LOR for PG Diploma: Guidelines, Important Points, Requirement by Top Universities

Are you applying for a PG Diploma course and are sceptical about how to go about an LOR for PG Diploma? Check out this article for guidelines, format, tips and expert suggestions to craft a stellar LOR for admissions. More details are in the article below.

A Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is a crucial component of your application when seeking admission to postgraduate diploma programs abroad. It provides insight into your academic and professional capabilities from the perspective of someone who knows you well. The study abroad application process can be quite challenging. Therefore, it is important to know the exact requirements and guidelines. Understanding these requirements will help you to get all your documents arranged in proper order. 

These documents consist of your financial documents and the application docket that include the following documents:

• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
• Resume or CV
• Essays
• Letter of Motivation (LOM)
• Personal Statement (PS)

Generally, for an undergraduate or postgraduate programme, the important documents required are one writing sample, which can be either an essay, an SOP, a Personal Statement, or a Letter of Motivation (LOM), one resume or list of activities, and 2-3 LORs. It is similar when applying for Post Graduate (PG) Diploma courses. These documents should be ready in advance. While most universities do not require a resume for PG diploma courses, they do require a writing sample and LORs. 

LOR for PG Diploma: Why are they important?

Even for regular courses, LORs are important as they help the admissions committee (Ad Com) to get an insight into the applicant’s personality and experiences. This further helps the Ad Com to make an informed decision on whether to enroll that applicant or not. While the SOP or writing sample is an opportunity to convey your story from your point of view, the LORs, on the other hand, act as proof and testimonials to that story. The focus of the recommendation letter is to paint a clear picture of your experiences, skills, achievements, community services, and academic prowess, which can be done via an academic LOR or a professional LOR. Most importantly, it is a third party endorsement

LOR for PG Diploma: Important Points

Before writing the first draft of your LOR, it is important to check out the university and course-specific requirements for LORs. A few things to consider are: 

• How many LORs are required?: Generally, for PG Diploma courses, you will require at least two LORs. Some universities may ask for three LORs as well. 

• What type of LOR is required?: Academic or professional LORs or a combination of both can be expected. Courses that require any practical or work experience will ask for at least one professional LOR. 

• How are they to be submitted?: LORs can be submitted online as PDFs while filling the application form. Some universities may require a hard copy. 

• Format requirement: A majority of universities do not have any specific format for PG Diploma LORs. Thus, a generic LOR format can be followed. Applicants should use standard serif fonts like Times New Roman or Arial font with 11pt or 12pt font size. The word limit can be restricted to 400-600 words, and the LOR must fit on one page of an A4 size sheet, with normal one-inch margins and single spacing.  

Once you have all the university or course-specific requirements, it is time to choose the right recommender. This is crucial as the referee who knows you well will be able to highlight the correct attributes better. The significance of LORs rests on how well the referee knows you and about your academic or professional interests and capabilities. Academic LORs can be sourced from your professor or project guide, while professional LORs should be taken from your supervisor at work, team lead, project manager, or reporting manager.

LOR Format for PG Diploma 

Like an LOR for any other degree or programme, LOR for PG Diploma also requires a proper format. It comprises of four to five paragraphs, including the recommender’s evaluation of the candidate’s personality, strengths, capabilities and experiences. Please find below the format: 

• Introduction: The introduction must provide brief reasons of writing the recommendation letter for the candidate. It is pertinent to mention details about recommender’s designation, relationship with the candidate, and numbers of years of association. Comparison with the peer group can be added, highlighting the worth of the candidate. 

• Body Paragraphs: There should be at least three-four body paragraphs, each explaining a particular trait of the candidate. These traits must be supported by relevant examples, vouching for these qualities.  

• Conclusion: You must conclude the LOR for PG Diploma with a summary of the applicant’s credentials. The LOR should end on a positive note, where the recommender states his recommendation for the candidate, assuring the university about the worthiness of the candidate. 

Closing Details: In addition, it is important to provide certain closing details. These contain the signature of the recommender along with his/her full name, designation, department, name of institution/organization, and contact details like cellphone number and email ID.

Tips for Writing an LOR for PG Diploma 

While it is ideal for referees to write you a recommendation letter, some of them may be too busy to give proper time and attention, to this task, and thus, fail to do proper justice to the document. In such cases, some students have to draft the LOR for their recommenders. These drafts are then checked, finalised, and signed by the recommenders. Thus, if you are writing the LOR draft for your referees, here are some tips to keep in mind while writing: 

• The introduction should contain information about the recommender, how they know the applicant, and how long and how well they have known the applicant. 

• The LOR for PG Diploma should highlight the academic and/or professional achievements of the candidate, relevant to the course. 

• The candidate’s experience and supporting instances of the attributes discussed should be described briefly. 

• If the candidate was involved in any volunteer work, then this can be discussed here. 

• The LOR will be impactful if it demonstrates different facets of the candidate’s personality that are not covered in the resume or the SOP. 

• It should also contain an objective analysis of the applicant’s strengths. 

• The referee should be able to back up the quality of work, efforts and achievements with verifiable proof; each attribute should be supported with real-life examples. 

• The LOR for PG Diploma should be on the official letterhead of the institution with its official stamp or seal and the recommender’s original signature. 

• The LOR should not sound like a person singing hollow praises or writing lies.

LOR of PG Diploma: Requirement by Top Universities

Postgraduate diploma courses are mostly offered by top universities or colleges in countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia. Let us check out some general LOR guidelines for a few top universities in these countries:

Country	University	Course: LOR Requirements
USA	Boston University	Applied Business Analytics: 2 or 3 LORs
	UC Berkeley Global	Corporate Finance: 2 LORs
	University of Arizona	Systems Engineering: 3 academic or professional LORs
Canada	University of Winnipeg	Artificial Intelligence: 2 academic LORs
	Thompson Rivers University	Business Administration: 1 academic or professional LOR
	Royal Roads University	Education Leadership: 2 LORs (one professional)
UK	Lancaster University	Data Science: 2 LORs (one academic)
	University of Surrey	Physician Associate: 2 academic or professional LORs
	Oxford Brookes University	Literature: 1 or 2 academic LORs

Important Points to Consider

• Provide Relevant Information: Equip your recommender with details about the program you are applying to, your academic background, achievements, and any specific qualities you would like them to highlight.
• Submission Guidelines: Different universities have varied submission methods for LORs. Some may require online submissions through their application portals, while others may accept emails or postal mail. Ensure that your recommenders are aware of these requirements.
• Follow Up Politely: After requesting an LOR, follow up politely with your recommender to ensure they have everything they need and remind them of deadlines.

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