Winning scholarships is a feeling unlike any other. 

That’s because scholarships can help you avoid the stress of student loans, explore new opportunities in and out of school, gain access to a community of ambitious students just like you, and so much more! (We mean, these are definitely some of the reasons we’re so happy to help students every year win over $100 million with Scholly Search!)

So, why not say thanks to the person or organization who helped make all that happen by writing a nice thank you letter? Writing it is quick, easy, and will help make sure the scholarship is around for years to come! 

But what exactly should you write in that letter? Does it need to go into a lot of detail on what you’ll use the scholarship for? Or is something short and sweet good enough? Can you send it by email?

These are all good questions! And we’ll be answering each of them and more in the post. We’ll also be sharing some examples of scholarship thank you letters that use an easy-to-replicate template! But, before we do, let’s start with why you should write a scholarship thank you letter. 

What is a Scholarship Thank You Letter? 

A scholarship thank you letter is a short, formal letter that you write to donors and/or committees of scholarship organizations. It’s a way to show appreciation for the financial assistance that will help support your education. 

Some college supported scholarships require you to write a thank you letter to the sponsor or donor after receiving your scholarships. But often, the choice of whether or not to write the letter is up to you. You won’t lose your scholarship just because you don’t write a thank you letter. So, why do it? 

Why You Should Write a Thank You Letter to Scholarship Donors 

We know, we know. You’ve got a ton of other things to do for school and applications for other scholarships. But, here’s why, if you can, you should carve out a bit of time to write the letter: 

• Show your gratitude and appreciation for the people and organization that support students with your background pay for college 
• Help ensure that the organization stays committed to issuing the scholarships to other students like you in the future 
• Potentially make lasting connections with people within the scholarship organization who can help you later in life

On top of all that, scholarship thank you letters are super easy and quick to write – 10 minutes, tops! Plus, writing the thank you letter is a good way to practice business writing, which is a good skill to start developing.  

What to Include in Your Scholarship Thank You Letter

When writing your thank you letter, you’ll need to include: 

• A greeting to the donor
• An expression of gratitude for the scholarship
• A bit on how the scholarship will help you 
• What you plan to do in the future (optional)
• Your signature

Let’s quickly look at each of those in a bit more detail! 

Greeting to the donor

A short greeting is all you need. Something like “Dear Members of the [Scholarship] Foundation” or “Hello Mrs. Last Name”. 

Expression of gratitude

In this section, you’ll just want to quickly thank the scholarship donor or organization for selecting you as one of the recipients for the scholarships. This can be as short as 1 or 2 sentences. 

How the scholarship will help you 

You don’t need to go into too much detail here. But the recipient of the letter will love hearing how the scholarship will have an impact on your life. Give them a few details of how the scholarship will help you succeed in your education. 

Your future plans (optional) 

Not everyone has a clear idea of what they hope to do in the future. But if you do have a few ideas for your future plans, you can also include them in your letter. The letter recipient will be glad to hear how their organization is helping you get to where you want to go in life! 

Your signature 

This last part is easy. End your email with a formal signature like “Sincerely”, “Best wishes” or “Kind regards”. 

Thank You Letter for a Scholarship Tips

Coming up in the next section, we’re going to look at samples of scholarship thank you letters and a template you can use. But before we do, let’s first look at best practices and tips for writing a great thank you letter. 

Use a formal, business letter format

If you’ve never written a formal business letter, your scholarship thank you letter is a good chance to start! But don’t be fooled by the words “formal” or “business”. There’s nothing complicated here. Just make sure you structure your letter like this:

If you choose to email the letter instead of sending it by mail — this is definitely okay, by the way — follow the same format as the letter above. Just leave out the date and address at the top. And for the email subject line, write something simple like “Thank You” or  “Thank you for your help”. We have an example of what this looks like down below as well! 

Show gratitude and sincerity 

This tip goes without saying. So, why mention it here? Because you may feel that you’re being forced to be super positive, exaggerated, or ‘extra’ by saying how appreciative you are in your letter. But you’re not! Be the real you when expressing gratitude for receiving the scholarship. 

Write clearly and concisely 

The recipient of the letter likely shouldn’t have to spend time trying to decipher your letter. So, make sure it’s short, sweet, and easy-to-read! If you follow the upcoming template, you’ll be good to go!

Proofread your letter for spelling and grammar 

We all make occasional mistakes in spelling and grammar when writing anything — be it scholarship thank you letters, personal statements, or scholarship essays. So, be sure to proofread and edit your letter so that the person reading it isn’t distracted by missing punctuation, a there that should be a their or — worst of all — a letter addressed to the wrong organization. 

Scholarship Thank You Letter Template 

As we’ve mentioned, writing your scholarship thank you letter is fairly easy. But to save some time, you can start with a template like this: 

[Date]

[Address of Scholarship Foundation]

Dear [Name of Scholarship] Committee: 

I’m writing to [say thank you/express how grateful I am] to be chosen as a recipient for the [Name of Scholarship]. 

[1-2 sentences on how the scholarship will help you and your future plans]. 

Thank you again for your time! 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Scholarship Thank You Letter Samples

Curious to see what a good scholarship thank you letter looks like once you plug in all of that information into the template above? Here are two examples! 

Example #1 – Scholarship Thank You Letter Sent by Mail

January 5, 2020 

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

PO Box 442

Atlanta, GA  30301

Dear Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Committee: 

I’m writing to express how grateful I am for being chosen as one of this year’s recipients for the Coca-Cola Scholarship. 

Thanks to you and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, I’ll be able to devote more time to my studies this year without needing to take out another student loan. I’m planning to pursue a career in medicine and know that this support is an investment in my future. 

Thank you again for your time and all your work! 

Sincerely, 

Your Name 

Example #2 – Scholarship Thank You Letter Sent by Email 

Subject Line: Thank You! 

Dear Taco Bell Foundation: 

I’m writing to say thank you so much for selecting me as a recipient for the Liv Más Scholarship! 

With this scholarship, I’ll be the first person in my family to attend college. I feel so lucky knowing I won’t have to worry about how to pay for things like on-campus housing and textbooks. 

All of your work is appreciated, and I thank you for making college possible for students like me! 

Kind regards,

Your Name 

What to Do Next 

If you use the format, tips, template, and example we’ve shared in this post, you should be able to write a thank you letter for your scholarships in no time! 

Once you’re done, take some review whether there’s anything else you need to do to keep your costs for college low. For example, have you completed this year’s FAFSA? Are there any other scholarships you can still apply for? Will you need to take out any student loans? 

If you answered yes to any of those questions, we got you covered! Check out Scholly’s blog where we regularly publish posts on topics like how to apply for scholarships and learn everything you need to know about your college financial aid!