How to use the Common Letter of Recommendation for your MBA application

Asking someone to write your business school letter of recommendation can feel like one of the more challenging parts of the MBA application process—for you and for them. The good news: with the right preparation, it doesn't have to be stressful for either side. In fact, understanding how the process works can turn your letter of recommendation into one of the strongest pieces of your application.

Many leading business schools now use the Common Letter of Recommendation (Common LOR)—a standardized form developed by GMAC in collaboration with top programs. It was designed to solve a real problem: MBA applicants were reluctant to apply to multiple schools because of how much work it created for their recommenders, and recommenders were struggling to give each letter the time and thought it deserved.

The Common LOR fixes this by using one consistent set of questions across participating schools, so your recommender can prepare their answers once and reuse them, with only light customization, for each application.

Here's how to make the most of it—and how to set your recommender up to write a letter that genuinely reflects your strengths.

Why the Common Letter of Recommendation makes applying to b-school easier

Before the Common LOR, every school had its own unique set of recommendation questions. If you were applying to five schools, your recommender might have faced five completely different forms—a serious drain on their time and goodwill, and a real deterrent to applying broadly.

The Common LOR changes that. Because dozens of top programs—including Wharton, Yale SOM, Berkeley Haas, Duke Fuqua, and many others—now use the same core questions, your recommender can write one thoughtful, detailed response and adapt it slightly for each school. That means:

• Less burden on your recommender, so they can focus their energy on quality over repetition
• Fewer excuses to limit your school list—applying to more programs no longer means asking for more work
• Richer, more insightful letters, because your recommender isn't rushing through five different forms

What's in the Common Letter of Recommendation?

Understanding the structure of the Common Letter of Recommendation helps you brief your recommender clearly. The form has three parts:

Section 1: Recommender information—basic details about who they are and their relationship to you.

Section 2: Leadership assessment grid—your recommender rates you across 12 competencies and character traits, grouped into five categories: Achievement, Influence, People, Personal Qualities, and Cognitive Abilities.

Section 3: Open-ended questions, typically answered in around 500 words each:

1. A brief description of their interaction with you and your role in the organization
2. How your performance compares to peers in similar roles, with specific examples
3. The most important piece of constructive feedback they've given you, how you responded, and what it revealed
4. An optional final question—anything else the school should know

Knowing these questions in advance means you can start thinking now about which stories and examples best answer them—long before your recommender sits down to write.

How to prepare your b-school recommender for success

1. Choose the right person, not just the most senior one. Your recommender should be someone who has worked closely with you—ideally a direct manager—for at least a year, and who can speak with real detail about your day-to-day performance. A well-known title means little if that person can't describe specific examples of your work.

2. Ask early—and ask in person. Give your recommender at least one to two months' notice. A rushed letter is rarely a strong one. Where possible, make the request face-to-face or over a call rather than by email alone, so you can explain why you're applying and what the program means to you.

3. Share the Common LOR template up front. Once someone agrees to write for you, send them the Common LOR PDF template straight away, along with the names and email addresses of your target schools. This lets them prepare their answers early—often before the formal school invitation even arrives—and simply copy their responses into each school's system as invitations come in.

4. Give them context, not just a request. Provide your resume, a draft of your application essay, and a short note on your career goals and why this particular program matters to you. This isn't about telling them what to write—it's about giving them the material to write a more specific, more credible letter. The clearer the picture you provide, the more concrete their examples can be.

5. Say thank you—and follow up. Writing a strong recommendation takes real time and thought. A handwritten note, a genuine thank-you, and an update once you hear back from schools go a long way—and this person may well be a reference again in your career.

Why recommendation matters

Getting your letter of recommendation right isn't just about ticking a box—it's a chance to have someone who knows your work well vouch for the leadership potential you'll bring to a business school classroom. When you prepare your recommender properly, you're not just making their life easier; you're giving your own application a better shot at standing out.

“I take the position that the recommendation letters are the single most important part of a successful application,” says Luke Anthony Peña, principal, Menlo Coaching who formerly served as director of MBA Admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“This is the part of the application where somebody else vouches for your performance and your potential. I think some applicants overlook the significance of these particular endorsements,” he adds.

If you're weighing up which schools to apply to, the Common LOR is one more reason not to let logistics limit your ambitions. With the groundwork in place, adding another program to your list is far less daunting than it used to be.

Ready to move forward? Explore the Common Letter of Recommendation template—then take the next step toward your business school application.

Which schools use the Common LOR?

The following schools use the Common Letter of Recommendation. If your target school isn’t listed, please contact the admissions office to find out if they accept it.

What about non-English speaking recommenders?

The form is also available for reading purposes only in the following languages:

• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: Simplified Chinese (Word)
• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: French (Word)
• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: German (Word)
• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: Korean (Word)
• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: Spanish (Word)
• Common Letter of Recommendation Template: Italian (Word)

For US schools, recommenders would need to submit their LOR in English but do check with your chosen institution if your recommender isn’t an English speaker, as the admissions team will need to advise (and will not accept a LOR that has been translated by the applicant).