Once your student has a scholarship award check in hand, they may believe there’s nothing left to do.

However, receiving the check shouldn’t be the end of the story. All it means is that now is the perfect time to craft a scholarship thank you letter.

Winning a scholarship is a fantastic experience. Not only does it show that the committee was impressed with your student, but that they were so thrilled with their application, they were willing to give your child money to help them achieve their academic goals.

A scholarship is more than financial aid. It is a gift, provided by generous donors and organizations that want to help students succeed. And it’s a gift that should always be properly acknowledged.

Why Your Student Needs to Write a Scholarship Thank You Letter

Thanks to the generosity of others, your child can avoid student loans, allowing them to reduce or eliminate the need for debt to pay for college.

By writing a scholarship thank you letter, your student is expressing their appreciation for the individuals or organization that choose to invest in their future.

Sincere expressions of gratitude are always appreciated by scholarship committees and donors. A scholarship thank you note also lets your student update them on how the award made a difference, allowing them see that their money was put to good use and is genuinely making a difference in the world.

Plus, your student may want to reapply for the scholarship during the rest of their time in college. If that is the case, a well-crafted scholarship thank you letter ensures that they leave a lasting, positive impression, which may increase their odds of being selected again.

Related articles:

• How to Ace These Common Scholarship Interview Questions
• How to Write Winning Scholarship Essays
• 8 Easy Ways to Motivate Your Child to Apply for Scholarships

How to Write a Scholarship Thank You Letter

Writing a high-quality scholarship thank you letter only takes a few minutes. The note doesn’t have to be long to be effective.

To help your student write an amazing scholarship thank you letter, here are some helpful tips.

Choosing Between Handwritten or Typed

Before your student writes their scholarship thank you note, they need to decide between handwritten or typed.

Often, the best approach is to purchase a blank thank you card and handwrite the scholarship thank you letter inside. This makes the note feel more personal, which can go a long way when you want to make a positive impact.

However, if your child struggles with keeping their handwriting legible, typing the scholarship thank you note is also an option. If your student chooses this option, they still want to print out the letter and hand-sign it.

While many students may be tempted to simply send a scholarship thank you letter as an email, this isn’t something you want to do. Email seems sterile and may make the thank you note appear like an afterthought instead of genuine appreciation. Still, if you’ve been in contact with the committee via email, it’s important to respond gratefully, professionally and in a timely manner.

Picking the Right Tone for Your Thank You Note

A scholarship thank you letter needs to exude professionalism as well as appreciation. It should be clean, friendly, and a bit formal, not unlike a scholarship essay.

Your student needs to reflect their ideal academic self when they write, so maintaining the proper tone is a must.

What You Need to Cover in a Scholarship Thank You Letter

When your student writes their scholarship thank you letter, a few key points need to be covered.

First, they need to thank the committee, organization, or donors for their generosity. Next, your student should briefly describe how things would be different if they didn’t receive the award.

Those two points should take no more than a couple of sentences to cover. After those, the remainder of the body scholarship thank you note should focus on what your student did (or plans to do) with the money, providing the recipients with an update on how their gift helped.

Finally, every scholarship thank you letter should have a strong closing. You student should again thank the committee, donors, or organization for their assistance, noting that, without them, your child may not be having the amazing college experience they have today.

Once the closing paragraph is complete, then a simple sign-off is all that’s needed to finish up the scholarship thank you letter.

Scholarship Thank You Letter Sample

To help your student write a stand-out scholarship thank you letter, here’s an easy thank you letter template they can follow:

Ultimately, sending a meaningful and well-crafted scholarship thank you letter should be seen as an essential part of the scholarship process. After all, the generosity of others has made your student’s college education more affordable, and possible lets them graduate debt-free.

It only takes a minute to write an outstanding college scholarship thank you letter. Just make sure, no matter whether they choose a handwritten or typed letter, to have some stamps ready. That way, as soon as they are done, they can put them in the mail and continue enjoying their education.

If you and your student would like to learn more about how to find scholarships that can help pay for college, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! We cover how to spot the scams so you can make sure your student is applying to scholarships that are actually worth their time. Join the next free training here: www.thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar.