Congratulations! You’ve won a scholarship! This is exciting news. However, you have a bit of work ahead of yourself; to receive the scholarship, you must complete a Thank You Letter to your scholarship donor(s). This handout provides advice on how to write an effective thank you letter for the reception of scholarship funds. Generally, you have three specific paragraphs to write in this type of letter: the thank you, the “why it matters,” and the closure. This handout will cover all three, and will also give guidance on the formatting of a professional letter. 

Paragraph 1: Introduce Yourself and Thank Your Donor

The first major part of your letter should introduce who you are to your donor(s)—who you are, where you’re from—and then focus on the actual gratitude you feel that you were selected for this scholarship—which you should name explicitly. You will want to actually say how thankful you are. Here’s what you should include:

  • Provide Your Background
    • Your Name
    • Your Hometown
  • Show You’re Thankful
    • Thank you for selecting me to receive the [X] scholarship.
    • I feel honored that you selected me to receive the [X] scholarship.
    • My name is {Y}, and I want to thank you for choosing me to receive the [X] scholarship.

You can write it entirely differently than these templates, of course, but hopefully they give you an idea of how to begin your letter. In short, make sure you identify yourself, and then show gratitude from the first moment all the way through to the end of your letter.

Paragraph 2: Explain Why It Matters

In addition to the explicit thank you, another aspect of the scholarship thank you letter is to explain how these funds will impact your studies and your future: why it matters. To effectively explain, you will need to offer up some details about yourself, including your past, present, and future. Let’s unpack what might fit into each:

  • Your current situation
    • your declared major and relevant studies
    • what you enjoy in your free time (volunteering, interests, hobbies)
    • whether you belong to any groups or clubs
  • Your goals
    • what you hope you will achieve once completing college
    • where you hope your career path will take you
    • how this scholarship has paved the way or contributed to this future

Remember that you should keep your letter to one page, around 300-500 words total, so you can’t cover absolutely everything about who you are and what you want to do – focus on what you need to get your point across, and no more.

Paragraph 3: Close It Out

Your last paragraph should conclude your letter by restating your appreciation for the donor’s contribution to your future. Here are some sample phrasings you could use:

  • Once again, thank you for your generous donation to my academic success and future career.
  • Thank you, again, for selecting me for the [X] scholarship. I know I will make you proud.
  • I plan to make the most of the opportunities you have granted me through the [X] scholarship. Thank you.

Formatting

Professional letters have very specific guidelines for what to include and how it should look. On this page, we’ve provided a template you can use to build your specific scholarship thank you letter, with some annotations explaining these aspects in more detail. For the three paragraphs, write out what the first page of this handout describes.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Info]

[Date – formatted however it makes sense, but usually Month Day, Year]

Dear [Thank You Letter Recipient(s)],

          Paragraph 1, (who are you? thank your donor): Introduce yourself and your background, such as your hometown and other personal details worth sharing. State the letter’s purpose, which should mention the scholarship you’ve received and an explicit thank you to your donor(s) for selecting you. 

          Paragraph 2, (what have you done? what do you hope to do?): Talk about your academics, including your major, year, extracurricular involvement, special achievements, and plans for the future or other interests you feel are relevant to share. 

          Paragraph 3, (close it out): Conclude with another “thank you” statement. Highlight the scholarship’s role in your future successes once you receive your degree and begin your career path. 

                                                                                                  [Salutation]

This formatting assumes you are writing a separate document you will then attach in an email (as either a .pdf or a .docx file) to advancement@uis.edu. Make sure to label the file appropriately (for example, “X Scholarship Thank You Letter”). Also make sure to write a brief but professional email that outlines the reason for your correspondence, and directs the reader to the attached letter.

Checklist for Your Scholarship Thank You Letter

  • Do you have the formatting properly executed, with addresses, greetings, salutations, etc.?
    • Have you clearly thanked your donor at multiple points within the letter?
    • Have you given a sense of who you are, and what you hope to achieve as a result of these funds?
    • Have you kept it to around one page, the preferred length? Should you find ways to trim, if not?
    • Do you have any mistakes you need to fix in a quick proofreading/editing review?

Adapted from U.S. News & World Report and We Are Teachers as well as information from Financial Aid – check these out for great examples and more information to help you write the best thank you letter you can muster!