What this letter should do for the committee
This letter is not the essay and it is not a plea. It is a short, direct letter that does three things: it names the scholarship and what you are applying as, it connects who you are to what the award is for, and it makes one clear point about what you have done that supports the connection. Scholarship readers go through many applications, so a letter that names the award and shows that you read its criteria stands out.
Start by reading what the scholarship exists to support: academic achievement, a field of study, community service, leadership, financial need, a background or a region. Then choose one or two things from your own record that speak to that purpose and say them with a figure: hours served, a grade or rank, an amount raised, a project built. If a financial need statement is part of the application, put it there, not in the letter, unless the instructions say otherwise. Follow the length and format given, and address the letter to the committee or the person named. The structure of any letter is in how to write a cover letter.
Scholarship cover letter example: merit award
Dear Members of the Selection Committee:
I am writing to apply for the Harlan Foundation Engineering Merit Scholarship. I am a senior at Lincoln Ridge High School, ranked 6th in a class of 310, and I plan to study mechanical engineering at the state university next fall.
Your scholarship supports students who combine strong academics with hands-on building, and that describes my last three years. I founded our school's robotics club, which grew from 4 to 22 members, and our team's autonomous vehicle placed second at the regional competition. I also tutor eight younger students in algebra each week through the National Honor Society.
My application includes my transcript, two recommendation letters and my essay on the robotics project. Thank you for your time and for considering my application.
Sincerely,
Aaliyah Brennan
Scholarship cover letter example: community scholarship
Dear Scholarship Committee:
I am applying for the Riverbend Community Leaders Scholarship. I will be the first person in my family to attend college, and I have been accepted into the nursing program at Westbrook Community College for this fall.
The scholarship honors students who give back to the community, and I have volunteered 310 hours over the past two years at the Riverbend Food Pantry, where I coordinate weekend distribution for about 120 families. I also work 15 hours a week at a pharmacy to help my family while I keep a 3.6 grade point average.
I plan to work as a nurse in our own community, where I have seen how much it needs them. I have attached the completed application, my transcript and two references. Thank you for considering me, and for the work your committee does.
Respectfully,
Daniel Haskell
Mistakes in the letter
- Sending the same letter to every scholarship without changing the name and the purpose it speaks to.
- Repeating the essay or the activities list instead of choosing one or two points.
- Writing a letter of hardship that asks for sympathy and says nothing you have done.
- Exceeding the length or format in the instructions, which can disqualify an application.
- Spelling the name of the foundation or a committee member wrong.
If you have little to list, the guides to the high school cover letter and a resume for your first job show how to write from school and volunteer experience, and how to end a cover letter covers the final paragraph.
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026.