How to Write a Scholarship Recommendation Letter?

A scholarship is a monetary grant provided to students who complete a specific set of requirements to assist them in paying for additional education. Scholarships may be given out by schools and charitable organizations based on a student's academic performance, financial need, or a mix of both. For the scholarship committee to consider a student for a certain award, the student may need to submit an application, which may include a letter of recommendation from a teacher or mentor. In academic procedures and scholarship applications, letters of recommendation or references are records in which a third party explains who he is, how he knows you, and why he recommends you for the relevant study or scholarship program. By doing this, the organization or scholarship sponsor can confirm your integrity and performance while getting a second perspective on your request. To put it another way, the main purpose of the recommendation letter is to verify the details you've provided in other documents (such as the CV and the motivation letter) and learn more about your background.

Importance of Recommendation Letter for Scholarship

Apart from a stellar resume, a letter of recommendation is the only document that validates your achievements, personal attributes, and skills from someone else. This document is imperative in proving your worthiness and credibility. Moreover, a good letter of recommendation is enough to get you admitted into the college or university of your choice. Most universities require their students to be meritorious and promising, and this is usually the first criterion for selecting candidates. However, as the competition narrows down, so do the factors of comparison. To break ties between deserving candidates, educational institutions usually emphasize secondary factors such as a well-written letter of recommendation, community service, years of work experience, etc. 

Who should write a Recommendation Letter for a Scholarship?

Unlike what is generally believed, letters of recommendation need not be written by “important people,” such as the faculty dean or the company's general manager with whom you have worked. Institutions want letters from people who have directly contacted you and know your personality and performance firsthand. Therefore, when choosing a reference, it is best to opt for professors, thesis supervisors, bosses, or, in some cases, co-workers.

NOTE: These people may not know how to write a letter, want to make sure they give you what you need, and/or don’t have the time to write it. Therefore, you will be asked to guide them, and in some cases, you write a recommendation letter and make them read and sign later. 

Steps to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Scholarship

Here are some steps that you can follow to write a scholarship recommendation letter for a student:

1. Review the scholarship requirements

Different scholarships may prioritize different types of candidates. For example, an academic or merit scholarship may place a high value on academic achievement and rigor. A mentor writing a recommendation letter for this type of scholarship may focus on the academic achievements of the individual in question and include specific examples that show their dedication to their scholarly pursuits. Alternatively, the review committee for an athletic scholarship may be more interested in the candidate's athletic abilities and team mentality. There are also many highly specific scholarships intended for individuals with a very particular background or set of experiences. Even more general scholarships sometimes include subcategories or more specific criteria. For this reason, it's useful to begin your scholarship letter writing process by researching the specific scholarships involved to determine what those specifics may be and how best to describe how your candidate fits into them.

2. Begin with an introductory paragraph

Beginning your letter with an introductory paragraph can be a useful way to establish your intent and provide the review committee with any relevant context they may need to understand your letter. In this paragraph, you can introduce the student, the scholarship, and your relationship with the student. If you know the student through an educational institution, you can also name that institution and provide more details about your history there. For example, you could explain that you've taught 10th-grade math for six years at a particular school.

You may include more introductory information about the candidate in this paragraph, including their academic background or a brief description of the traits that may make them a good candidate for the scholarship. It can also be helpful to use enthusiastic language that expresses the pleasure with which you recommend this student. This may help create a sense of honest excitement, which may positively affect the enthusiasm of the review committee.

3. Describe the candidate in the context of the scholarship

After introducing the candidate and yourself, you may discuss why you think they may be a good fit for the scholarship. This is an important step because it can demonstrate to the scholarship committee that you understand the type of candidate they're looking for and have considered carefully why the student on whose behalf you're writing may fit those requirements. It may be helpful to provide detailed examples of achievements or scenarios to support your endorsement. Including past achievements may also be a good way to demonstrate the candidate's ability to act on their ideas and principles.

4. Describe other achievements, qualities, or skills

You may consider other achievements, qualities, or skills important to the committee's understanding of this candidate. After discussing those parts of the scholarship criteria, you may open your discussion to include these other positive attributes. One area of achievement you may include is facts, such as grade point averages, awards, or sporting statistics. If you can connect these to the scholarship criteria, that may also be beneficial.

You can also talk about the personal qualities you may have noticed in the student based on your time as their teacher or through your relationship with them. These can be helpful to include because they may give the reviewing committee a better sense of the type of individual the candidate is and why that individual may be particularly deserving of the scholarship.

5. End with a conclusion

In your conclusion, you can restate your support of the candidate and briefly recap why the committee should consider them for the scholarship. You may then invite the committee members to contact you to discuss the matter further. In some cases, particularly when there's a question about the candidate or a high level of competition, it can be helpful for the committee to know that you're willing to act as a resource to support the candidate.

6. Proofread carefully

After completing your letter, you may read it carefully, looking for places to improve spelling, grammar, or readability. It's helpful to remember that, as the individual the student selects to recommend them, you're responsible for representing your student to the review committee. This means that the quality of your letter may impact the committee's opinion of the candidate. For this reason, it's vital to create a carefully polished final draft. You may also ask a friend or colleague to proofread your work. This can be helpful because it's sometimes easier for another individual to identify small grammatical or spelling errors. They may also give you feedback on your letter's credibility and what areas may benefit from improvement. This can be particularly helpful if you're writing a letter of recommendation for a scholarship for the first time. If you ask a friend or colleague for assistance, consider temporarily hiding the candidate's name to protect their privacy.

7. Deliver on time

Some teachers have numerous students for which they write recommendation letters. Maintaining a calendar or schedule to ensure you know which due dates fall on which days and how they expect you to turn in your recommendation can be helpful. Following these instructions and meeting these deadlines can help ensure that the review committee considers your letter alongside the candidate's other application materials.

Header Tips for Recommendation Letter

Recent date: Avoid delivering letters that you have previously requested for other calls and that are generic.

Title or motive: “Letter of Recommendation” or “Reference”

Targeted specifically to the program/scholarship provider: The letter of recommendation must explicitly state for whom it demonstrates personalization and importance. That is why it is important to avoid things like: “To whom it may concern.” 

Content Tips for Recommendation Letter

Your letter of recommendation should contain the following elements:

Reason: The person who recommends you explains why you are going and explicitly mentions the program he is recommending. Who he is and how he knows you: The person recommending you should mention his position, the institution he works with and his relationship with you. Description of the program or work: The reference must contextualize the reader about the nature of the program or the work performed by the person whom he recommends. And in this way, give it the importance it deserves. 

The reasons why he recommends you: Very related to the previous one, here the person who recommends you describes your personality, academic, and / or professional skills that make you the ideal candidate for the program to which you are applying. 

Recommendation reinforcement: In the final part of the letter, the person who recommends you should emphasize that you are the right person for the program you are applying with things like:

For more information and dismissal:  It is a good idea that the person who recommends you is open to answering questions by the selection committee and, therefore, must demonstrate it at the end of the letter.

Formatting Tips for Scholarship Recommendation Letter 

It complies with the guidelines that you are asked for. For example, in some cases, the institution may ask you that the letter of recommendation be in a previously defined format, that it be written by specific people, and/or that it be sent in a sealed envelope. If so, follow those instructions because they are application requirements that, if not met, can mean your immediate disqualification. 

Language: If it is for an English program, it is ideal that it be written in that language and that the person serving as a reference can answer questions in that language. However, it doesn't need to be handled this way because you can attach an official translation to your letter of recommendation.

Size: It is recommended that the letter of recommendation be between 1 and a maximum of 1.5 pages in Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, size 12, and with normal spacing and margins. This way, you make sure it is concrete but descriptive enough.  

Letterhead: Ideally, the letter should be written on the institution's letterhead to which the teacher belongs or the organization where your boss works. This gives the document more formality and, therefore, more confidence.

Contact information: The letter must include the telephone, postal address, and email of the person who recommends you. In this way, the evaluating institution is allowed to contact the person who recommends you to verify the information.

Tips to get very good letters of recommendation for a scholarship

Ask for them in time: The people who will write your letter of recommendation will most likely have several responsibilities and, therefore, will need at least one month to write your letter of motivation. Keep that time in mind and the application deadline so you can send all the complete documentation on time.

Share your CV and motivation letter with these people: Ideally, the people who will write your letter of recommendation know what you have done and your motivation to be part of the program to which you apply. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you meet with them to share your experience and plans or to share documents such as your curriculum vitae and motivation letter.

For academic recommendation letters: If you graduated more than two years ago and have not kept in touch with your professors, you must be very careful in the person you choose to serve as a reference and how you approach him to ask for it.

You can think of teachers with whom you stood out or with whom you had the greatest contact so that when you contact them and tell them that it is you, they can remember you more easily.  

Before asking anything, making initial contacts to resume the relationship is recommended. You can achieve this through an email, a phone call, or even a personal visit to update the person on what you have done during the time that has passed, tell them your plans to continue your studies, and ask about their opinion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it OK to write your letter of recommendation?
When you require a letter of recommendation on time or if your supervisor is too busy to write it, you can write a self-recommendation and have it approved or signed later.

Should a recommendation letter be signed?
As a reference letter is a formal application document, it's important you can sign it professionally and officially. Type your name in print and use e-signature software to include your signature. 

How many words should a recommendation letter be?
300-400 words. 

How many paragraphs is a letter of recommendation?
In most cases, a letter of recommendation should consist of three or four paragraphs and not be over one page long.

Is three months enough time for a letter of recommendation?
Plan on timing your request to give your recommender enough time to write you a strong letter; two to three months in advance is ideal.

Conclusion

Recommendation letters are vital for scholarship applications, providing a third-party perspective on applicants' qualifications and character. To ensure strong letters of recommendation, carefully select your recommenders, provide them with relevant information, and follow application guidelines. Customize each letter for the specific scholarship, maintain professionalism, and express gratitude for their support. These letters can greatly influence your chances of securing the financial assistance needed for your educational goals.