Should I mention weaknesses?

Selectively. A frank acknowledgement of a minor weakness paired with growth ("she struggled with public speaking sophomore year but, after seeking out the speech team, has emerged as a confident presenter") can add credibility. Avoid mentioning serious weaknesses without context — admissions officers may interpret unprompted criticism as a soft denial.

What if I don't feel I can write a strong letter?

Decline politely. Offering to write a "neutral" letter is rarely the kind thing to do — admissions officers can read tepid praise as faint condemnation. Telling the student "another teacher might know you better" gives them the chance to seek a stronger advocate.

Do I need to address the letter to a specific college?

Tailored letters are stronger than generic ones, but practical limits apply. If the student is applying to 8 colleges, addressing each individually is unrealistic; write the letter to "Members of the Admissions Committee" and submit through the Common App or similar. For top-tier or specialised applications (Stanford, MIT, fellowship programs), a tailored letter is worth the additional time.

Can I share the letter with the student?

FERPA gives the student the right to access educational records, including letters of recommendation, UNLESS the student waives that right (which most college applications request via the "I waive my right to view this letter" checkbox on the Common App). Waived letters are generally weighted more heavily by admissions because the recommender wrote with assumed confidentiality. Most students should waive; most teachers should not share waived letters with students before submission.

Should the letter be on school letterhead?

Yes — strongly preferred. Letterhead documents the recommender's actual position and provides verification context. If letterhead isn't available digitally, a clear header with school name, recommender title, contact, and date suffices.

College Recommendation Letter Template

Teacher or counsellor recommendation letter for college admissions — narrative, examples, and assessment.

Customise

Recommender — name

Recommender — title and school

Recommender — email and phone

Student — name

Student — graduating class / grade

College / university (or "To Whom It May Concern")

How long you have known the student

In what capacity

Overall assessment (1-3 sentences)

Specific examples (one per line)

Comparison context (top X% of class, etc.)

Closing recommendation

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DR. MARIA SANCHEZ
AP Biology Teacher, Lincoln High School
m.sanchez@lincolnhs.edu / +1 503 555 0411

Date: May 4, 2026

To:    Stanford University, Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Re:    Letter of Recommendation for Ellis Taylor, Graduating Class of 2026

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Dear Members of the Admissions Committee,

I am writing to recommend Ellis Taylor for admission to your institution.

RELATIONSHIP

I have known Ellis Taylor for 3 years (10th, 11th, and 12th grade).

I have taught Ellis in AP Biology (11th grade) and IB Biology HL (12th grade), and have advised her independent research project on environmental DNA monitoring of local watersheds (10th grade through current).

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OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Ellis is among the top 3 students I have taught in my 14 years at Lincoln High School. Her combination of intellectual curiosity, persistent work ethic, and unusual generosity with peers makes her a rare student who elevates everyone around her. I recommend her without reservation.

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SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

In 11th-grade AP Biology, Ellis identified a flaw in a textbook evolutionary tree during class and proposed a revised version supported by recent molecular data — work she had done independently after class, motivated purely by curiosity. The revised tree became part of how I taught the unit going forward.
For her independent research, Ellis spent two summers collecting eDNA samples from the Willamette River, eventually publishing her results as the lead author in our state science fair journal. The work required learning PCR and qPCR techniques typically not taught until college.
In IB Biology, Ellis tutored two struggling classmates without being asked, meeting them at lunch twice a week. Both students raised their grades by full letter grades; one is now considering biology as a major.
During last year's curriculum change to a new textbook, Ellis volunteered to write a one-page comparison guide for incoming juniors. The guide is now distributed each year.

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COMPARISON CONTEXT

In a graduating class of 240 students, Ellis ranks in the top 5% by GPA (3.96 unweighted, 4.42 weighted). Among the ~60 students I have taught in advanced biology over my career, Ellis is in the top 3 — distinguished particularly by her independent research depth.

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CLOSING

Ellis will succeed at Stanford and contribute substantially to whatever community she joins. I recommend her without any reservation, with the highest enthusiasm I can offer. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about her preparation or character.

Sincerely,

_______________________________            Date: May 4, 2026
Dr. Maria Sanchez
AP Biology Teacher, Lincoln High School
m.sanchez@lincolnhs.edu / +1 503 555 0411

About this template

A college recommendation letter is one of the most consequential pieces of an undergraduate application — admissions officers read hundreds and develop a strong sense of which letters reflect genuine engagement with the student and which are template-driven. The strongest letters share several qualities: specific examples (named project, named accomplishment, named insight) over general adjectives ("hard-working", "responsible"); contextual comparison (where this student ranks among the recommender's career students); and a clear voice that conveys the recommender knows the student personally. Length matters less than density — a 1.5-page letter with 4 specific anecdotes beats a 3-page letter of generalities. Common pitfalls: praising every student equally diminishes credibility for the actually-exceptional ones; refusing to recommend (or writing a tepid letter) is sometimes the right move and is more honourable than damning with faint praise; mentioning weaknesses can strengthen the letter's credibility but should be paired with explanation or growth. The letter should be tailored where possible to the receiving institution's programs — connecting the student's strengths to specific opportunities at the college shows the recommender thought about the fit. Submit through the college's preferred channel (Common App, Coalition App, or institution-specific) — emailed letters often get lost. Most colleges expect 1-3 teacher recommendations + 1 counsellor letter; some specialised programs (architecture, music, art) want additional discipline-specific letters.

When to use it

College admissions for a student you have taught or advised.
Scholarship applications requiring teacher endorsement.
Summer program applications (research, internship).
Counsellor recommendation for college (counsellor-specific format).
Graduate-school recommendation (different emphasis — see grad-school template).

What to include

Recommender identification with title and contact.
Length and capacity of relationship.
Overall assessment in 1-3 sentences.
Specific examples with named accomplishments.
Comparison context (top X% of recommender's career students).
Closing recommendation with explicit endorsement.

Frequently asked

1.5 to 2 pages is typical and well-received. Longer letters often dilute the message; shorter letters may feel cursory. Density matters more than length — 3-4 specific anecdotes with assessment beats a longer letter of generalities.

⚠ Legal disclaimer. Recommendation letters submitted via Common App, Coalition App, or institution-specific portals are typically uploaded directly by the recommender; letters emailed to admissions offices often go unread. Many colleges have specific page limits or format requirements; consult each institution's guidelines. FERPA implications vary by state and institution; the student's "waive right to view" decision affects the perceived credibility of the letter.