How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation via Email for Transfer Applications

Asking for a letter of recommendation can be kind of intimidating! For transfer students, who might not see their professors on a regular basis, it can be especially difficult. If you ask for a letter of recommendation from an instructor from a previous semester, it's perfectly acceptable to make that request over email. In this article, I'll walk you through how to ask for a letter of recommendation over email. I'll include plenty of examples to help you craft a thoughtful, effective email that makes it easy for your recommender to help you out.

Why you shouldn't be nervous to ask for a recommendation letter for college

Before we go any further, I want to assure you of a few things:

Your instructor is expecting this ask. You’re not the only one applying to college; they know students need letters of rec, and generally, they’re happy to help!
No one is going to write you a bad letter. If your instructor doesn’t feel like they know you well enough to write a meaningful letter, or if they don’t have enough time, they’ll say so.

Step-by-Step: how to write your email request

Let me break it down into steps and give you some examples. You’ll check this item off your To Do list in no time!

Use a descriptive subject line.

Letter of Recommendation request
A favor for my transfer application

Address it to your professor, using whatever name they asked you to call them when you had class together.

Dear Dr. Livingstone,
Dear Kathy,
Dear Prof. Plum,

If you are not super close, you may want to remind them which class(es) you took.

I hope you’ve been doing well since we last had class together (BIO 194 in Spring 2023).
You’ll be happy to know that after taking Intro to Anthropology and Digital Cultures with you, I declared my anthropology major!

Tell them about your goals in one or two sentences

I’m getting ready to transfer and plan to major in Anthropology. I haven’t finalized my list yet, but some of the colleges that interest me are The New School and SUNY Purchase.
I’m planning to apply to other colleges that are a better fit for me. I haven’t decided on a major, but I hope to attend a large school where I can participate in research projects with faculty.

Politely request the recommendation letter

Would you be able to write me a letter of recommendation?
I’d like to ask if you would feel comfortable writing me a recommendation letter.

Give them something to help them get started! Why did you ask them to be your recommender?

Something you worked on in their class:
- I was so proud of my final research project on the intersectionality of disability and LGBTQ+ identities during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 90s. I’m looking to continue studying those topics at my transfer school, so I thought you’d be a natural choice to ask for a recommendation letter.
Something about their class that stuck out to you:
- One of the reasons I am applying to MCLA is because their art department incorporates art history into studio classes, just like we did in Junior Art Studio.
Something you hope they noticed about you:
- I wanted to ask for a recommendation from you because you’ve really witnessed my growth as a student. My final grade wasn’t so great in BIO 101 in the spring, but after I took your suggestion to go to Peer Tutoring, I improved a lot by the end of BIO 102 in the fall.
Something you want to highlight in your application:
- Fordham really values service learning. I wanted to ask for a recommendation from you because of the Democracy in Action project in our Civics class.

Add a helpful attachment

Your college essay, resume, a list of the schools you are applying to, or all of the above can be helpful information for the instructor. The goal of including these documents isn't to have them include those details in their letter verbatim. The context of who you are and your goals outside of their classroom can help them pick out details that would be helpful for the admission committee.

Let them know about logistical details

My earliest deadline is March 15. With your permission, I can put your information into my application and they’ll email you a form to fill out. Or, you can email the letter to admission@college.edu, along with my full name, and they’ll match it to my application.
The application deadline is October 1. If you’re able to write the letter, I’ll add your contact info to my Common App, and you’ll receive an email with further instructions on how to upload it.

Give them an out and request a response.

If you’re not sure that you’d be a good fit, please let me know so I can ask another professor!
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you think I should ask a different teacher instead!

Say thank you and sign off with your full name!

Thank you so much!
I look forward to hearing from you! With gratitude,

Put it all together and you have yourself an email recommendation letter request.

Sample email request for a college recommendation letter

Here’s an example email requesting a recommendation letter for a transfer application.

Dear Habiba,

It’s been a while since I saw you in Arabic II last spring! I hope you’re well!

Time has been flying by and this semester I am applying to transfer for my bachelor’s degree. My goal is to study Anthropology at SUNY Purchase. I wanted to reach out and ask if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for my application.

I thought you’d be a good person to ask because you saw how much progress I made over the course of the semester! Your class is tough but you were so encouraging. I was really proud of my B+ because I had to work super hard for it.

The transfer application deadline is coming up on April 1. If you’re able to write a recommendation letter for me, please let me know and I’ll arrange for SUNY Purchase to reach out via email with more instructions on submitting it.

Or, if you’re not able to, please just let me know so I can make other plans!

Thanks so much for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!

With gratitude,

Melanie

Melanie MacCaskie

PVCC Class of ‘24

melanie@pvcollegecounseling.com

How to politely follow up if you don't hear back

Instructors often find themselves dealing with a ton of emails in their inbox. If you don't hear back immediately, it's probably not personal! I suggest giving your professor about a week before following up.

Pro tip: don't send them a brand new email. Instead, look in your "Sent" folder to find the original email. Open it up and use the "Reply" function to send it back to the instructor. This way, for most email programs, all the information in your original note will be included.

Your follow up note can be short and to the point. I often use the phrase "bringing this to the top of your inbox," which kind of subtly lets the professor know that you understand they have a lot going on. You can repeat your request for them to let you know by a particular date if they are going to be able to provide the recommendation letter. Then, as always, thank them and sign off with your name.

Final thoughts

Asking for a recommendation letter doesn't have to feel stressful! Remember that your professor chose to become an instructor, and they like having the opportunity to help their students succeed. I've written some recommendation letters of my own and felt such a sense of pride as I considered my students' growth during my time working with them. My hope is that this article and example recommendation letter request help you feel confident in reaching out to your professor. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or success stories!

For more tips on transfer applications, or to stay updated about ways to work with me for personalized college application help, consider signing up for my newsletter!