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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.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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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.
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Jump ahead to:
- How to write a scholarship thank you letter
- Scholarship thank you letter examples
- Frequently asked questions
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:
- Open up the letter by specifically thanking the scholarship organization, committee, or funder for granting you the scholarship.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- You can close the letter with another “thank you” and your first and last name.
- 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 a 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 long. 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 organizations 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
Next steps and additional resources
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:
- How to start a scholarship essay (with examples)
- How to end a scholarship essay in 5 easy steps
- How to write a winning scholarship essay
- How to win local scholarships
- How to find scholarships
No matter where you are on your academic journey, make sure that you continue to apply for all the scholarships you qualify for while eligible!
Frequently asked questions about how to write a scholarship thank you note
Do I have to write a scholarship thank you letter?
How long should a scholarship thank you letter be?
What to include in a scholarship thank you letter?
Who should I address my scholarship thank you letter to?
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.