2019-20 College Recommendation Requirements
Hopefully, you won’t be asking your high school teachers to write you a letter of recommendation hours before the application deadline. In fact, we recommend locking down your recommenders well in advance. Enlightened College Applicants will get ahead of the game by utilizing our user-friendly list of recommendation requirements at 367 premier colleges and universities. Also included is whether each institution requires a recommendation from a guidance counselor. All information was collected from institutional websites in August 2019 in order to provide our readers with the most up-to-date information.
| Institution | Teacher Recommendations Required | Counselor Recommendation Required* | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes Scott College | 1 | Yes | |
| Albion College | 0 | Yes | |
| Alfred University | 0 | Yes | |
| Allegheny College | 1 | Yes | |
| Alma College | 0 | No | |
| American University | 1 | Yes | |
| Amherst College | 2 | Yes | |
| Appalachian State University | 0 | No | |
| Arizona State University | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Honors |
| Auburn University | 0 | No | |
| Augustana College (IL) | 0 | Yes | Teacher letter is recommended |
| Austin College | 1 | Yes | |
| Babson College | 1 | Yes | |
| Bard College | 2 | Yes | One from math/science and one from humanities |
| Barnard College | 2 | Yes | |
| Bates College | 2 | Yes | |
| Baylor University | 0 | No | 2 letters of recommendation are recommended |
| Belmont University | 0 | Yes | |
| Beloit College | 1 | No | |
| Bennington College | 2 | Yes | |
| Bentley University | 1 | Yes | |
| Berea College | 1 | Yes | |
| Berry College | 0 | No | |
| Birmingham Southern College | 0 | No | |
| Boston College | 2 | Yes | |
| Boston University | 1 | Yes | |
| Bowdoin College | 2 | Yes | Must be teacher from 11th/12th grade |
| Bradley University | 0 | No | Recommended but not required |
| Brandeis University | 1 | Yes | |
| Brigham Young University | 1 | No | |
| Brown University | 2 | Yes | |
| Bryant University | 0 | Yes | |
| Bryn Mawr College | 2 | Yes | |
| Bucknell University | 1 | Yes | |
| Butler University | 0 | No | |
| California Institute of Technology | 2 | Yes | One from math/science and one from humanities |
| Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo | 0 | No | |
| Calvin College | 1 | No | |
| Canisius College | 0 | Yes | Recommended but not required |
| Carleton College | 2 | Yes | |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 1 | Yes | |
| Case Western Reserve University | 2 | Yes | |
| Catholic University | 1 | Yes | |
| Centre College | 1 | Yes | |
| Champlain College | 1 | Yes | |
| Chapman University | 1 | Yes | |
| Christopher Newport University | 0 | No | |
| Claremont McKenna College | 2 | Yes | |
| Clark University | 1 | Yes | |
| Clarkson University | 1 | Yes | Two teacher recommendations are encouraged |
| Clemson University | 0 | No | One (1) teacher and one (1) counselor recommendation required for Honors applicants |
| Coe College | 0 | No | |
| Colby College | 2 | Yes | |
| Colgate University | 2 | Yes | |
| College of Charleston | 0 | No | One (1) letter required for applicants to Honors |
| College of the Atlantic | 2 | Yes | |
| College of the Holy Cross | 1 | Yes | |
| College of the Ozarks | 2 | No | |
| College of William and Mary | 0 | Yes | |
| Colorado College | 2 | Yes | |
| Colorado School of Mines | 0 | No | |
| Colorado State University | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Columbia University | 2 | Yes | |
| Connecticut College | 2 | Yes | |
| Cooper Union | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Cornell College | 0 | No | |
| Cornell University | 2 | Yes | |
| Creighton University | 0 | Yes | |
| CUNY Baruch College | 0 | No | |
| CUNY, Brooklyn College | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Macaulay Honors |
| CUNY, City College | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Macaulay Honors |
| CUNY, Hunter College | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Macaulay Honors |
| Dartmouth College | 2 | Yes | Peer recommendation encouraged |
| Davidson College | 2 | Yes | Peer recommendation required |
| Denison University | 1 | Yes | |
| DePaul University | 0 | No | |
| DePauw University | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Dickinson College | 1 | Yes | Two are strongly recommended |
| Drake University | 0 | No | One letter is encouraged |
| Drew University | 1 | Yes | |
| Drexel University | 1 | Yes | |
| Duke University | 2 | Yes | |
| Duquesne University | 0 | No | One (1) letter required (2 recommended) for health sciences majors |
| Earlham College | 1 | Yes | |
| East Carolina University | 0 | No | |
| Eckerd College | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Elizabethtown College | 1 | Yes | |
| Elon University | 0 | No | One reccomendation needed for Honors Fellows consideration |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | 0 | No | Two recommendations are encouraged |
| Emerson College | 1 | Yes | |
| Emory University | 2 | Yes | |
| Evergreen State College | 0 | No | Two required for scholarships |
| Fairfield University | 0 | Yes | |
| Florida Atlantic University | 0 | No | |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | 0 | No | |
| Florida Institute of Technology | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Florida International University | 0 | No | |
| Florida Southern College | 0 | Yes | |
| Florida State University | 0 | No | One (1) teacher and one (1) counselor recommendation required for Honors applicants |
| Fordham University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Franklin & Marshall College | 1 | Yes | |
| Furman University | 0 | No | |
| George Mason University | 0 | No | |
| George Washington University | 1 | Yes | |
| Georgetown College | 0 | No | |
| Georgetown University | 1 | Yes | |
| Georgia College and State University | 0 | No | Honors requires one letter from counselor or teacher |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 0 | Yes | Exception made if counselor is unable to complete request |
| Georgia State University | 0 | No | |
| Gettysburg College | 1 | Yes | |
| Gonzaga University | 1 | No | |
| Goucher College | 1 | Yes | |
| Grinnell College | 2 | Yes | |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | 0 | No | |
| Hamilton College | 1 | Yes | |
| Hampshire College | 1 | Yes | |
| Harvard University | 2 | Yes | |
| Harvey Mudd College | 2 | Yes | HMC requires one (1) recommendation from a math or science teacher and one (1) recommendation from a humanities, social science, or arts teacher. |
| Haverford College | 2 | Yes | |
| Hendrix College | 0 | No | |
| High Point University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Hiram College | 0 | No | |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | 1 | Yes | |
| Hofstra University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Hollins University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Hood College | 0 | No | |
| Hope College | 0 | No | |
| Howard University | 1 | Yes | |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | 0 | Yes | |
| Indiana University | 0 | No | One (1) letter required for applicants to Honors |
| Ithaca College | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| James Madison University | 0 | No | |
| Johns Hopkins University | 2 | Yes | |
| Juniata College | 1 | No | |
| Kalamazoo College | 1 | Yes | |
| Kenyon College | 1 | Yes | |
| Kettering University | 0 | No | |
| Knox College | 1 | Yes | |
| Lafayette College | 1 | Yes | |
| Lake Forest College | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Lawrence University | 1 | Yes | |
| Lehigh University | 1 | Yes | |
| Lewis & Clark College | 1 | Yes | |
| Louisiana State University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Loyola Marymount University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Loyola University Chicago | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Loyola University Maryland | 1 | Yes | |
| Macalester College | 2 | Yes | |
| Marietta College | 0 | Yes | |
| Marist College | 1 | Yes | |
| Marlboro College | 2 | No | |
| Marquette University | 0 | Yes | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 | Yes | MIT requires one (1) recommendation from a math or science teacher and one (1) recommendation from a humanities, social science, or language teacher. |
| McDaniel College | 0 | No | |
| Messiah College | 0 | No | |
| Miami University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Michigan State University | 0 | No | |
| Middlebury College | 2 | Yes | |
| Millsaps College | 0 | No | |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | 0 | No | |
| Mississippi State University | 0 | No | |
| Morehouse College | 1 | Yes | |
| Mount Holyoke College | 2 | Yes | |
| Muhlenberg College | 1 | Yes | |
| New College of Florida | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 1 | Yes | |
| New York University | 1 | Yes | |
| North Carolina State University | 0 | No | |
| Northeastern University | 1 | Yes | |
| Northwestern University | 1 | Yes | |
| Oberlin College | 2 | Yes | |
| Occidental College | 2 | Yes | |
| Oglethorpe University | 0 | No | |
| Ohio State University | 0 | No | |
| Ohio University | 0 | No | Two (2) letters strongly recommended for applicants to Honors |
| Oregon State University | 0 | No | |
| Penn State University | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Honors |
| Pepperdine University | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Pitzer College | 2 | No | |
| Pomona College | 2 | Yes | |
| Princeton University | 2 | Yes | |
| Principia College | 1 | Yes | |
| Providence College | 1 | Yes | |
| Purdue University | 0 | No | |
| Quinnipiac University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Reed College | 2 | Yes | |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 1 | Yes | Preferably a math or science teacher |
| Rhodes College | 1 | Yes | |
| Rice University | 2 | Yes | |
| Ripon College | 0 | No | |
| Roanoke College | 0 | No | Recommends one letter |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 0 | Yes | |
| Rockhurst University | 0 | Yes | |
| Rollins College | 0 | Yes | |
| Rutgers University | 0 | No | |
| Saint John's University (MN) | 0 | No | |
| Saint Joseph's University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Saint Louis University | 0 | No | |
| Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame | 0 | Yes | |
| Saint Michael's College | 1 | Yes | |
| Samford University | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| San Diego State University | 0 | No | |
| San Francisco State University | 0 | No | |
| Santa Clara University | 1 | Yes | |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 2 | Yes | |
| Scripps College | 2 | Yes | |
| Seattle University | 1 | Yes | |
| Seton Hall University | 1 | Yes | |
| Sewanee: University of the South | 1 | Yes | |
| Siena College | 0 | Yes | |
| Simmons College | 1 | Yes | |
| Skidmore College | 2 | Yes | |
| Smith College | 2 | Yes | |
| Southern Methodist University | 0 | Yes | |
| Southwestern University | 0 | Yes | |
| Spelman College | 2 | Yes | |
| St. Edward's University | 0 | Yes | |
| St. John's College, Annapolis | 1 | Yes | |
| St. John's College, Santa Fe | 1 | Yes | |
| St. Lawrence University | 2 | Yes | |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland | 2 | Yes | |
| St. Olaf College | 1 | No | |
| Stanford University | 2 | Yes | Grades 11 & 12 teachers recommended |
| Steston University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 1 | Yes | |
| Stonehill College | 1 | Yes | |
| SUNY Binghamton University | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY Stony Brook | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY University at Buffalo | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 0 | No | |
| SUNY, Geneseo | 1 | No | |
| SUNY, Maritime College | 1 | Yes | Can be two teachers and no counselor, if desired |
| SUNY, New Paltz | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY, Oneonta | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY, Oswego | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY, Purchase College | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| SUNY, University at Albany | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| Susquehanna University | 0 | Yes | |
| Swarthmore College | 2 | Yes | |
| Syracuse University | 2 | Yes | |
| Temple University | 0 | No | |
| Texas A&M University | 0 | No | One (1) letter recommended for applicants to BBA Honors |
| Texas Christian University | 1 | Yes | |
| Texas Tech University | 0 | No | |
| The College of New Jersey | 0 | Yes | Strongly encourages 2-3 total letters of recommendation |
| The College of Wooster | 1 | Yes | |
| Thomas Aquinas College | 3 | No | |
| Towson University | 0 | No | |
| Trinity College | 2 | Yes | |
| Trinity University | 1 | Yes | |
| Truman State University | 0 | No | |
| Tufts University | 1 | Yes | Must be junior or senior year teacher |
| Tulane University | 0 | Yes | |
| Union College | 1 | Yes | |
| United States Air Force Academy | 3 | Yes | |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | 2 | Yes | |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | 2 | Yes | |
| United States Military Academy | 3 | Yes | |
| United States Naval Academy | 3 | Yes | |
| University of Alabama | 0 | No | |
| University of Arizona | 0 | No | |
| University of California, Berkeley | 0 | No | May ask for a letter of recommendation as part of a supplemental application review |
| University of California, Davis | 0 | No | |
| University of California, Irvine | 0 | No | |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 0 | No | May ask for a letter of recommendation as part of a supplemental application review |
| University of California, Riverside | 0 | No | |
| University of California, San Diego | 0 | No | |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 0 | No | |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | 0 | No | |
| University of Central Florida | 0 | No | |
| University of Chicago | 2 | Yes | |
| University of Cincinnati | 0 | No | One teacher letter is highly encouraged |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| University of Connecticut, Storrs | 0 | No | |
| University of Dallas | 0 | Yes | |
| University of Dayton | 0 | No | |
| University of Delaware | 0 | Yes | |
| University of Denver | 0 | Yes | |
| University of Evansville | 0 | No | |
| University of Florida | 0 | No | |
| University of Georgia | 1 | Yes | One (1) letter required for applicants to Honors |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa | 0 | No | |
| University of Houston | 0 | No | |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 0 | No | Encouraged for all; Honors requires two letters |
| University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | 0 | No | |
| University of Iowa | 0 | No | |
| University of Kansas | 0 | No | |
| University of Kentucky | 0 | No | |
| University of Louisville | 0 | No | |
| University of Maine | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| University of Mary Washington | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| University of Maryland | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | 0 | No | |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher recommendation |
| University of Miami | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Michigan | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Minnesota | 0 | No | |
| University of Minnesota, Morris | 0 | No | |
| University of Mississippi | 0 | No | Three (3) letters required for applicants to Honors (2 teachers and 1 counselor) |
| University of Missouri, Columbia | 0 | No | |
| University of Missouri, Kansas City | 0 | No | |
| University of Montana | 0 | No | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 0 | No | |
| University of New Hampshire | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| University of North Carolina at Asheville | 0 | Yes | |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 1 | No | |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 0 | No | |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 0 | No | |
| University of North Carolina at Wilmington | 0 | No | |
| University of North Texas | 0 | No | |
| University of Notre Dame | 1 | Yes | Counselor evaluation recommended but not required |
| University of Oklahoma | 0 | No | |
| University of Oregon | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Honors |
| University of Pennsylvania | 2 | Yes | |
| University of Pittsburgh | 0 | No | |
| University of Portland | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| University of Puget Sound | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Redlands | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Rhode Island | 0 | Yes | Can be a teacher, but counselor is prefered |
| University of Richmond | 0 | Yes | Can be a teacher, but counselor is prefered |
| University of Rochester | 1 | Yes | |
| University of San Diego | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| University of San Francisco | 0 | Yes | |
| University of Scranton | 0 | Yes | |
| University of South Carolina | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Honors |
| University of South Florida | 0 | No | |
| University of Southern California | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| University of St. Thomas (MN) | 0 | No | Two letters are suggested |
| University of Tennessee | 0 | No | |
| University of Texas at Austin | 0 | No | |
| University of Texas at Dallas | 0 | No | |
| University of Tulsa | 0 | No | Counselor recommendation is suggested |
| University of Utah | 0 | No | |
| University of Vermont | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| University of Virginia | 1 | Yes | |
| University of Washington | 0 | No | |
| University of Wisconsin | 1 | No | Can be counselor or teacher |
| Ursinus College | 0 | Yes | |
| Vanderbilt University | 2 | Yes | |
| Vassar College | 1 | Yes | |
| Villanova University | 1 | Yes | |
| Virginia Tech | 0 | No | |
| Wabash College | 0 | Yes | |
| Wake Forest University | 1 | Yes | |
| Warren Wilson College | 0 | Yes | |
| Washington & Jefferson College | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| Washington and Lee University | 2 | Yes | |
| Washington State University | 0 | No | |
| Washington University | 1 | Yes | |
| Wellesley College | 2 | Yes | |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| Wesleyan University | 2 | Yes | |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 0 | No | |
| Westmont College | 1 | No | |
| Wheaton College (IL) | 1 | No | |
| Wheaton College (MA) | 1 | Yes | |
| Whitman College | 1 | Yes | |
| Whittier College | 1 | Yes | |
| Williams College | 2 | Yes | |
| Wittenberg University | 0 | No | |
| Wofford College | 0 | Yes | |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 0 | Yes | Can be counselor or teacher |
| Xavier University | 0 | Yes | |
| Yale University | 2 | Yes | |
| Yeshiva University | 0 | No | Two (2) letters required for applicants to Honors |
*In addition to the School Report form that counselors are also required to complete (for most schools).
