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How to Write a Scholarship Thank You Letter (With Examples)

By Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University. Full Bio
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Updated: May 12th, 2022

Let’s say you just won a scholarship. Awesome, right? Your hard work and dedication to applying for scholarships paid off. However, just because you win a scholarship doesn’t mean you are all done. Your next step is writing a scholarship thank you letter or email.

After all, scholarships exist because of the generosity of others. This includes money that is donated by funders, as well as the time it takes for the scholarship committee to read your application and make a decision. A thank you letter is a great way to show your gratitude.

Don’t miss: How to decline a college acceptance letter

Jump ahead to:

Keep on reading to learn everything that you need to know about writing a scholarship thank you letter including some example letters!

How to write a scholarship thank you letter

Once you are sitting on your kitchen table with a card or in front of your computer, you will want to think about what goes into a thank you note. Generally, a scholarship thank you letter should include a few components in the opening, middle, and closing of the note.

Here’s our step-by-step guide on how you can write a scholarship thank you letter:

  1. Open up the letter by specifically thank the scholarship organization, committee, or funder for granting you the scholarship.
  2. When discussing the scholarship, use the specific scholarship name and the organization awarding the scholarship (specificity is one of the most important parts of writing the letter)
  3. Next, you will want to talk about what you plan to use the scholarship for. Try to be as specific as possible and discuss the college or university you plan to attend. If the scholarship was aimed at supporting specific types of students (according to an interest, background, etc.), you can make that connection here.
  4. If you have an idea of what you might want to study or a career aspiration, you can include that next. Remember, scholarships are about investing in people so this is a great way to show the scholarship committee about the impact you want to make in the world.
  5. You can close the letter with another “thank you” and your first and last name.
  6. As a final step, you should proofread it yourself and then have another trusted person read through it.

Your thank you note does not need to be incredibly long. A brief paragraph is great and this whole process should only take 5-10 minutes. Remember, this 5-10 minutes will absolutely make someone’s day. Scholarship providers love to hear about how their scholarship has impacted you and supported your dreams.

Should you write a handwritten note or an email?

Many students wonder whether it is better to send thank you note or a thank you email. In a digital world, it can be a nice novelty to send a handwritten thank you note, so if you can, this is a nice gesture.

However, it is not always possible to send a thank you note. For instance, you may not have a physical address for the person who funded the scholarship. In this case, a thank you email is completely fine and will also be appreciated.

Related: How to write a scholarship resume

Scholarship thank you letter example

To give you a more specific idea of what scholarship thank you letters can look like, here’s an example:

Dear Mr. Brown,

I just wanted to thank you for awarding me with the Founder’s Scholarship. Growing up in a household where I will be the first in my family to attend college, getting a college education has always been a dream of mine. This financial support is incredibly helpful and will allow me to attend the College of William and Mary, which is my first choice college.

At William and Mary, I hope to study political science so that I can prepare for a job in politics after graduation. This educational opportunity would not have been possible without your generosity, so thank you for the opportunity!

Best,

Robert

Our analysis of the scholarship thank you letter

Robert did a great job of summarizing how Robert planned on using the scholarship. You can see that he included the specific college that he was planning on attending, as well as what he hoped to study at the college.

Robert also explained why the scholarship was valuable to him and shared his general appreciation for receiving it.

You’ll notice that this scholarship thank you letter was only two paragraphs. This is totally okay and while you can certainly write more, a short and sweet note will suffice and do the job.

Bottom line

When I worked in college admissions, I chaired our college’s scholarship selection committee and saw first-hand all of the hard work that was involved in this process.

Remember, the people and organizes that fund scholarships are in the business of investing in people. Because of this, they will be intensely curious about your ambitions and how the scholarship will support you.

Writing a thank you note is a great way to show your gratitude and appreciation for those who want to help students pay for college.

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

  • Writing a thank-you note is a great way to show your gratitude for receiving a scholarship
  • The note does not have to be complicated or long; a simple and straightforward note is all that is necessary
  • Notes can be in digital or handwritten form
  • If you don’t have a name in mind to address your note to, you can always address it: “Dear scholarship selection committee,”
Key Takeaways

Next steps

Now that you’ve won a scholarship and thanked your beneficiary, it’s time to get back on the horse! There are many more scholarships out there to be won. Here is a list of resources that Scholarships360 can offer you to find, apply for, and win scholarships:

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to write a scholarship thank you letter?

There is no rule that says you have to write a scholarship thank you letter. That being said, after being gifted funds from an organization, it’s a good practice to let them know that you appreciate it! They might want to use a quote from you in some of their materials, or just to brighten their employees’ days. It also keeps the door open for a future relationship between you and the scholarship organization.

How long should a scholarship thank you letter be?

A scholarship thank you letter does not have to be long – you only need to take the time to say what you need to say. Oftentimes, this ends up being 1-2 paragraphs. Don’t feel any pressure to add additional writing just to fill up space.

What to include in a scholarship thank you letter?

A scholarship thank-you letter generally includes a thanks for the scholarship, a sentiment of appreciation for the organization, and a description of plans that you have for the scholarship funds. This can include a career aspiration, work that you want to do to help your community, or a personal goal. You can use the opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to the goals you expressed in your scholarship application.

Who should I address my scholarship thank you letter to?

Sometimes, it can be hard to find a particular name to thank for your scholarship. If you have received communications from an organization’s email account that haven’t included a name, you might be wondering who to address your thanks to. In these cases, you have a few options. You can address your letter as “Dear scholarship selection committee,” or you can address it to the organization itself.

It may feel impersonal to write a letter that is not addressed to any particular name, but don’t worry! As long as you send a letter with one of these salutations, your message will come across loud and clear.