Scholarship Thank You Letter Guide

Include information about yourself, your major, family, career goals, extracurricular activities, community service and, especially, how the scholarship will assist/has assisted you in pursuing your studies at UMass Amherst.

It does not matter. Do what is comfortable for you, but make sure your letter is neat and presentable.

You should write two or three solid paragraphs. There is no right or wrong length, but it should certainly be more than a few sentences. It is important to write in your own voice and to be sincere.

• Follow submission instructions from your scholarship's awarding department OR
• You may receive instructions via email to your @umass.edu address to complete the thank you letter, and any scholarship acceptance requirements via Academic Works, the UMass Amherst integrated scholarship system.
• The donor profiles contained in the Academic Works system are for informational use only.  Scholarships are administered by UMass Amherst staff; please do not attempt to contact donors directly.  If you receive a scholarship, you will be able to send the donor(s) a thank you letter through the Academic Works system. If you have any questions, please email acadworks@umass.edu.

• Include your name, and if handwriting, sign the letter.
• Be prompt in providing your letter. If you have been requested to submit your letter by a certain date, pay attention to the deadline.
• Remember to spell-check your letter.
• If the scholarship is a renewed award, please keep in mind the donor has received your previous letters. Please take that into consideration when writing subsequent thank you letters to include updated information about your UMass experience and accomplishments.
• Contact your awarding department for the scholarship donor name for your letter salutation. Often times, this can be found within your scholarship award information in Academic Works.

Please click on the Sample Thank You Letters below for letters written by recent UMass Amherst scholarship recipients.

Sample Thank You Letter-Biron

Sample Thank You Letter-Welch

Dear (scholarship donor),

I would like to introduce myself as a recipient of the (Scholarship Name) Scholarship and to thank you for making it possible for me to receive this award.                     

Talking points for remainder of the letter:

• Your class level, your major, your hometown
• Your academic life, your experiences at UMass, your interests, and your goals
• What the scholarship has meant/will mean to you, your pursuits, and to your family
• The donor’s generosity

Additional information for first-year or entering students:

• As you do not yet have experience at UMass Amherst to comment on, include experiences about why you chose UMass
• Goals, interests, activities you hope to pursue at the university

Sincerely,

         (your name)