How Long Should a Recommendation Letter Be

Length depends on context, but concise and specific beats long and vague.

1. Most professional recommendation letters run one page, roughly 300-400 words.
2. Academic or fellowship letters can run longer if the program specifically requests depth.
3. A short, vivid letter with one strong example outperforms a long letter of generic praise.
4. If asked for a word or page limit, respect it — exceeding it can signal poor judgment about the reader's time.

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