Use This Scholarship Cover Letter Example to Write Yours

How to Write Your Scholarship Cover Letter With This Example

The salutation of your scholarship cover letter is often a bit different than the salutation of a traditional cover letter. Although it’s best to address a traditional cover letter to a specific person, you’ll often need to address your cover letter to a scholarship organization or committee. Despite this, using “To whom it may concern” is still not generally recommended, as it might look too generic.

1. First paragraph: Hook, introduction

   The first paragraph of the cover letter is the hook and your general introduction. Typically, this explains the scholarship program you’re applying for, the type of education you’re pursuing, and an introduction to what your scholarship letter will cover. Here, the applicant discusses her familial background, as the scholarship is based on the challenging circumstances that her parents faced by not attending college. She clearly states her excitement about getting a college education.

2. Second paragraph: General information and skills

   The second paragraph is where you can talk about why you’re the best candidate to get this scholarship. You can talk about extracurricular activities, part-time and full-time work experience, academic excellence and GPA or graduation honors. In this case, the applicant mostly talks about a love for the field of archaeology, as not all scholarships are based on academic records but instead based on a financial situation or need.

3. Closing paragraph: Call to action

   In the third paragraph, you should wrap up the letter and create a call to action for you to move through the rest of the application process. Here, the applicant states that financial assistance is extremely important for her to continue in her field and states that she looks forward to hearing from the committee soon. She also takes a comfortable but formal tone with the sign-off, using “Best regards” instead of the slightly more formal, “Sincerely.”