Common Letter of Recommendation - Submission Template

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora

A standardized Common Letter of Recommendation template streamlines admissions workflows by using a single set of recommendation questions across multiple school submissions. It guides recommenders to complete recommender identity details and relationship context, then complete a Leadership Assessment Grid covering 12 competencies across five grouped categories. The form uses structured level-based selection to support candid, consistent appraisal and help schools evaluate applicant leadership attributes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Common Letter of Recommendation

Recommender Information

Leadership Assessment Grid

Common Letter of Recommendation Dear Recommenders: The Common LOR is intended to save you valuable time by providing a single set of recommendation questions. This allows you to use the same answers for multiple letter submissions, alleviating the workload of having to answer different questions for each school multiple times. Please follow the steps below in filling out the Common LOR: 1. Save this template to your computer. PLEASE NOTE: To ensure that you do not accidentally lose any entered form data, please save the template to your computer first and avoid completing the template online within your browser. 2. Complete the template offline and save a final version of the file to your computer. 3. Once you have completed your recommendation – please refer to specific school instructions on how to submit. Each school will have different requirements, i.e. , upload to a site, attach to email, etc. It is important to follow the school instructions directly. Section 1: Recommender Information Prefix First (Given) Name Middle Name Last (Family) Name/ Surname Current Organization Current Position/Title Industry Street Address City Country State/Province Postal Code Telephone Number (including country code) Email Address Alternative email (Optional) (If you are using your personal email account for this recommendation, please enter your work email address, which may be used as a verification of your identity if the applicant is admitted.) Context of Relationship If other, please explain Nature of Relationship If other, please explain How long have you known Years Months the applicant? During which period of time have you had the most frequent contact with the applicant? From (mm/ yyyy) To (mm/ yyyy) Please enter name of school affiliated with: Please select the option the most closely matches. If other please explain. May we contact you regarding this applicant? Did you use a translator? Section 2: Leadership Assessment Grid In this section, you will find 12 competencies and character traits that contribute to successful leadership. The competencies and character traits are grouped into five categories: - Achievement - Influence - People - Personal Qualities - Cognitive Abilities For each competency, please select the one button that corresponds to the behavior that you have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. We acknowledge that all applicants have both areas of strength and areas of needed development. Your candid and honest appraisal will assist in evaluation of the applicant. Please assume that each level builds upon behaviors described in the previous level. Achievement Initiative Acts ahead of need/ anticipates problems No basis for judgment Reluctant to take on new tasks, waits to be told what to do, defers to others Willing to step in and take charge when required to do so Takes charge spontaneously when problem needs attention Volunteers for new work challenges, proactively puts in extra effort to accomplish critical or difficult tasks Proactively seeks high-impact projects, steps up to challenges even when things are not going well Results Orientation Focuses on and drives toward delivering on goals, objectives, and performance improvement. No basis for judgment Focuses on fulfilling activities at hand, unsure how work relates to goals Takes actions to overcome obstacles to achieve goals Independently acts to exceed goals and plans for contingencies Documents activities and outcomes to learn from past, introduces incremental improvements to raise the effectiveness of team Invents new approaches with measurably better results, works to deliver best-in-class performance improvements Communication, Professional Impression & Poise Delivers messages and ideas in a way that engages an audience and achieves buy-in; uses listening and other attending behaviors to reach shared understanding; remains cal

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Common LOR template?

It provides one set of recommendation questions so recommenders can reuse the same answers for multiple school submissions, reducing repeated workload.

What information is collected in Section 1 (Recommender Information)?

It gathers the recommender’s personal and contact details, current organization and role, relationship context with the applicant, and timing of the relationship.

How does the Leadership Assessment Grid work?

It evaluates 12 leadership competencies and character traits grouped into five categories, where recommenders select the option that best matches the applicant’s most consistent behavior.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora