Free Recommendation Letter for Scholarship Template – With 24 Examples

A recommendation letter for scholarship is a formal letter drafted by a reliable adult and directed to a scholarship selection committee with the aim of putting in a good word for the individual who applied for the scholarship. Thus, these letters usually originate from individuals such as teachers, counselors, professors, coaches, mentors, or even employers depending on the type of scholarship applied, subsequently intending to increase the chances of the applying individual towards being awarded the scholarship. A recommendation letter for a scholarship thus usually provides information on a scholarship candidate’s character, qualities, achievements, commitments, goals, among others expressed in objective perspective.

Scholarships have become a common phenomenon in modern society with several awarding criteria such as excellence in curriculum/cocurricular activities or an honest need for financial aid often being considered. A recommendation letter for scholarship’s significance often comes about as they usually validate the specific scholarship applicant’s qualifications towards receiving the award. Therefore, although not a mandatory requirement in some scholarship application cases, these letters are usually recommended as they occasionally simplify the committee’s selection process while also improving the odds in the subject individual’s favor.

The Purpose of a Scholarship Recommendation Letter

Recommendation letters for scholarships are usually vital in scholarship application instances. As such, these letters usually help the scholarship applicant in many avenues. For instance,

• They usually give the selection committee a comprehensive picture on the applicant’s unique qualities, strengths and potential to excel.
• The letters also provide the selection committee with an unbiased perspective on the applicant contributing to their selection process.
• The recommendation letters also provide the selection committee with further evidence attesting to the eligibility of the applicant in terms of deserving the scholarship award.

Who to Select for Scholarship Recommendation Letter?

In most instances, these letters are always drafted in academic settings. As such, teachers, professors, sports coaches, and school counselors are often the most involved parties when writing scholarship recommendation letters. Nonetheless, occasionally, employers, mentors, and any significant and reliable individual could also write these letters in the applicant’s life. Through reliance on personal/professional relationships with the candidate, these potential authors should lay out powerful testaments in favor of the applicant with the hopes of prospectively winning the much competed for the slot.

How to Write a Recommendation Letter for Scholarship

These letters usually bear great significance and, as such, should always be perfectly composed and drafted to ensure that the intended message is fully relayed. However, due to the varying nature of scholarship application requirements, these letters may often come out as different due to personalization. Nonetheless, they usually follow a fairly similar formal format during drafting. As such, some of the things to include are;

Formal letterhead

This is usually mandatory in these letters. Often placed at the top left corner, they usually entail the date the letter was drafted and sent, and the official sender’s information such as writer’s full name, tittle, name of associated institution, street address, city, state, zip code, and personal contact information. These usually need to be accurate to portray the authenticity of the letter while also allowing for further contact opportunities.

Salutation

This is usually a formal address to the reader introducing professional and friendly tones to the letter. Commonly used phrases often include;

“To Whom it may Concern” or, “Stating the name of the committee if available”

“Dear Sir/Madam or Mr. /Mrs. /Miss…,” if addressed to a specific individual.

Body

This is usually the bulk of the scholarship recommendation letters. These bodies usually contain specific information arranged in a specific manner to ensure relevance and complete relay of the message. They are vital and thus structured as follows;

Introduction

This usually comes after salutation. It identifies who the writer is, the applicant, the specific scholarship being recommended, the nature and length of the writer’s relationship with the scholarship applicant and maybe a reiteration on what makes you qualified to give the assessment and recommendation.

Mid-paragraphs

These may often be two, three or even more depending on the information being passed across.

In this section, you should incorporate your general observations and thoughts on the overall qualifications of the scholarship applicant. Therefore, you may include information with regards to the candidate’s academic strengths, cocurricular achievements, personal qualities and overall readiness for the award depending on the scholarship award requirements. This will indicate that you understand what is expected of the applicant.

In this paragraph, it is imperative to use quantitative and specific examples to support the observations and thoughts expressed in the preceding paragraph. These should provide further clarity on the qualifications of the candidate to the selection committee. This is through comprehensive display of the fulfilling features. It is therefore dependent on the contents of the first paragraph. Some examples include school work performance and efficiency, awards both at school or job among others.

Conclusion

This is mandatory for scholarship recommendation letters as it reiterates on the commendation being provided. As such, you should summarize on why the scholarship applicant is the best candidate for the particular award. Also included here are personal contact information such as a telephone number or an email address, whichever is most preferred.

Sign-off

This is the final segment of the recommendation letter for scholarship. They usually contain final salutations, your signature and name. as such, some of the phrases commonly used for the salutations include, “Sincerely,” “Regards,” among others. The name and the signature will guarantee the authenticity of the letter while also affirming your trust and confidence in the scholarship applicant.

Recommendation Letter for Scholarship Format

[Date]

[Sender’s Name]

[Sender’s Tittle]

[Associated Institution]

[Street Address]

[City, State, Zip Code]

To Whom it may Concern [State the name of the scholarship committee if available] or Dear Sir/Madam

It is my privilege to endorse [Candidate’s Name] for the [Scholarship program]. [State how you know the candidate, for how long and in what context]. As such, it is my firm belief that [Candidate’s Name] will make the best choice as the recipient of your award.

Michael has always demonstrated [Here, you should mention some of the achievements, goals, qualifications and all relevant things making the candidate’s endorsement ideal. You should mention your observations and thoughts on the applicant].

[This paragraph should be filled with information supporting the claims laid above and in conjunction with scholarship requirements. Make sure that the distinguishing features and relevant achievements are expounded upon in this segment].

I honestly cannot think of anyone more deserving of this scholarship award than [Applicant’s Name]. As such, I am certain that you will come to be impressed by [him/her] as I was. I also believe that [he/she] will not disappoint but rather astonish the institution with [his/her] prospective achievements. I strongly encourage you to consider [him/her] and feel free to contact me at [telephone number or email] for any additional information.

Sincerely,

[Sender’s Signature]

[Sender’s Name]

Sample Recommendation Letter for Scholarship

[26th April, 2021]

Gregory Delmond,

Teacher,

Alabama Educational Institute,

564 Gandhi Street,

Onate, AL, 56784.

To JD’s Sports Scholarship Selection Committee,

It is my privilege to endorse Michael Joseph for the JD’s Sports Scholarship program. I have been Michael’s Mathematics teacher and basketball coach for nearly over three since he joined my school. As such, it is my firm belief that Michael will make the best choice as the recipient of your award.

Michael has always demonstrated all round excellence since joining my school. He has hence exceptionally performed in academics, cocurricular activities and even relations with those around him. For instance, his average mean score is always at grade A while also demonstrating professional skills in the basketball court during training and competitive games. Michael has also been praised by his fellow students and even teachers for demonstrating great leadership skills since being elected as overall games captain in the school.

In my 15 years of teaching career and experience, I have never met someone quite like Michael. He elevated the school’s overall performance in sports by placing us in the second position on national ranking through discipline and dedication. This also left him with five gold medals for his achievements in sports, the highest ever recorded in the district. Michael was also an active student in classroom as indicated by others teachers. During my Mathematics class, he would engage the class in discussions and revisions to ensure all the students were caught up essentially raising our class mean score to B. unfortunately, I am also familiar with Michael’s prospective tuition fee challenges when he will be joining college.

I honestly cannot think of anyone more deserving of this scholarship award than Michael. As such, I am certain that you will come to be impressed by him as I was. I also believe that he will not disappoint but rather astonish the institution with his prospective achievements. I strongly encourage you to consider her and feel free to contact me at [email protected] for any additional information.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

Mr. Gregory Delmond

Teacher,

Alabama Educational Institute

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Recommendation Letter for Scholarship (Templates and Examples)

Key Points

The writing of recommendation letters for scholarships is usually associated with occasional mistakes by both beginners and experts. As such, some of the key takeaways to remember include;

• Tailoring your letter to specific scholarship guidelines and expectations
• Incorporating a professional yet enthusiastic tone in the letters
• Ensuring to provide relevant examples where necessary.
• Double-checking for grammar and spelling problems
• Providing accurate information relevant to scholarship requirements
• Observing precision and directness in the drafting of the letters.

A recommendation letter for scholarship is a letter drafted by a trusted and reliable individual on behalf of a student/employee endorsing them for the specific scholarship award. These letters are usually vital in swaying and convincing of the selection committee increasing applicant’s chances of getting the award. Writing these letters is usually simple and straightforward and coupled with some of the information in this article, a perfect scholarship recommendation letter is usually guaranteed. As such, you should try and keenly go through this piece to assist in improving your scholarship recommendation letter writing skills.