Sample LOR for Ireland: Tips and Requirements for Top Irish Universities
Talk to Expert
Creating an LOR for Ireland can be a daunting task for most aspirants. However, a well-written LOR can also help you secure a place at one of the universities in Ireland of your choice. In this article, we will talk about the types of LOR for Ireland, their format, what all skills you can include in it, and other requirements.
The purpose of a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is to testify your personality, experiences, skills, and abilities from someone else’s perspective, who has known you closely in an academic or professional setting. An LOR for Ireland should also give insights into how you are as a person, as observed by your recommender. Just like your other application and financial documents that are a crucial part of your admission process, LORs are important too. Other documents such as a statement of purpose (SOP), personal statement (PS), essay, or letter of motivation (LOM) allows you to tell your side of the story, while in an LOR, your recommender tells yours credibility. The resume or CV is an outline of all your academic and professional experiences.
An LOR is an official document that endorses you and supports your candidature for a particular program to a particular university. LORs can be accreditation of your academic abilities or an assessment of your professional competence. Thus, drafting an impressive and impactful LOR is equally essential as choosing the right recommender.
Predict your IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE in just 4 steps!
LOR for Ireland: Type of LOR Required
Ideally, LORs are short documents (one-page)., evaluating an applicant’s skills, interests, personality traits, and experience in a relevant field. Irish universities refer to the LORs before making a decision on the admission of an applicant. Most of the universities in Ireland require an academic letter of recommendation. However, some programmes or courses may ask for a professional reference as well, especially, if you are applying for business, management, or research-based courses. The majority of universities in Ireland ask for at least two LORs with some general rules. Requirements of LOR in Ireland differ from other countries in some aspects. Instead of the letter form, academic LORs are usually in the form of a questionnaire. The teacher or professor is required to fill a questionnaire to assess a candidate’s skills and personality. Although not every university does this, Irish universities usually send an LOR form directly to the recommenders. For specific courses, applicants may be asked to submit hard copies of their LORs.
LOR for Ireland: Format and Other Requirements
It is rare that Irish universities give specific requirements for LORs. Nowadays, universities share a LOR form or link directly with the recommender on their official email address. Then, the recommender fills the LOR content directly onto the portal or fill out the questionnaire. Universities, where this is not followed, will ask for generic LORs, either in PDF format or a hard copy. These LORs should be printed on the official letterhead of the recommender’s institution, having the recommender’s original signature and the institution’s seal and stamp. The page should be A4-size and if no word limit is given, then stick to 500-750 words or one-page length. After getting your signed LORs, you will be asked to upload it online on the admission portal and mail it in a sealed envelope to the concerned university.
LOR for Ireland: What to include?
Having understood the LOR format for Ireland, it is time to draft your LOR, in case your recommender suggests you to help them with it. How to start writing a LOR is a major query that we often receive. For a general sample, you can refer to this LOR Sample. Now, let us discuss some major highlights of your LORs that should not be overlooked. In the beginning of your LOR, two things should be clearly communicated - recommender’s connection with you and duration. A brief introduction about the recommender, their designation, and the nature of work is also required. This should be followed by their assessment of you as a person. Hence, the body of the LOR can be divided into three to four paragraphs, which should highlight your personality traits and attributes, backed by suitable instances.
Here are some skills and abilities that can be covered in your LORs:
- Academic prowess
- Intellectual ability
- Research skills
- Written or oral communication skills
- Teamwork/leadership
- Ability to organise workload/time management
- Originality/innovativeness
Conclude your LOR with a strong recommendation, based an overall assessment of the applicant (you).
LOR for Ireland: Requirements for Top Irish Universities
Now that you know how to prepare an LOR for Ireland, let us take a quick look at the requirements related to the LORs of some top Irish universities. Note that these are general programme requirements as course-specific requirements may differ from university to university.
| University |
Undergraduate Requirements |
Postgraduate Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| NA |
MS/MBA: Two Academic LORs |
|
| Two Academic LORs |
MS/MBA: Two Academic LORs |
|
| NA |
MS: One Academic and One Professional LOR MBA: Two Professional LORs |
|
| NA |
MS: One Academic and One Professional LOR MBA: Two Professional LORs |
|
| Two Academic LORs |
MS: Two Academic LORs MBA: One Academic and One Professional LOR |
|
| Two Academic LORs |
MS: One Academic LOR MBA: Two Academic LORs |
|
| Two Academic LORs |
MS: Two Academic LORs MBA: One Professional LOR |
If you still have any doubts or queries, feel free to leave us comment below and we will try to resolve them for you as soon as possible!
LOR for Ireland FAQs
Q: What is the acceptance rate for NCI Ireland?
National College of Ireland is one of the best public research universities in the Ireland. The National College of Ireland is among the colleges that do not publish official data on the acceptance rate. However, as per some unofficial sources including EduRank, the National College of Ireland acceptance rate is 52%. This shows that NCI is moderately selective for admissions and international students may find it comparatively tougher to get into. Please note that, the data on the acceptance rate is taken from unofficial source, therefore, it is subject to vary.
Q: How is an MS in Data Science from Maynooth University, Ireland?
Maynooth University provides 1-year master's in Data Science and asks for an INR 15.14L tuition fee. The goal of the MSc in Data Science and Analytics is to provide students with the information and abilities needed to gather, process, analyze, and visualize data to find trends, assess models, and extract valuable information.
The National Centre for Geocomputation, the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, and Computer Science collaborated to create the course. Programming, statistics, and databases are covered, along with advanced issues in contemporary statistical machine learning. The course covers topics such as the implications for business and government, as well as the ethical and societal ramifications of data use.
Q: How are LORs different for Ireland?
Generally, the LORs are in a letter format. However, for Ireland, they come in the form of questionnaire. Your recommender may have to answer specific questions for you as desired by the university. Further, another difference that you may see regarding LORs in Ireland is that you may be asked to submit a hard copy of the same. This practice is not observed in other countries. Rather, they approach the recommender directly via email.
Q: Who should I ask to write an LOR for me?
When deciding who should you ask to recommend you for further studies, remember that the person should have been acquainted with you for at least six months. In case of an academic LOR, ask the teacher or professor who can write various instances where he/she was associated with you to highlight different qualities of yours. In case of a professional recommender, he/she should have worked with you closely to be able to highlight your talents and capabilities.
Q: How many LORs should I submit in Irish universities?
Regarding the number of LORs that should be submitted, you must check the exact guidelines stated by your university. Accordingly, you can go ahead with the number of academic or professional LORs that you intend to submit. For business-related courses like MBA, professional LORs carry more weightage, while for MS programs, academic LORs are important.
Q: What should be included in an LOR for Ireland?
For Ireland, the university will share a questionnaire with the recommender who will have it to fill it on your behalf. This is supposed to be confidential, and hence, the institutions will directly contact the recommender. In another case, if an LOR has to be in a letter format, the focus should be on highlighting the qualities that are relevant for your proposed program. The introduction should have complete details about the recommender, their nature of association with you and duration. Further, they should write three or four instances demonstrating your technical and personal qualities that make you worthy of pursuing higher studies.
Q: Is LOR required to study in Ireland?
Yes, most universities in Ireland require Letters of Recommendation (LORs) for admission, typically asking for at least two from professors or employers, depending on the programme and your academic background.
You can check more specific requirements on your college's/course's website.
Q: How can I write LOR for Master's in Ireland?
For someone writing a LOR for a student willing to get admitted to a master's course in Ireland, it is crucial to understand certain points that may prove to be helpful while drafting the letter of recommendation. Check out the points below.
- You must start by describing your relation with the student.
- Proceed by highlighting the relevant skills, academic achievements, and other personality traits that the student has which are required to complete the desired master's degree/course. Describe how do you think these skills and achievements make the student a good fit for the course.
- Provide examples that you may have encountered through your journey with the student that makes you believe that the student will be a good fit for the chosen Irish University.
- Conclude your letter by strongly recommending the application.
Priya Garg is a seasoned content writer and editor. With her rich experience in content writing, teaching and research & analysis, Priya believes in providing only the correct information which is also up-to-date. H... Read Full Bio
Passionate about learning and imbibing the best in my life, I thoroughly enjoy interacting with different personalities and making deep informative conversations. Providing guidance for informed decision making is s... Read Full Bio
- Universities in Ireland32 Universities
- Universities in USA1037 Universities
- Universities in Canada174 Universities
- Universities in Australia122 Universities
- Universities in UK175 Universities
- Universities in New Zealand70 Universities
Statement of Purpose
Letter of Recommendation
Student Visa Application
Admission Essay Writing
Student Curriculum Vitae