Your Guide to Graduate School References
While applying for graduate school, finding references can be one of the most stressful parts. When I was applying for my Master of Social Work (MSW), I remember being worried about whether my supervisors and professors would even be willing to write a reference for me and feeling guilty for asking them to write multiple references. On top of that, it was confusing figuring out what kind of references I needed for each program. What I’m trying to say is I’ve been there, which is why I wrote this guide. Below, I’m answering your most common questions about grad school references so that you can go into your applications feeling confident that you’re putting your best foot forward in every aspect of the application!
What kind of references do graduate schools require?
For most grad school applications, you will be required to provide academic references, professional references, and a lot of the time, both!
An academic reference is typically one from someone who can speak to your academic abilities, like critical thinking, academic writing, or research abilities.
On the other hand, a professional reference is generally someone who has supervised you in a “professional” setting (basically anything that isn’t academic; this could be a workplace or even a volunteer organization), meaning they can speak more to your on-the-job skills.
Depending on the program you are applying to, they might ask you for just professional references, just academic references, or a combination of both, which is quite common in my experience. For example, the University of Toronto, the University of Calgary, and Wilfrid Laurier University all require a combination of both types of references for their MSW applicants. Make sure when you are reviewing the application requirements that you confirm how many references you need (usually it’s between 1-3), and what type of references they should be, as this changes from school to school! If you are having trouble finding this information, check if there is an FAQ page, and if you still can’t find it, you may be able to reach out to the school directly to confirm (although this should be a last resort after you have looked everywhere!)
Who can I use as a professional reference for graduate school?
Depending on how much work experience you have outside of school, you might be worried about finding a professional reference. The good news is that most of the time, the guidelines aren’t super strict on who you can (or can’t) use as a professional reference. Ideally, it is best if you can get a reference from someone who directly supervised you and knows you well. Also, if you have experience in the field you are applying for, getting your reference from someone in the field can help translate into a stronger letter of reference!
That said, if you have limited experience or experience outside of the field, that’s okay too! You can ask a supervisor or manager from a job you held outside of the field, or even someone else in the organization even if they didn’t technically supervise you directly. For example, if your own manager isn’t available to write a reference but the director is also familiar with your work, you could ask them instead! If your work experience is limited, you can also usually ask a volunteer coordinator to write your reference for you.
As I said above, make sure you double-check the requirements for the school you are applying to. Occasionally, there are specific directions about who can and can’t be used as your professional reference, and in that case, follow the guidelines from the school!
Who can I use as an academic reference?
Professors: For academic references, you should ask a professor who has either taught you a course or has supervised you while doing research. Ideally, you should have a good relationship with this professor and you should have received good grades in their class, so that they are more likely to give you a good reference.
Qualified with a PhD or Master’s degree: Although this may not always be the case, typically for academic letters of reference, the person writing your reference should have a master’s or PhD. Again, double-check your school’s guidelines for further direction on this!
Generally no to teaching assistants: Although they may be familiar with your academic abilities, I wouldn’t recommend having a Teaching Assistant (TA) write an academic reference for you unless the school you’re applying to states that this would be considered an acceptable academic reference. A professor with a Master’s degree of a PhD is best!
How do you ask for academic references for grad school after years out of school?
Asking for academic references after you’ve been out of school for a while can be daunting – I had to do this myself! That said, you are definitely not alone in doing this; in fact, it is common and often even encouraged to wait a couple of years after finishing your bachelor’s before applying to your master’s, especially for programs like social work where there is a heavy emphasis on professional experience.
Here are a few tips for contacting past instructors for academic references when it’s been a while:
Re-introduce yourself: instructors meet so many students over their careers, so, understandably, they can’t remember every single one. When doing this, I would suggest reminding them of the course you took with them and the year, and if you want, you could also include the grade you got in that course (but you don’t have to if the grade was less than stellar!)
Mention something memorable: it can be helpful to share something specific that you took away from the course because this will help your email feel more personal.
Send other documents to help jog their memory: when I was reaching out to past instructors, I included a copy of my current resume, my transcripts, and a paper or assignment that I wrote for their class. This way, it gives them a chance to review my written work and past experience which helps not only remind them of who you are but also gets them thinking about what they might be able to write about you in a reference.
How important are reference letters for Masters?
Although meeting the school’s requirements for references (number and type of references) is an important step in the application process, ultimately, it is typically not the most important aspect of your application. Depending on the program, references are often more of a formality, and some schools are phasing them out of requiring fewer references than they used to. While you should still follow best practices for references (asking early, being polite, etc.… I talk more about this below!) other aspects of the application, particularly the personal statement, tend to be more important. Luckily, we have plenty of resources on the blog for writing your personal statement that you can check out as well!
How do I get a good academic and professional reference for grad school?
While getting good references isn’t one-size-fits-all, I’ve shared a few tips below that will help get you on the right track for getting a great reference!
Be proactive! For academic references, get to know your instructors, go to office hours, contribute to class discussions, or even volunteer in a research lab. For professional references, be reliable, demonstrate your skills, and communicate well with your supervisors. By doing these things, you will not only make yourself more memorable, but you will make sure that when the time comes around, your instructors and supervisors will have great things to say on your references!
When asking for references, give a bit of information about the program you’re applying to. This is especially important if your program of choice is different from the field that your reference works in. Even just writing a few sentences in your initial email about the program and how your experience makes you a good fit can go a long way toward making sure your reference can tailor their letter to your program of choice!
Lastly, a few general pointers that I’ve also discussed elsewhere in this blog: ask early, be polite, and provide additional information or documents as needed so they can write a great letter!
Tips for asking for references
When should I ask for a reference?
When reaching out to your references, I would suggest reaching out at least a month before the first reference is due, but reaching out 2-3 months in advance is best to give your references lots of time to write them and so you aren’t scrambling to find people to write them at the last minute. If you still see the person you are requesting the reference from regularly (for example, they are your current supervisor or course instructor), I would suggest having a quick conversation about it in person and then following up with an email to confirm and include any information they might want like your current resume, academic transcript, or a copy of reference instructions if the school makes it available to you.
Asking for references email template
If you are asking someone for a reference who you don’t see in person, no problem! When writing your email to request a reference, I recommend being clear, concise, and polite. Below is a template for requesting an academic reference, but you could also tweak it and write something similar for your professional references!
Dear (Name),
I am a student in (class name) / I hope you are having a great week.
I am planning to apply to (my Master of Social Work) at (School Name), and I was wondering if you would be willing to provide an academic reference.
(Add a sentence about why you are choosing them as a reference: such as what you have gotten out of the class, why their reference would mean a lot, or a project that you completed.) If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat further feel free to contact me at (phone number and email).
Thank you for your time and consideration,
(Your favourite sign off),
(Name)
What to do if your reference doesn’t respond
It is never fun to get ghosted by a reference, especially when it feels like your whole grad school application is hinging on finding people to write references for you! If you reached out to someone requesting a reference and they don’t respond, don’t panic! It’s possible they have been busy or just missed your email by accident. In this case, it is totally acceptable to send a follow-up email. Although it can feel like you’re waiting forever for a response, make sure you’re patient. I would recommend waiting between 1-2 weeks after your initial email before sending a follow-up. When you do send your follow-up, make sure you are polite and professional in your message. I would do this by replying to the same email thread so that the original message is easy to find, asking if they might need anything else from you to assist with the process, and requesting a response whether they are available to write your reference or not.
If all else fails and your reference either never gets back to you or lets you know they can’t write your reference, I always suggest having a plan B. Ultimately, a reference from someone who doesn’t know you as well is better than no reference at all. Plus, as I said above, your references usually aren’t the most important part of your application anyway.
When I was going through my grad school application process, I only had one professor who knew me well and a couple of others who didn’t know me as well at all. When I started reaching out to academic references, I reached out to all of them early, even though all the schools I was applying to only required 1-2 academic references. That way, if one of them wasn’t available to write a reference, I would still have someone else prepared to write them for me. Luckily, they were all able to write some references for me, so I split the references I needed between them so that I didn’t have one person stuck writing every single one of them, and I had a backup just in case anything unexpected happened.
Don’t forget to thank references
Last but not least, make sure you thank the people who wrote references for you after your application has been submitted! Not only does this show that you appreciate the time and effort that they put into writing that reference for you, but it also helps maintain a positive relationship so that they are more likely to say yes if you ever need a reference again in the future! To say thank you, typically a quick email should be sufficient! That said, once I got accepted to my MSW, I sent my references another short email to let them know that I had been admitted, and again showing my appreciation!
I know asking for references can be a challenging part of your grad school application! By asking for your references in advance, being professional and polite in your communication, and making sure you are following your school guidelines to a T, you’ll be able to get the best references you can to go along with the rest of your application!
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