How to Write a Scholarship Thank You Letter

A scholarship thank you letter is a letter that you write to the scholarship donors. It is a short formal letter that expresses your appreciation and gratitude for the financial assistance you received for your education.

Writing one is often not compulsory but it is suggested and highly recommended. This is because when you show your gratitude to the donor, it helps encourage them to continue such gifts for future students. It lets them know that they are appreciated.

Sometimes, writing a thank you letter is a requirement for some college-supported scholarships. It is compulsory for such institutions that you thank your donor or sponsor by writing them a letter showing how much their donation is appreciated. Therefore, it is important to know how to write a scholarship thank you letter. Some colleges also provide a standardized template that suggests the best content to include.

Writing a thank you letter is quite simple and straightforward. You will be able to draft one in just under 10 minutes by following a few simple steps. The main things that you will need to include in your scholarship thank you letter include a greeting, the purpose of the letter, an expression of gratitude, how the scholarship is helpful, your future plans, another quick thanks, and your signature.

Keep the greeting short and simple. Simple start with “Dear” followed by “Mr./Mrs. Last Name”. It would be best to address the donor directly. The name of the donor should be listed on the notification you receive for your scholarship award. In case you are unable to get the donor’s name, then you can address it to the scholarship foundation or the selection committee.

After addressing the donor, say hello in the next line.

After you have greeted the donor, state the purpose of your letter. This would just be a sentence telling the donor that you are writing to thank them for their generous assistance and that you really appreciate it.

In this next section of your scholarship thank you letter, thank the donor or the foundation in quick and simple words. This part should usually not exceed more than a sentence or two. You can start by saying “Thank you so much for your generosity.”, and in the next sentence you can say “It is a privilege to be chosen for the  insert scholarship name .”

In this section, provide a few details of how you will be using your scholarship award and how it has helped you financially to succeed in your education. Talk about what opportunities the scholarship has opened for you which might have been hard otherwise. You could even mention which educational institution you are attending and which major you are pursuing with the support of the scholarship if you like.

Again, like all the previous sections, keep this one short and simple too. Generally, around three sentences would be enough to deliver what is necessary.

This is not necessary to include as not everyone has their future fully planned out. However, if you do have some future plans, feel free to share them with the donor in this section. They would be glad to know how the scholarship is helping you achieve your future goals. You can start this section by saying “Upon completion of my studies I plan to pursue a career in _______.”. Again, one to three sentences should be fine for this section too.

In the next line, quickly thank them again by saying something like “Thanks again for your gift/assistance.”

This is the simplest and easiest part of the whole letter. In the end, you just need to add your signature to the letter. Start by writing “Best regards”, “Kind regards”, “Best wishes”, or “Sincerely” and follow it by signing your name in the next line to end the letter.

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing the best thank you letter. By taking note of the following factors, you can rest assured that your letter is the best it can be.

• Look at a few samples/templates before you start

Before starting your letter, it is best to look at a few samples to get an idea of what to include. It will also help you decide how much detail would be sufficient and will give you an idea of the general format.

• Write clearly and concisely

A scholarship thank you letter should be clear and concise. It should consist of a minimum of two paragraphs and should never exceed a page. Also, don’t forget to sign the letter with your name at the end. Moreover, avoid including the scholarship amount in your letter.

• Simplicity is the best policy

Do not overthink and use simple and sincere words. You are just trying to thank them, so don’t use too many complicated words or ideas. Be enthusiastic but short, kind, and simple.

• Always proofread

It is important to make sure that your letter is free of grammatical and spelling mistakes. This is because you are communicating your intelligence to them through the letter too. Moreover, if you are too careless with these technicalities, it will make them think that you do not really care about it and just fulfilling a formality.

Therefore, it is important to check and recheck your scholarship thank you letter once you are done writing it.

• Get it checked by a friend

Sometimes, it’s hard to spot your own mistake even if you proofread your work multiple times. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to get your letter checked by someone else like a friend to make sure that it is absolutely perfect.

• For mailing, always use an envelope

It does not matter if you decide to handwrite your letters or type them. However, if you are mailing them by post make sure to put them in an envelope. It looks more formal and professional, which is the right way to do it. Also, remember to label the envelope with the scholarship name followed by ‘thank you letter’ on the front.

Writing a thank you letter is in most cases a choice, but it is recommended to do so due to how important it is. It not only expresses gratitude but allows the donors and sponsors to see that their contributions are actually doing good in society. They feel their efforts are valuable and this inspires them to continue sponsoring future students too. If you know how to write a scholarship thank you letter, it would only take a few minutes to write one but the impact of it may be huge.

Therefore, writing a scholarship thank you letter is important as:

• It shows your appreciation and gratitude towards the donors and sponsors.
• Being thankful and appreciative helps spread positivity in society.
• It ensures that the organization that issued the scholarship stays committed to it and continues to give out new scholarships to future students.
• It helps make personal connections with the sponsors and donors that can be helpful later on in life.
• It is a way to practice formal business writing that can prove to be handy for your future.