Scholarship Thank You Letter Guidelines

Generous University of Utah donors support many scholarships on campus and a well-written thank you note can go a long way. Donors appreciate hearing from students and how their investment is paying off. A short note from you affirms the value and significance of their contributions and encourages their continued support.

Tips for Scholarship Thank You Letters:

• Handwritten notes or typed letters are acceptable. If you opt for a handwritten note, please use stationary or a card.
• For electronic notes, please save it in a Word Document (.docx) or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf). 
• Address the letter Dear [Name of Scholarship] Donor
• For handwritten notes, please write legibly. Please keep your note to a couple of paragraphs. You may want to make a draft before writing the final copy. Please put your university ID number (UNID) under your signature. For an example, please see the letter below. 
• If you opt to type your letter, keep it to a few paragraphs. Sign your name on letter and use your UNID. Please see the example letter below.
• Make sure your letter is free of spelling and grammatical errors! Have someone review your letter before submitting.
• If you received multiple donor-funded scholarships, please submit a letter for each scholarship.
• Put the letter in the envelope. If not mailing, please label the envelope with [Name of Scholarship] Thank You Note.
• Letter can be mailed or dropped off at the University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Please submit the letter by the due date stated in your award letter. If dropping off in person, either drop it off at the UOSFA windows on the first floor of the SSB during regular office hours or utilize the drop box in front of the windows. If mailing, please send note to: 
• [Name of Scholarship]Thank You Note
  University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
  University of Utah
  201 South 1460 East, Rm. 105
  Salt Lake City, UT 84112
• Typed letters can also be e-mailed to scholarship@utah.edu 

Example of a Typed Thank You Letter:

This can also be modified for a handwritten note. Please modify this example letter to your preference. Do not copy and paste this example letter, it is only intended as a guideline. 

[Date]

University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
University of Utah
201 S 1460 E, Rm, 105
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Dear [Name of Scholarship] Donor,

State the purpose of your letter.
As a recipient of the [Academic Year] [Name of Scholarship], I wanted to thank you for funding this scholarship.

Share something about yourself, your goals, and indicate why the scholarship is important.
I will be a junior majoring in journalism here at the University of Utah this fall and I am on track to graduate Spring 2017. My goal is to become an investigative reporter for one of the major television networks. Currently, I am a news reporter with the Utah Daily Chronicle and volunteer 20 hours a month at Primary Children's Hospital. I also work 30 hours a week to help fund my education. Thanks to this scholarship, I will be able to reduce my work schedule and focus more on my studies.

Conclude by thanking the donor again.
Thank you again for your investment in the University of Utah and students like me. I hope to give back to the university someday and help a student reach their educational goals with a scholarship. 

Sincerely,
[Add your signature]
Your Name
UNID

If you have any questions about writing a thank you note, please contact the University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at scholarship@utah.edu or 801-581-6211.