ## How to do it in HidenGPT - 01 Before you agree, ask the student for the program or scholarship, the deadline, how the letter is submitted, a résumé, and two or three things they hope you will mention. - 02 Write your own notes first: which courses, when, how many students, one or two moments you saw yourself, and an honest comparison with other students you have taught. - 03 Pick Anything under “Use it for”; this page sets Length to Enter a word count with 450 and Tone to Professional, so put your notes, the program and the reader in the main box. - 04 Check every course name, date and grade against your records, cut any claim you did not observe, and make sure the letter mentions the program the student is applying to. - 05 Put it on letterhead if your institution uses it, sign it, and submit it through the portal or address the student gives you, before the deadline. [Anything](https://hidengpt.com/tools/freeform): Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it. ## Example letter for a graduate program This is the example request above, written out. The letter runs about 260 words. Names, courses and numbers are made up. “Dear Members of the Admissions Committee, I am writing to recommend Jordan Ellis for the Master of Public Health program. I am an Associate Professor of Biology at [University], and I taught Jordan in two courses: Introduction to Epidemiology in spring 2025, a class of 64, and a 12-person seminar on survey methods in fall 2025. The seminar is where Jordan stood out. Our class runs a small survey each term, and in the third week Jordan pointed out that two of our questions led respondents toward an answer. Jordan rewrote them, tested the new version on ten classmates, and presented the changes to the group. Our response rate went from 31 percent to 58 percent, and I now use Jordan's version of those questions in my teaching. Jordan's final paper, on vaccine uptake in three rural counties, was the strongest in the seminar. It combined state data with interviews Jordan arranged with two county health workers, and it was honest about what the data could not show. That kind of care with evidence is uncommon at this stage. In class discussions Jordan listens first. More than once I watched Jordan bring a quieter classmate's point back into the conversation and build on it. In eight years I have taught roughly 400 students, and I would place Jordan among the top five percent in analytical ability and in readiness for graduate work. I recommend Jordan to your program without reservation. Please contact me at [email] or [phone] if I can tell you more. Sincerely, [Name] Associate Professor of Biology, [University]” The letter answers three questions an admissions reader brings: how well do you know the student, what did you see them do, and how do they compare. ## What to ask the student for, and what to decline A good letter starts with a good request. Ask the student for: - The program, scholarship or job, with a link to its description. - The deadline and how the letter is submitted: a portal link, an email address, or a sealed copy. - A résumé or activity list, and their statement of purpose if it is ready. - Two or three things they would like you to mention, such as a project in your class. - A reminder of which courses they took with you and when. Some application systems ask the student whether they waive the right to read the letter. Ask the student which option they chose, because it can affect how you write and what the reader expects. If you barely remember the student, or what you remember is mixed, say so kindly and early. “I don't think I know your work well enough to write the strong letter you need” helps them more than a lukewarm letter does. A short, general letter can hurt an application more than no letter from you. ## Phrases that weaken a recommendation, and what to write instead Readers on admissions and scholarship committees see hundreds of letters, and they learn to skim past certain phrases: - “It is my pleasure to recommend.” Say what you are recommending them for and how you know them. - “Hard-working and dedicated.” Show it: “she came to office hours every week to rework her lab reports until the analysis was right.” - Grades alone. The transcript already has them. Add what the grade does not show. - “One of the best students I have taught,” with no number. Give the comparison a scale: how many students, over how many years. - Personal details the student did not share with you for this purpose: health, family circumstances, immigration status. Mention them only if the student asks you to and the application calls for it. A short note on privacy: grades and student records are protected at most institutions. Share only what the student has agreed to, and check your institution's policy on AI tools before pasting student information into any of them. ## Not the right tool if - Students writing their own letter for a teacher to sign. This page is for the recommender, describing what they saw in their own words. - A reference where you have no firsthand knowledge. The draft uses only your notes, so without real observations it will be generic. - Legal or immigration letters about a student. Ask the adviser or lawyer handling the case what the letter must contain. ## Other ways to do it Writing it yourself from the three questions How well you know them, what you saw, how they compare. With your notes ready, many teachers write the first version in under an hour. Your institution's career or advising office Some have letter guidelines, letterhead templates or a dossier service that sends letters for students. A colleague who also taught the student If you know only one side of the student, a second letter from someone who saw another side makes the application stronger. ChatGPT or another chatbot Fast, but expect “It is my pleasure to recommend” and adjectives without evidence. Replace them with what you saw. ## Questions ### How do you write a letter of recommendation for a student? Say who you are and how you know the student, describe one or two moments you saw yourself, compare them honestly with other students you have taught, and recommend them for the specific program. One page, about 300 to 500 words, is usual. ### How long should a student recommendation letter be? About one page, or 300 to 500 words. That is a convention, not a rule; follow the length the program states if it gives one. ### What if I don't know the student well? Say so, and suggest they ask someone who knows their work better. If you still agree to write, keep the letter to what you observed and state how long and in what setting you knew them. ### Should I mention the student's grades? Briefly, and only if it adds something, such as the top score in a hard course. The transcript already shows grades; your letter is valuable for what it does not show. ### Is it OK for a teacher to use AI to draft a recommendation letter? Yes, as a drafting help, if your institution permits it and you keep student data private. HidenGPT writes only from the observations you give it; you check every fact, change what is not accurate and sign the letter as your own judgment. ### Can the same letter go to several programs? Yes, with small changes. Keep the observations the same and change the program name, the recipient and one sentence about why the student fits that program. ## Related - [A coworker asked me to write a recommendation letter for a job they're applying for.](https://hidengpt.com/write/recommendation-letter-for-coworker) - [I need to ask my professor for a recommendation letter by email.](https://hidengpt.com/write/email-professor-for-recommendation-letter) - [A colleague asked me for a LinkedIn recommendation and I don't know what to write.](https://hidengpt.com/write/linkedin-recommendation-for-a-colleague) - [Does my writing sound like AI?](https://hidengpt.com/tools/ai-cliche-checker) - [Essays, homework and everyday writing that sounds like you](https://hidengpt.com/write) [Prefer HidenGPT on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hidengpt.com)