How to Write a Letter to Receive a Grant or Scholarship for College

When you’re writing an application for a grant of scholarship, you may need to write a letter. This letter could be a cover letter that accompanies your scholarship essay and application details or the letter could be a scholarship request itself. In either case, this could be the most important letter that you have ever written. But don’t let that scare you. Read tips on what to say before you start and look at a sample scholarship request letter if you’re still having trouble.

Why Do I Need to Write a Letter?

Writing a letter gives you a chance to explain anything that might not be obvious on an application. In your letter, make sure you maintain a formal tone, but don’t write in a way that is unnatural. Depending on the application, you might explain why you want the scholarship or grant. You might also give a little bit of information about yourself that the scholarship committee would not be able to deduce from the rest of your application materials. Review a student grant application letter sample and a sample scholarship request letter for examples of how to do this.

Student Grant Application Letter Sample

An application for a grant of scholarship may call for a cover letter. Below, you will find a student grant application letter sample. Use this as a guide for writing your own cover letter to accompany your grant application.

Dear Dr. _:

My name is Jane Doe, and I’m writing to submit my application for [Scholarship Title]. I am currently a senior in high school, and [relevant information about yourself in relation to the scholarship].

[Here, explain why you need the scholarship. What is your financial situation like?]

If you require any further materials or if you have questions about my application, please contact me at [phone number].

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jane Doe

Sample Scholarship Request Letter

An application for a grant of scholarship might entail just writing a letter to request funds. Don’t copy the sample scholarship request letter word for word. Instead, add your own voice to the ideas. Make sure it sounds like you.

A scholarship request letter will have more detail than a cover letter. In fact, it will be more like an essay. Begin and end in the same way as with a cover letter, but the body of this letter will be more like an argumentative essay.

Dear Dr. _:

My name is Jane Doe, and I’m writing to submit my application for [Scholarship Title]. I am currently a senior in high school, and [relevant information about yourself in relation to the scholarship].

[Here, explain why you need the scholarship. What is your financial situation like? Include a thesis statement in this paragraph.]

[Point one: Write a paragraph detailing your first piece of evidence.]

[Point two: Write a paragraph detailing your second piece of evidence.]

[Point three: Write a paragraph detailing your third piece of evidence.]

[Write a paragraph for your conclusion that wraps up the points in the body of your letter.]

If you require any further materials or if you have questions about my application, please contact me at [phone number].

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jane Doe