How to Write a Thank You Note for a Scholarship Award

Thank your scholarship granters for their assistance.

When the time comes to go college, many students apply for scholarships to defray the cost of higher education. If you're awarded a scholarship, you should write a thank-you letter to the awarding person or group to show your appreciation for their contribution to your education. By carefully composing and thoughtfully mailing your letter, you can show the scholarship committee that they made the right decision in choosing you as a recipient.

Instructions

1. Ask the scholarship committee where to send your letter and and to whom it should be addressed. If the scholarship was awarded by an organization or committee, you'll likely want to address your letter to the group. If your scholarship is from a private individual, you can send your thank-you to that person.

2. Write formally but with your own voice. While you don't want your letter to sound informal, allow your voice to shine through. After all, your personality is one of the reasons you got the scholarship in the first place.

3. Format your letter in standard business letter format. There are several variations on the business letter form that you can choose from. The easiest is standard block form where all parts of the letter are aligned to the left with no indents. Whatever form you select, take care to follow it faithfully.

4. Keep your letter concise. The recipient will likely not want to meander through a rambling letter. Make your thank-you short and to the point. Avoid including extraneous details.

5. Clearly state what the scholarship is that you're thanking them for. Some businesses or individuals award several scholarships each year. Give the name of the scholarship and the amount so that those who awarded it will know which one you're thanking them for.

6. Include a brief explanation of what you plan to study or accomplish with the scholarship. Keep it to two or three sentences. You might also mention what type of work you would like to do after graduation.

7. Check your letter for grammatical errors and typos. Errors make your letter look careless and unrefined. Make your letter as professional as possible by carefully checking for, and removing, all errors.

8. To finish off a high-quality product, print your thank-you letter on resume paper or professional letterhead.

9. Use traditional, instead of digital, mail service to send your letter. CollegeScholarship.org urges students not to give in to the temptation to email thank you's, but instead to mail them via standard post because this shows a greater degree of effort.

References

• CollegeScholarship.org: Writing College Scholarship Thank You Letters
• California State University -- Fresno: How to Write a Thank You Letter