Recommendation letter for a scholarship: who to ask, when, and what Chevening, DAAD and others require

Scholarships

9 min read

2 Nov 2026

Recommendation letter for a scholarship: who to ask, when, and what Chevening, DAAD and others require

Academic or professional referee, timing, preparation, the format required by Chevening, the DAAD, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission or the WAAW Foundation, who sends the letter, and a model message to ask for it.

Espero AKPOLI

Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

A scholarship recommendation letter confirms, in the voice of a credible third party, what your file claims. It is chosen (who knows you well enough to cite facts), prepared (the referee does not know what the panel looks for) and scheduled (it is the one document you do not control). Official forms are more precise than people think: Chevening refuses a relative, the DAAD wants a lecturer for the doctorate and your employer for EPOS, and several programmes reject a file when a reference is missing at the deadline.

What official forms require

Programme	Number	Who	Who submits the letter	When
Chevening (in French)	2	Professional or academic, neither friend nor relative	You, on the portal or to the local team	No later than 7 working days before the interview
DAAD, doctoral scholarship (in French)	1	A university teacher	You, after the teacher completes the portal form	Before the deadline
DAAD EPOS (in French)	1	Your current employer	You, with the file sent to each programme	With the application
Commonwealth, master's (in French)	At least 2	Referees of your choice	You, as PDFs on the portal	Before the deadline, never after
WAAW Foundation (in French)	2	A professor at your institution, and a supervisor, adviser or mentor	With the online form	During the call
Eiffel, doctorate (in French)	1 expert opinion	A qualified, external professor or researcher	The French institution	With the institution's file

Three lessons stand out. First, you are often the one who submits the letter, not the referee: Chevening, the DAAD and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) say so plainly, and the CSC states that it accepts no documents by email or post. Next, the referee's profile is set by each programme. Finally, timing matters: a reference missing at the deadline makes the file incomplete.

Some programmes, by contrast, have the referee send the recommendation directly through a portal: according to our listings, this is the case for the Japan-World Bank scholarship (in French). Always read the "references" section of the call before asking anyone.

Chevening: two references, with precise content

You name two referees in the form: two professionals, two academics, or one of each, but neither a friend nor a relative. Chevening does not contact your referees for you. If you are invited to interview, you upload both letters no later than seven working days before the interview; after that, the application is no longer considered. Each letter:

is addressed to the British embassy or high commission in your country;
gives the referee's address, email and phone number;
states how long and in what capacity they have known you, and when you were last in regular contact;
briefly endorses your leadership and networking skills, personal qualities and ability to complete a demanding programme in the UK;
is written in English, or comes with a notarised English translation in the same file.

The embassy may contact your referees to verify. If one becomes unreachable, Chevening accepts another referee, provided you can explain it at interview.

DAAD: a teacher for the doctorate, the employer for EPOS

For the doctoral scholarship, the DAAD asks for a recent letter from a university teacher. During the application period, you generate a PDF form on the portal that the teacher completes in full; you then upload it. The DAAD's general page adds that in scientific subjects the letter should come from a teacher with a doctoral degree, and that it covers your results, qualities, project and the value of the scholarship for your career.

For EPOS master's, the letter comes from your current employer, on letterhead, signed, stamped and currently dated, not in a sealed envelope. The rest of the German process is covered in our guide to DAAD scholarships and foundations.

Commonwealth and WAAW: the referee writes, you submit

The CSC asks candidates to collect references themselves, on institutional letterhead or in an email clearly showing the sender, then upload them before the deadline; it accepts them neither later nor any other way. The WAAW Foundation, which funds women in science bachelor's degrees, wants two letters: one from a professor at your institution, one from a supervisor, adviser or mentor.

Eiffel: an expert opinion, not a simple recommendation

At master's level, the career plan may be supported by the opinion of an outside person, for example from a company, without obligation. For the doctorate, the 2027 guide requires a reasoned opinion on the thesis's scientific contribution, written by a qualified professor, research director or lecturer-researcher, external to the submitting institution, from the same field, with no joint work with the thesis supervisor, and from neither your home institution, nor your country, nor your nationality. The French institution organises it with you.

Who to ask

The right referee is not the most senior, but the one who can write facts. A letter from a dean who met you twice weighs less than one from the lecturer who supervised your dissertation. The Mastercard Foundation lists "poor references" among its nine common mistakes: a generic reference does not help, it must cite specific examples.

Your situation	Academic referee	Professional referee
Bachelor's or master's student	Dissertation supervisor, lecturer of a course where you excelled	Internship supervisor, head of an association
Recent graduate in work	Dissertation supervisor	Direct manager
Experienced professional (Chevening, EPOS)	Useful if the programme accepts it	Direct manager, partner on a project you led
Doctoral project	Future thesis supervisor or master's lecturer	Rarely enough on its own

Avoid: a parent, a friend, a religious or political figure who has never seen you work, and anyone who asks you for money to sign.

When to ask

Ask as soon as you decide to apply, not after filling in the form. Your referee has other priorities, and many deadlines fall between October and January, exam season. A realistic rhythm:

1Six weeks before the letter must be submitted: request and agreement in principle.

2Five weeks before: send the preparation pack (see below).

3Two weeks before: friendly check-in, offer help with the format.

4One week before: receive the letter, check the format, submit.

For Chevening, the letter is only due if you are interviewed, but referees' names are in the application from the start: tell them then, do not surprise them three weeks before the interview.

Preparing your referee

A well-prepared referee writes a useful letter. Send them, all at once:

the scholarship's name, official link and deadline;
the programme's criteria, copied from the call (leadership for Chevening, results and project for the DAAD, financial need and commitment for Mastercard);
your CV and your scholarship motivation letter, even as a draft, so the two documents echo each other;
three facts they witnessed, with dates and figures ("dissertation graded 16/20 in 2025", "tutoring project launched in 2024");
the required format: addressee, language, letterhead, signature, stamp, portal form, page count if set;
who submits the letter and how they should get it to you.

If your referee asks you to write the letter for them, offer the list of facts instead. A letter written by the candidate stands out, and the British embassy, for example, may phone the referee to check what they signed.

Model message to request a recommendation

Adapt this model: replace the items in brackets.

Subject: Request for a recommendation letter, [scholarship name]

Dear [Ms, Mr, title and name],

I am preparing an application for the [name] scholarship, which funds [level and country] for [programme mission in one line]. The deadline is [date], and the programme asks for a recommendation letter from [an academic referee, an employer].

You supervised [my dissertation, my work at...] between [dates], and I believe you are best placed to speak about [two qualities the programme asks for]. Would you agree to write this letter?

If so, I will send you a short pack this week: the programme's criteria, my CV, my motivation letter, three specific facts from our work together and the required format ([language, letterhead, form]). I would need the letter by [date, one week before the deadline].

I fully understand if your schedule does not allow it.

With thanks,

[First name Surname, phone]

After submitting, say thank you, then share the result, whatever it is. The same referee will help you with the next scholarship.

Tracking your requests with Compatri

Each listing in Compatri's scholarship directory (in French) shows, when the programme publishes it, the number and type of recommendations. Clicking "Candidater" opens an application tracker (in French) that lists the listing's steps, which you tick one by one, with reminders before the deadline as long as submission is not ticked. To compare programmes, see our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students, and to start early, the one on preparing your application from the penultimate year of school.

No obvious referee? A volunteer diaspora mentor will not replace a teacher who supervised you, but can help you choose the right referee and prepare your file; see how to find a mentor in the diaspora.

Compatri awards no scholarships: only the programmes' rules are authoritative.

Official sources

Scholarships Africa Students Tips Mentoring

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Who can write a recommendation letter for a scholarship?

Someone who knows you academically or professionally and can cite facts: dissertation supervisor, lecturer, direct manager, internship supervisor. The programme may set the profile: a university teacher for the DAAD doctoral scholarship, your current employer for EPOS master's. Chevening explicitly excludes friends and relatives.

How far in advance should you ask for a recommendation letter?

As soon as you decide to apply, ideally six weeks before the letter must be submitted. None of the programmes cited here sets that period, but many deadlines fall between October and January, during exams, and a reference missing at the deadline often makes the file incomplete.

Does the referee have to send the recommendation letter themselves?

It depends on the programme. With Chevening, the DAAD and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the candidate uploads the letter; the CSC refuses documents sent by email or post. Other programmes have the referee send the recommendation through a portal. Read the references section of the call before asking anyone.

What language should the recommendation letter be in?

In the programme's language. Chevening requires English, or a notarised English translation in the same file; an unofficial translation is refused. For other scholarships, follow the call: when in doubt, a letter in the language of the programme, or in English, is safest.

Can you write your own recommendation letter?

Better not. Give your referee a list of precise, dated, quantified facts instead, along with the programme's criteria. A letter written by the candidate stands out, and some programmes check: the British embassy may contact a Chevening candidate's referees to confirm what they signed.