Scholarship Thank You Letter Tips
Congratulations! You’ve been awarded a private scholarship. Private scholarships are available through the generosity
of donors, and donors want to know that their generosity is both appreciated and being put to good use. A thank you
letter is a great way to do these things by telling the donors about yourself and how the scholarship will help you. It’s
also an opportunity to (of course) thank them!
Content
Introduce Yourself: Tell the donor who you are and which scholarship you were awarded. Then, let the donor
get to know you a little. What do you study? When will you graduate? What are your career goals and why? If
you have any experiences that are relevant to the scholarship, consider sharing these as well.
Explain How the Scholarship Helps You: What will this scholarship allow you to do? How does it make you feel?
Don’t Overshare: “Oversharing” is when you give inappropriate details about your personal life. The key word
here is “inappropriate.” It’s okay (and even encouraged) to share personal details about your life with your
donor. However, you want to make sure that both you and the donor are comfortable with the information
being shared. Also, the information should be suitable for a professional business letter. Before sharing
personal information, consider the following:
 Would you share this information with a friendly acquaintance?
 If a friendly acquaintance shared this type of information with you, would it make you uncomfortable?
 Is this information helping you thank the donor, introduce yourself, and/or explain why the scholarship
is significant to you?
 Would this information be appropriate conversation in a professional setting?
Say Thank You: Don’t forget to personally sign the letter.
Get Feedback and Revise: Ask a friend, family member, or professor to read the letter and give you feedback.
You might also consider visiting the University Writing Center on the 2nd floor of Library West for a writing
consultation. After getting feedback, make sure to revise to make your letter even more effective.
Format and Mechanics
Business Letter Format: Use this template to format your letter correctly. The document should be single
spaced in a typical, readable font and size (Ex: 12-pt Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins).
Salutation: Use the donor name(s) in the salutation. If you do not know the donor name(s), use the name of the
scholarship followed by the word “Donor.”
Paragraphs: No one likes a wall of text! Divide your thoughts into paragraphs. Leave an empty space between
paragraphs and don’t indent the first line.
Edit, Edit, Edit: A donor might interpret a grammatical or spelling error as a sign that you did not put forth your
best effort. This might make them believe that their generosity is not being appreciated or used wisely, which
might affect their decision to donate in the future. This is why it is very important that you take the time to
carefully proofread your letter. Try reading the letter aloud multiple times over the course of a few days. Or,
have a friend read the letter aloud to you. Both of these strategies will make grammatical and spelling errors
easier to locate. Or, visit the FGCU Writing Center again on the 2nd floor of Library West. Here, a writing
consultant will help you locate patterns of error, which will improve your letter as well as your overall writing
ability!