UK Applications on Direct Apply: Letter of Reference
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Written by Client Solutions Center
Updated over a week ago

A Letter of Reference is a required document as a part of applications to the UK. You can create and send that on Direct Apply! For those unfamiliar with this type of letter, this article aims to discuss what you should include in the letter and the need for it as a part of your student's UK application. You can also refer directly to UCAS' advice on how to create a Letter of Reference here.

The letter should be written with a sole focus on the individual student and the relevant information to the course being applied for as well as making room for specific individual circumstances. This should be a maximum of 4,000 characters.

There are 3 sections of the letter that we will cover below:

  1. Section 1: School Profile/Context

  2. Section 2: Application Context

  3. Section 3: Other detailed application information

Section 1: School Profile/Context

This section is dedicated to providing a contextual background to the university regarding your school's standard, grading system, related policies, and institution qualifications.

  • The writer should include contextual information regarding your school's response to COVID-19 and how it may have impacted your school and its students

  • Contextual information about the school like grading system, policies or processes used for predicting grades

  • Other contextual information about your school

Section 2: Applicant Information

This section should have detailed information about the applicant from their chosen career path, attitude, skillset, and other related qualities.

  • Should include very specific information regarding the applicant, including interests, career path, achievements, extracurriculars, etc.

  • Should also include any individual circumstances about the applicant that the university needs to be made aware of

  • Specific reference/effect COVID-19 has had on the applicant:

    • Whether the student/family was affected by the illness or bereavement

    • How it affected educational provision

    • Other relevant information about student's home learning environment

Section 3: Other detailed application information

This section is for specific contributions from individual subject teachers.

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