How to Format a Recommendation Letter
The content carries the letter, but the format decides whether it reads as professional or careless before a single sentence is read. This is the standard business-letter format for a recommendation: layout, margins, font, spacing, and the order of every element.
The format in one paragraph
Use standard block format: single-spaced, left-aligned, no indents, with a blank line between paragraphs. Set one-inch margins on all sides, choose an 11 to 12 point professional font, and write on official letterhead where you have it. Open with the date, recipient block, and a specific salutation; run three to five body paragraphs; and close with a sign-off, signature, and your title and contact details. Keep it to one page for most contexts and send it as a PDF.
The layout, top to bottom
A recommendation letter follows the same element order as any formal business letter. Each block sits on its own line or lines, separated by a blank line.
Letterhead
Your organisation's printed header, or a simple typed block with your name, title, organisation, and contact details if you have no letterhead.
Date
The date you are writing or submitting the letter, written in full (for example, 14 June 2026). A current date matters; an old date reads as a recycled letter.
Recipient block
The recipient's name, title, organisation, and address, where you know them. For a named committee, address it directly. Omit this block if the letter is uploaded through a portal.
Salutation
A specific greeting: 'Dear Dr. Martinez,' or 'Dear Members of the Admissions Committee,'. Avoid 'To Whom It May Concern,' which reads as generic and reused.
Body
Three to five single-spaced paragraphs: an opening that states your relationship and how long you have known the candidate, two body paragraphs built on specific examples, and a closing with a peer comparison and an offer to be contacted.
Sign-off
A professional close ('Sincerely,' or 'Yours sincerely,'), space for a signature, then your typed name, title, organisation, email, and phone number.
Margins, spacing, and alignment
1″
Margins
One inch (2.5 cm) on all four sides. Do not narrow margins to fit more text; cut words instead.
1.0–1.15
Line spacing
Single-spaced body text. Leave one blank line between paragraphs rather than indenting.
Left
Alignment
Left-aligned with a ragged right edge. Do not justify the text; justified margins create uneven word spacing.
The best fonts for a recommendation letter
Use a clean, professional font at 11 to 12 points. The font should be invisible: the reader notices the content, not the typeface. Avoid decorative, script, or display fonts entirely. Any of these six are safe choices, and if your letterhead already specifies a brand font, match it.
| Font | Style | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Times New Roman | Serif | The traditional academic and legal default. Conservative and universally accepted. |
| Georgia | Serif | Designed for screen reading; renders well in PDFs viewed on screen. |
| Cambria | Serif | A modern serif that pairs cleanly with most letterheads. |
| Calibri | Sans-serif | Microsoft Office's longtime default; clean and contemporary. |
| Arial | Sans-serif | Plain, neutral, and available on every system. |
| Helvetica | Sans-serif | A polished sans-serif if it appears on your organisation's letterhead. |
Serif or sans-serif is a matter of house style, not correctness. Academic and legal letters lean serif by convention; corporate letters often follow the company's brand font. Either is acceptable as long as it is clean and set at 11 to 12 point.
Length and page count, by type
Most recommendation letters belong on a single page. The exceptions are graduate-school and academic-position letters, where evaluators expect deeper analysis. A specific application's stated word or page limit always overrides these general ranges.
| Type | Words | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 400-600 | 1 |
| College | 500-750 | 1-1.5 |
| Graduate School | 600-1,000 | 1.5-2 |
| Scholarship | 400-600 | 1 |
| Internship | 350-500 | 0.75-1 |
| Character Reference | 400-600 | 1 |
| Academic Position | 1,200-2,000 | 2-4 |
File format and delivery
Send a PDF
A PDF preserves your layout, font, and signature on any device. Name it clearly, for example Recommendation-Chen-DataEngineer.pdf. This is the safe default whenever you are attaching or emailing the letter.
When the portal asks
Many academic and job application portals upload letters through a form or accept only a specific file type. Follow the portal's instructions exactly; if it asks you to paste text, let the portal handle the formatting and focus on the words.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard format for a recommendation letter?
Use standard business-letter (block) format: single-spaced text, left-aligned, no paragraph indents, with a blank line between paragraphs. Set one-inch margins on all sides, use an 11 to 12 point professional font, and put the letter on official letterhead where you have it. The top of the letter carries the date, the recipient's name and address, and a specific salutation; the body runs three to five paragraphs; the close is a sign-off, your handwritten or typed signature, and your title and contact details.
What is the best font for a recommendation letter?
Use a clean, professional font at 11 to 12 points. Reliable serif choices are Times New Roman, Georgia, and Cambria; reliable sans-serif choices are Calibri, Arial, and Helvetica. Avoid decorative, script, or display fonts, and avoid anything below 11 point or above 12 point for body text. If your organisation has a brand font on its letterhead, match it. The font should be invisible: the reader should notice the content, not the typeface.
What margins and spacing should a recommendation letter use?
Set one-inch (2.5 cm) margins on all four sides. Single-space the body text (1.0 or 1.15 line spacing) and leave one blank line between paragraphs rather than indenting them. Leave a blank line above and below the salutation and the sign-off. Do not justify the text; left-align it with a ragged right edge, which is easier to read and is the business-letter norm.
Should a recommendation letter be on letterhead?
Yes, whenever you have access to it. Official letterhead from your company, university, or institution signals that you are writing in your professional capacity and makes the letter harder to forge, which evaluators value. If you have no letterhead (for a personal character reference, for example), create a simple header with your name, title, and contact details at the top instead.
Should I send a recommendation letter as a PDF or a Word document?
Send a PDF unless the application portal asks for a specific format. A PDF preserves your layout, fonts, and signature exactly as you intended on any device, while a Word document can reflow or lose formatting on the reader's machine. Name the file clearly, for example 'Recommendation-Chen-DataEngineer.pdf'. Many academic and job portals upload the letter directly through a form; in that case, paste the text and let the portal handle formatting.
How long should a recommendation letter be?
Most recommendation letters fit on a single page: roughly 400 to 600 words for employment, 500 to 750 for college, and 400 to 600 for a scholarship or character reference. Graduate-school letters run longer at 600 to 1,000 words (one and a half to two pages), and academic-position letters are the exception at 1,200 to 2,000 words (two to four pages). The specific application's stated limit always overrides any general range.
Complete Writing Guide
Once the format is set, this is how to fill it with specific, persuasive content.
Common Mistakes
The 12 mistakes that undermine even a well-formatted letter.
All Templates
Eight copyable letters already laid out in this format.
Employment Template
A formatted, copy-ready employment recommendation.