There is no doubt about it, attending college for a 4 year degree can be downright expensive. The total cost for attending college can be up to $100,000 possibly. Now, this is a whole lot of money and many young people cannot really afford it. Hence the need for scholarships and other financial aids.
Some scholarship programs pick their scholars based on academic talent and performance. While some pick their scholars based on some economic factor like being a citizen of a developing country, etc.
In order to ensure that you get picked by these scholarship coordinators, you have to be able to prove yourself to them. The only way you can do that is by telling them why you are the right candidate for the scholarship in your Scholarship Cover Letter.
So, this means that a huge part of landing the scholarship you are eyeing, is by getting your cover letter right! You definitely want to do it right, correct?
Steps To Write A Cover Letter To Apply For A Scholarship
In this article, we aim is to help you get it right the first time. For this reason, we will be showing you a step by step process on how to write a cover letter for a scholarship application below;
1. Make sure you get the Cover Letter Template right
There is a format to be followed when writing a cover letter. You can not just write anything, anyhow and expect a positive response. You have to present yourself like you know what you are doing. Remember, the idea is to prove yourself to the scholarship coordinators. First step is to impress them with your Cover Letter Format.
Items to be followed sequentially in the Cover Letter are below;
- Your Contact information,
- Next, write “Dear Addressee”. You are not putting “addressee” but rather the name of the person you are addressing the letter to.
- 1st Paragraph: Introduction. And also you are to state your key achievements that fit what the scholarship is asking for.
- 2nd Paragraph: Important details of yourself and reasons why you qualify to benefit from the scholarship.
- 3rd Paragraph: Express yourself totally and be honest about why you want the scholarship.
- 4th Paragraph: Call to Action
- Best Regards, then your name under it.
- P.S. (Use this is if you have anything else to say)
2. Format the Cover Letter Correctly.
There is the correct way to format a business letter like this. Because, the Cover letter you are writing is a Business letter in its own self.
So, make sure that you left-align your letter so that it is easier to read, avoid the use of justification, make sure you leave one-inch margins to allow for some white space, use spacing of either 1.0 or 1.15 in your letter and make sure that you double-space your paragraphs for easy reading as well.
Also, it is advised that you save a back-up of your letter in PDF format because PDF does not change or mess with the layout of your letter.
3. Make sure you sound as formal as possible and follow a clear structure.
One thing you do not want to do is to sound informal and all over the place. Make sure that your tone is as business like as possible and follow a clear pattern. Also, you should double check to make sure that there are no spelling errors in your work as this could be very displeasing.
In fact, make sure that someone else with a very objective eye goes through your letter and gain feedback from the person. They might be a pick up some mistakes that you would have overlooked. Also, you should make sure that the content of the letter flows in a structured manner and that it follows a clear path.
4. Make sure that the start of your letter is right.
You have to be able to pique the interest of the scholarship committee within a few minutes of their reading your letter. You will be able to get them hooked by showing some passion in your letter.
Start your very first sentence strong. Show them how dedicated you are to your education, how passionate you are about attaining a level of education, how much their scholarship will go a long way to help you. You should not forget to talk very humbly about your educational achievements.
Let them know how talented you are in the academics department and how their money would never go to waste if it is used to fund your study. So, let them see your heart as well as your educational accomplishments. Make sure that you know the target group of the scholarship program and that you fit into this target group.
5. Make sure you end the letter well.
A simple “Best Regards” with your full name and signature will do. If you have anything else to add, add it in the P.S. section just under this closing greeting.
We do hope you put this information to good use. If used correctly, this step by step guide given above on how to write a cover letter, will help scholarship applicants tremendously in their scholarship landing process.
