Do you want to write a motivation letter that will wow any academic committee you submit to? This article on a motivation letter for scholarship application sample pdf is just what you need.
In this guide, we'll teach you how to write a good motivation letter that will stand out among the hundreds of other submissions.
To set you on the path for success, we have also included pdf's you can download and use to compose your own.
What is a motivation letter?
A motivation letter or letter of Motivation or statement of purpose is a one page statement that supports a job, volunteer or scholarship application.
It is usually attached to a resume and explains why a candidate is a good fit for a position. In a motivation letter, you are expected to give enough points to convince the recipient of why you should be chosen for the role or award.
For a scholarship or degree, the letter of motivation reflects the individual's personality, skills, interests and accomplishments.
Whereas, for a job or internship, it is presented more like an application letter which outlines more of your skills and experiences on a professional level.
A motivation letter begins with an outline stating the contents of the letter. Then, a brief introduction, introduces yourself to the reader.
After the introduction, is the body of the letter. In the body, you are expected to explain the points you stated in the outline.
Keep it brief and compelling to keep the reader's attention. Remember, the purpose of the letter is to convince the reader.
Lastly, you write the conclusion which summarizes and closes the letter with a final note appreciating the reader for considering your application.
In the following sections, we'll show you how to write Motivation letters for different purposes.
Tips for Writing a Good Motivation Letter
If you want your application to stand out from that of other applicants, a good motivation letter is just what you need.
The best motivation letters are concise, and simple and highlight the candidate's aspirations, motivations, skills and interests. It is also written in a semi formal tone and is free from any kind of grammatical errors.
Before we show you how to write a motivation letter, we would like to share a few tips to follow when writing your essay. The tips we have listed below cover general info like what to include, what not to include, the number of words, the right tone to use etc.
-
A captivating introduction
The introduction should be compelling enough to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to read to the end.
When starting your motivation letter, outline the content of your essay. State the role or scholarship you're applying for and why you applied.
-
Proofread before submitting
Proofreading your letter is very important. A good motivation letter is expected to be error - free. After writing, you can send a copy to a friend to check for errors before you submit. This way you will have a more objective viewpoint.
-
Research the school or company you're applying to
Investigate the school or company you want to study or work at. Get a clear picture of what the scholarship provider or institution is looking for before you write your letter.
This is necessary because it'll help you match your skills and abilities perfectly.
-
Keep it Brief
The letter should contain every information that can convince the reader that you're the ideal candidate for the award in 500-1000 words.
-
Use Simple words and sentences
When writing a motivation letter, avoid the use of unnecessarily complex words or cliche terms.
Write sentences that are understandable and easy to read.
Format of motivation letter for scholarship
A motivation letter for a scholarship must include essential elements of your work experience, education, interests and personal accomplishments.
It should explain key points like: Why are you a suitable candidate? How do your skills and abilities contribute to the university or country? etc.
The letter is expected to have 500 - 1000 words content and be flexible to fit your motivations and goals.
A motivation letter for a scholarship is structured into 5 parts: Header, introduction, work experience, education, and conclusion. Now, let's look at how to write a good motivation letter for scholarship.
-
Header
The header should include the Applicant’s full name, applicant’s address, postal code, date, phone number, and e-mail.
It should be positioned in the top left corner of the motivation letter.
Example:
“Lyle Grant
45, Walkway, Queensland,
Michigan, USA,
P.O. 56789.
17.09.2024
University of St Hector's,
60, Samson Street,
Texas, Pennsylvania,
USA
P.O. 67890”
-
Paragraph One: Introduction
Start with an attention-grabbing intro that will keep the reader interested for as long as possible. Introduce yourself, and your career and outline why you're applying to the scholarship and what motivated you.
You should also write about how your passion, interest or experience aligns with the scholarship objectives.
In this paragraph, you would want to get straight to the point because long sentences may bore the reader.
The recipient most likely has other applications to read and wouldn't spend all their time on yours.
Avoid unnecessary stories, quotes and exaggerated facts about your life or the role.
Example:
“My name is Tamara Johnson. I am a graduate of Business management from the University of Birmingham.
I am writing this letter to express my interest in the scholarship award for a Master in Business Administration at the University of Birmingham.
While studying for my first degree, I developed a passion for helping businesses improve their profitability and productivity.
Therefore, I am applying for the scholarship opportunity.”
-
Paragraph two: Work Experience
This is where the main content of the letter should be. In this paragraph, you'll include any work experience you have.
This can include full-time work, volunteering jobs, and paid and unpaid internships.
You should show the growth of your career in chronological order, from the moment you graduated to present.
Example:
“I have been working as an investment banker in one of the top notch wealth management companies in the state.
My job entails developing different types of financial models to value debt and equity, develop recommendations for product offering and create presentations for client portfolios.
In time, I have been able to develop strong communication and networking skills”.
-
Paragraph three: Education
This paragraph should include a summary of your academic achievements so far and how it brings value to the scholarship.
It should answer questions like “How do your skills and qualifications contribute to the scholarship initiative? why are you applying? etc”
Example:
“As earlier mentioned, I studied Accounting and Finance. Throughout my coursework, I learned to analyze and utilize financial information to evaluate a business's financial position.
I was trained in handling basic books - keeping and managing balance sheets and income statements.”
-
Paragraph four: Plans and aspirations
In two or three sentences, express what you hope to gain from the scholarship application and how you will contribute to the university you are applying to.
Provide more insight into the goals you stated in your introduction. For example, How the knowledge and skills you will gain from the program will help you to achieve your goals?
Example:
“However, I want to take my career a step further. That's why I would love to study investment management because I will be able to professionally determine the optimal strategy for achieving a clients' goal, perform portfolio allocation between bonds and stocks and issue buy and sell recommendations.”
-
Paragraph five: Conclusion
Your conclusion should be a summary, re-emphasizing why you should be considered for the scholarship.
Avoid repetition in this paragraph and ensure you end on a positive note.
Example:
“This scholarship is a special opportunity for me to develop my professional portfolio and I am determined to make the most of the program.
I want to thank you for considering me for the scholarship and I look forward to your positive response.
Yours Sincerely,
Tamara Johnson.”
Now that you know the structure to use to compose your motivation letter, we're going to tell you the correct format that'll make your letter appealing and digestible.
-
Do limit your words to 500-1000 words
-
Do not write more than 30 words in a sentence.
-
Use a spacing of 1 or 1.5.
-
Don't justify your letter. The left-side alignment is preferable
-
Use an engaging tone and slightly formal tone.
-
Ensure your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are accurate.
-
Leave a one-inch margin for some white space.
-
Keep a double spacing between paragraphs.
-
Use fonts like Calibri, Arial and Times New Roman are easy on the eye.
Motivation letter for scholarship example
In this section, we have written a Motivation letter for a scholarship example for you, which you can use as a guide to write yours.
Whether you're applying to an undergraduate or postgraduate scholarship, this sample is a right fit for you.
We understand that there are different types of scholarship motivation letters. We have taken our time to carefully write out some of the best motivation letters so you may excel in your application.
Here are some samples with downloadable pdfs you can refer to later.
Scholarship motivation letter for masters
Here is a motivation letter sample for scholarship of Lyle Grant, a candidate applying for Masters in Project Management.
“Lyle Grant
45, Walkway, Queensland,
Michigan, USA,
P.O. 56789.
17.09.2024
University of St Hector's,
60, Samson street,
Texas, Pennsylvania,
USA
P.O. 67890
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Lyle Grant. I am writing this letter to express my interest in the scholarship award at the University of Birmingham.
I recently graduated from York University with a cumulative GPA of 3.8, the third-highest GPA in the Department of business management.
I developed an interest in project management by helping my mother plan budgets and record sales for her clothing business.
My passion led me to study a bachelor's honors degree in business management where I learned the knowledge and skills to help businesses improve their profitability and productivity.
After graduating with my degree, I have been fortunate to work as an operating manager at one of the biggest finance companies in my home country, where I trained to lead project teams and develop strategies & solutions to keep projects on budget and on time.
Now, I want to take my career even further to build the skills to professionally handle business and project strategies for achieving a clients' goal, on an international level.
I aspire to become a program manager, and I believe that the masters International business and project management in the University of Birmingham will help me achieve my dreams.
So far, my academic devotion combined with my work experience and desire to be of service to others, have helped me to build strong leadership, communication and networking skills which align with the requirements for this scholarship opportunity.
Should you consider me for this scholarship, I promise to make the most of it and become the best program manager in my chosen field.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Lyle Grant.”
Download: Scholarship Motivation letter for masters
Letter of motivation for phd scholarship
Want to write a letter of motivation for a PhD scholarship but don't know how to go about it? This sample below is just what you need.
“Tony Stark
45, Walkway, Queensland,
Michigan, USA,
P.O. 56789.
17.09.2024
University of St Hector's,
60, Samson Street,
Texas, Pennsylvania,
USA
P.O. 67890
My name is Tony Stark. I recently completed a masters in Management from Oxford University. My passion is to further my education in the field of management and I intend to get this scholarship to prove myself in the field of business management.
I have a lot of potential that needs to be recognized by a reputable institute. I have been a student of the sciences. I have shown a distinction during my previous educational career.
This scholarship is likely to provide me opportunities to harness new prospects by gaining benefits from further education in a reputed institute. I can make positive changes in this field if I get this scholarship will help me to develop my research qualities.
I am excited about the opportunity to join a community of intellectuals, and I am confident I am a strong candidate for the position as my foundational knowledge, skills and research experiences will contribute towards making me a good fit for the scholarship at your esteemed institution.
I look forward to the possibility of becoming a member of your dynamic department at [Name of University/College].
Thank you for considering my application.
Respectfully,
Tony Stark”
Download: Letter of Motivation for PhD Scholarship
Motivation letter for fellowship application
Check out the following motivation letter for fellowship application.
“Lucy Hales
45, Walkway, Queensland,
Michigan, USA,
P.O. 56789.
17.09.2024
University of St Hector's,
60, Samson street,
Texas, Pennsylvania,
USA
P.O. 67890
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter to express my interest in applying for the Women in Engineering Fellowship. It would be a huge privilege to be a part of the program, as it would bring me a step closer to becoming a civil engineer.
My name is Lucy Hales and I graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the (institution name) and intend to pursue an engineering Master's Degree at the University of Oxford.
From a young age, I have been very clear about the career path I want. Watching my mother build a career as a civil engineer while single-handedly catering for myself and my two siblings inspired me to pursue a career even bigger than hers. My undergraduate program at the University of [University name] further fueled my passion to advance my engineering skill set and push technological boundaries towards fulfilling my future goals of becoming one of the best civil engineers in my country.
I believe wholeheartedly in the Fellowship's mission to build “a world where female engineers thrive.” and with this fellowship, I can further my career in engineering and bring skills and knowledge to improve the failing infrastructures in my country.
I will be happy to provide any further documents or information if required.
I look forward to your positive response. Thanks for your time.
Kind Regards,
Lucy Hales.”
Motivation letter for bachelor degree scholarship
“Blake Donovan
45, Walkway, Queensland,
Michigan, USA,
P.O. 56789.
17.09.2024
University of St Hector's,
60, Samson street,
Texas, Pennsylvania,
USA
P.O. 67890
Respected Sir/Madam,
I write this Letter of Motivation to express my strong interest in the Great African Literary Students Scholarship at your esteemed university.
I am Blake Donovan and I have had a passion for reading and writing and stories ever since I was a child.
The theories of how words help shape our perception of life, transport us to unimaginable realms and connect us to millions of people from around the world have intrigued me to take a closer look at the field ever since I was introduced to Literature in 8th grade.
As a highschool student, I decided early on that I would study courses that explored the depth of literature and creative writing in my bachelor's education.
Over the course of my life, my interest in story writing has always been encouraged by my parents which led me to write a few plays, one of which has been published in the New Yorker magazine in 2020, excerpts of which I have attached along with this letter.
I am certain that the bachelor's literature program at the [University Name] will prepare me for a successful career and be a part of a vibrant literary community from an esteemed department of high standard.
With this, I would like to close the letter stating that I shall be greatly honored to be considered for a scholarship at your esteemed department. Thank you for taking time to review my application.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Warm Regards
Blake Donovan.”
Motivation letter for scholarship template pdf
Here are some of the best scholarship templates for you.
Motivation letter for accounting scholarship
If you want to apply for a degree in accounting, download this motivation for accounting scholarship pdf.
Download: Motivation Letter for Accounting Scholarship pdf
Motivation letter for agriculture scholarship
The following pdf can be used as a guide when writing your motivation letter for an agriculture scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Agriculture Scholarship pdf
Motivation letter for biology scholarship
Do you want to apply for a biology scholarship? Check this motivation letter biology scholarship out.
Download: Motivation Letter for Biology Scholarship
Motivation letter for chemical engineering scholarship
You may want to apply to a University for a Chemical Engineering scholarship but might be clueless on where to begin. Check out the following statement of motivation for the chemical engineering scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Chemical Engineering Scholarship
Motivation letter for chemistry scholarship
This pdf contains a well written template for a chemistry scholarship application. Check it out below.
Download: Motivation Letter for Chemistry Scholarship
Motivation letter for climate change scholarship
Need a scholarship template that'll guarantee you a positive response? This motivation letter for climate change is a perfect fit for you.
Download: Motivation Letter for Climate Change Scholarship
Motivation letter for computer science scholarship
You may want to apply for a computer science scholarship, follow this template below to compose your own motivation letter.
Download: Motivation Letter for Computer Science Scholarship
Motivation letter for Daad scholarship sample pdf
A Daad Scholarship offers a wide range of scholarship opportunities to eligible students who want to study in Germany. If you're interested in applying for a Daad scholarship, take a look at the sample we have created for you below.
Download: Motivation Letter for Daad Scholarship Sample PDF
Motivation letter for data science scholarship
Data science scholarships are awarded to students who want to complete a data science course in a university or college. Check a motivation letter sample for data science below.
Download: Motivation Letter for Data Science Scholarship
Motivation letter for economics scholarship
This motivation letter for economics is perfect for students applying for an economics degree.
Download: Motivation Letter for Economics Scholarship
Motivation letter for Electrical Engineering scholarship
A motivation letter for an electrical engineering scholarship is an important part of the application. Here is a sample motivation letter for an electrical engineering scholarship.
Download: Motivation letter for electrical engineering scholarship
Motivation letter for engineering scholarship
Striving to get an engineering scholarship is a great goal to set. Most engineering courses are expensive, so a scholarship may help you reduce substantial financial strain.
If you need help with writing your motivation letter for engineering school: Look at the sample below.
Download: Motivation Letter for Engineering Scholarship
Motivation letter for International Scholarship
Here is a sample motivation letter for an international scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for International Scholarship
Motivation letter for law scholarship
If you need a scholarship to study law in college or in University, a motivation letter is an essential part of your scholarship application for law.
Download: Motivation Letter for Law Scholarship
Motivation letter for mathematics scholarship
Here is a sample motivation letter for the mathematics scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Mathematics Scholarship
Motivation letter for MBA scholarship
For faster accessibility, download the Motivation Letter for the mba scholarship sample PDF below.
Download: Motivation Letter for MBA Scholarship
Motivation letter for Medical Scholarship
If you're applying for a scholarship to go to medical school, use the template below to draft your motivation letter.
Download: Motivation Letter for Medical Scholarship
Motivation letter for nursing scholarship
Here is a sample of a motivation letter for a nursing scholarship
Download: Motivation Letter for Nursing Scholarship
Motivation letter for pharmacy scholarship
Check out this motivation letter for the pharmacy scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Pharmacy Scholarship
Motivation letter for scholarship in business administration
Applying for a scholarship to study business administration is a great way to fund your education. This motivation pdf sample will come in handy when applying for a scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Scholarship in business administration
Motivation letter for software engineering scholarship
Use this motivation letter for software engineering scholarship to write your motivation letter.
Download: Motivation Letter for Software Engineering Scholarship
Motivation letter for sports scholarship
Here is a pdf sample of a motivation letter for sports scholarship.
Download: Motivation Letter for Sport Scholarship
Motivation letter for scholarship study abroad
Studying abroad is a great opportunity for students to achieve a degree in their dream country. If you need a motivation letter that'll impress the academic committee and guarantee you a spot in the university, Download the pdf below.
Download: Motivation Letter for Scholarship study abroad