An important note to begin with:
In situations where a fellowship application must be accompanied by institutional nomination or formal endorsement from the College, the candidate will meet with the Graduate Fellowship Committee, which is comprised of 3-4 faculty members and the Fellowship Advisor. When this step is required, there will be a campus deadline in advance of the official submission deadline set by the foundation. Whenever possible, your letters of recommendation should meet this earlier, internal deadline, as they are extremely valuable components of the student’s application and provide tremendous assistance during interviews and during the drafting of an endorsement letter or other required documentation.
This earlier internal deadline will be in effect for Boren, Fulbright, Goldwater, Knight-Hennessy, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes, Schwarzman and Truman. We appreciate your assistance in providing your recommendation letter (or a draft version), whenever possible, by the campus deadline. The student should provide you with the campus deadline information, and you may also find a table with those dates here.
Boren Scholarship:
The Boren Scholarship is an initiative of the National Security Education Program which provides funding for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded.
Please be aware that candidates will be required to discuss their plans, post-graduation, for a period of employment in government, specifically related to national security.
Instructions for recommenders are provided on the Boren website:
Carnegie Junior Fellows:
The Carnegie Foundation for International Peace seeks Junior Fellows who will be able to contribute to the research projects they undertake. Students should have excellent research skills and the necessary academic and/or language skills for their particular field of interest. The student should provide you with information on the specific program topic he is pursuing. Current topics and additional information may be found here:
Critical Language Scholarship Program:
The offers an intensive, summer-long language study and cultural immersion opportunity to students who wish to develop skill with one of 14 critical need languages. Proficiency prerequisites for each language vary from zero to two years of academic study. Two letters of recommendation are required, and recommenders should note the following criteria are used to select recipients:
- Academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting;
- Ability to adapt to a different cultural environment;
- Plan for continuation of study of the language; and
- Plan to use the language in future career.
Fulbright UK Summer Institutes:
The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers special Summer Institutes for US citizens to come to the UK. These summer programs provide the opportunity for undergraduates (aged over 18), with at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete, to come to the UK on a three-, four-, five- or six-week academic and cultural summer program. Participants will get the opportunity to experience an academic program at a highly regarded UK University; explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK; and develop their academic ability by improving presentation, research and communication skills. Program locations and descriptions vary from year to year.
Two references are required, and at least one should be from a recent professor. References should know the applicant very well and be able to comment upon academic ability as well as character and interests. Students should direct their referees to the online reference form (currently a SurveyMonkey form) for completion of their recommendation.
Visit for an overview.
Fulbright US Student Program – English Teaching Assistantship
The Fulbright ETA program offers one-year positions to individuals who have completed their Bachelor’s degree. Placements are offered in approximately 70 countries, and specific duties and expectations vary quite significantly from country to country.
For ETA applications, the recommendation is NOT a letter. Rather, recommenders will complete a form online, describing the context in which they know the applicant and responding to specific questions on topics such as the applicant’s teaching potential, ambassadorial potential, maturity, adaptability and communication skills.
Please see the “References” section of the ETA application components page: . It would also be extremely helpful to consult the Fulbright page for the applicant’s proposed country for its specific details.
Fulbright US Student Program – Study/Research Grant
The Fulbright S/R program offers one-year positions to individuals who have completed their Bachelor’s degree, either to complete an independent research or study project or, less frequently, to pursue a master’s degree at a partner university. Placements are offered in approximately 140 countries, and expectations vary from country to country.
Recommendations will need to address the applicant’s intellectual and professional preparation for the proposed project, evidence for his ability to successfully complete the project, as well as his ambassadorial potential.
Please see the “References” section of the Study/Research application components page: . It would also be extremely helpful to consult the Fulbright page for the applicant’s proposed country for its specific details.
Goldwater Scholarship:
Three online recommendations are required. Recommendations should be from individuals who know enough about the student to assess his personal characteristics, motivation, and potential for a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The best recommendations are those that come from faculty in the student’s field of study or from individuals who have supervised their work in a research facility.
The recommendations must be from:
- Two faculty members who can discuss the student’s potential for a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. At least one of these must be a faculty member in the student’s field of study
- Another individual/faculty member who can attest to the student’s potential for a research career. If the student has been involved in research, one recommendation must be from the individual who supervised the student’s work. Evaluations from former high school teachers, coaches, or family friends are generally of little value.
Note: The student must first complete and submit the application; the recommenders will then immediately be sent an email to the address entered by the student to complete their online recommendation. The recommendation deadline generally falls a few days after the application deadline.
Further information regarding the Goldwater may be found here: and
Marshall Scholarship:
Provides funding for two years (or, less commonly, for one year) of post-graduate study at any UK university. The applicant will identify his proposed program(s) and university selection(s) – it is possible (and quite common) to spend the first year at one university and the second at another.
Recommenders should note that the Marshall selectors consider, in equal measure, academic merit, leadership potential and ambassadorial potential, and will assess the appropriateness and fit of the proposed program of study.
The applicant will designate one of his three recommenders as his “Preferred Recommender” and this individual should be one who has supervised his college training. At least two of the recommendations should be from academics, and two also must be from the United States. All three recommenders are invited to address not only the applicant's academic preparation and potential but also his leadership and ambassadorial strengths and potential.
Please do note that the Marshall provides detailed descriptions of their selection criteria . (Simply click on each of the 3 overarching criteria to see additional information.)
You may also review the “Information for Recommenders” here:
George J. Mitchell Scholarship [currently on hiatus]:
The Mitchell Scholarship provides funding for a one-year taught master’s degree at any Irish institution of higher education. The student applies for a specific program and university in Ireland. Applications are judged on scholarship, leadership and commitment to community and public service.
Once your name and email address have been entered online by student as a recommender, you will receive an email with instructions and a link to submit your letter. NOTE that the recommendation cannot exceed 750 words.
Information specific to Mitchell recommendations may be found here:
Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship:
Provides financial support for graduate school, mentoring and professional development to prepare students academically and professionally for a career in the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service.
Recommenders should explain why the student is uniquely qualified for the fellowship. One must be from a professor or faculty member who knows the student. The other may be from someone else familiar with the applicant’s college, volunteer, work or community activities.
Please consult the of a Foreign Service Officer as you consider the qualities and qualifications of the applicant. The student should also provide you with copies of his application statements. Letters should be at least two pages in length.
Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program – Graduate Fellowship:
Up to 30 Rangel Fellows are chosen annually and will be provided with financial assistance towards a 2-year master’s degree at one of Rangel’s 21 select graduate school partner institutions.
Once contact information has been entered by the applicant online, recommenders will receive an email with a recommendation form and instructions for uploading their letter of recommendation. One must be from a faculty member; the second should be from a community leader or other individual who can comment on non-academic accomplishments and/or potential.
Information about the Rangel may be found here:
Rhodes Scholarship:
Candidates for the Rhodes Scholarship are instructed to provide between 5 and 8 letters of recommendation. Letters must be submitted online, although the Fellowship Advisor will also request a copy (electronic or print) by the internal campus deadline, as references are an important piece of the application for purposes of review, campus interview, and institutional endorsement.
Among the tips provided to applicants at the Rhodes site are these relevant to recommendations:
Letters from people who know you well are far more valuable than letters from well-known people who know you less well and who might write, at best, a form-like letter. If you were exceptionally active in sports or organizations during high school that you have had to abandon during college, it may be useful to have a referee who can speak about your secondary school record.
It is desirable to have as many letters as possible (up to eight) from people who know you well, and preferably in different ways. Four must be from college or graduate school instructors. And one letter (the fifth) at least must speak to your character. But adding letters beyond five from people who barely know you usually does more harm than good. Occasionally, a letter of reference may not arrive, however, and if you request exactly four letters from university instructors, and one is not received, you risk being disqualified.
Particularly for those less familiar with the rather unique list of selection criteria utilized by Rhodes committees, the following Memorandum of Regulations may prove useful:
Referee Guidance Update 2017
The University of Oxford has begun requiring that all referees for graduate applicants answer three questions to help with University placement decisions. This was necessary as most letters of recommendation have generally lacked any sort of ranking indication. When letters of recommendation are uploaded to the Embark system during the application process, referees will be asked to assess the following:
- Please indicate the applicant’s relative academic standing in comparison with the other students on the same course at the same institution: top 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%.
- Please specify the basis for the ranking indicated above: personal assessment/official class rank.
- How many students in total are in the applicant’s year group on their program of study, i.e., how many students is the candidate being compared with?
Schwarzman Scholarship:
Modeled on the Rhodes, the Schwarzman offers outstanding scholars and leaders with the opportunity to pursue a one-year master’s degree in public policy, economics and business, or international studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Students are required to provide four letters of recommendation, including a letter of institutional endorsement. Ideally, at least one letter (and most often two of the three) will come from a faculty member who can evaluate the applicant’s academic work, intellectual abilities and potential. At least one letter must come from someone who can comment on the specific examples of leadership described in the candidate’s application, doing so from direct knowledge of the candidate.
More information on the Schwarzman Scholars program may be found here:
Truman Scholarship:
Awarded during a student’s junior year, the Truman Scholarship seeks to identify and support young people with the interest, capacity and resolve to become leaders in public service - true agents of change in society. The Truman provides funding for graduate school and is open to students in any area of study. General guidelines for recommendation letters may be found here:
The Truman Scholarship requests three letters of recommendation. Each of these is expected to comment specifically on one of three criteria that interest the Truman Foundation. The student will need to let each recommender know which of the three areas he or she is to focus on.
Leadership Abilities and Potential: This letter should confirm the experience described in application question 7 (specific example of leadership). The letter writer need not have witnessed the example first hand, but should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context of the student's leadership.
Commitment to a Career in Public Service: This letter should confirm the experience described in application question 8 (recent, satisfying public service activity). The letter writer need not have witnessed the activity first hand, but should be able to discuss the example and how it fits within the context of the student's commitment to a career in public service.
Intellect and Prospects for Continuing Academic Success: This letter should discuss the student's overall academic background in context of the student's future plans for career and graduate school (application questions 11 to 13). It is recommended, though not required, that the writer have taught the student at some point.