Writing a Thank You Letter

Many of the LSA Scholarships and LSA Scholarships for Continuing Students at the University of Michigan are made possible through the generous support of Alumni and friends of the College . It is their investment in the LSA Scholarship Program, and in you that has made your scholarship possible. Some students will have a living donor or family member to write, some will not. Regardless of where your scholarship funding comes from it is always appropriate to write a letter of appreciation. Remember, your letter helps to ensure that the LSA Scholarship Program can continue to fund students like you long into the future.

Donors or their living relatives sincerely appreciate hearing from the recipients of their generosity. They like to know about your University experience, academic interests, goals and achievements, and other extracurricular activites . In writing a letter, you offer the donor a glimpse of how their gift has made a difference in your career in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

To help you write an appropriate and meaningful letter, guidelines and sample letters written by previous scholarship recipients are provided below. Please use these as examples only! Do not copy the text as our office will receive a copy of your letter.

Guidelines for a Letter of Appreciation

These are just a few ideas that might help you in writing your thank you letter:

  • Take a moment to think about yourself and your professional and academic aspirations.
  • Salutation; make sure you spell the donor's name correctly and use the appropriate salutation (see sample letter). If you do not have a specific donor scholarship, your letter should be addressed to "Dear Donor".  Your letter will still be sent to a donor to the LSA Scholarship Fund.
  • The body of the letter should tell the donor about yourself, your family, academic and career goals, and extracurricular activities or interests. They may be interested in why you chose the University of Michigan and in particular the College of LSA, and if you have relatives or friends who attended UofM.
  • Proofread and edit carefully. Even though your software has spell check capabilities, it does not know the difference between "Dear Mrs. Bain" and "Dear Mrs. Brain". Also check your grammar; good grammar provides clarity.
  • When you have finished the letter, read it aloud. If it makes sense when you listen to yourself read it, it is probably fine.
  • Finally, remember what Mark Twain said: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn't have the time." A well-written letter reflects well on you and the college. It is also very important to the person who funded your scholarship.