Thank You Letters
All students who receive a Foundation (donor-funded) scholarship will be required to write a thank you letter to the donor(s) of the scholarship. All letters must be completed within two weeks of accepting the award through ScholarWeb.
Why are thank you letters required?
Most of the scholarships available at Tennessee Tech University are made possible by generous contributions from donors who believe in the importance of a college education and want to invest in the future of Tennessee Tech students. By writing a thank you letter, you demonstrate that you are the kind of student they can be proud to support. Hearing from scholarship recipients is also very meaningful to donors. It allows them to obtain a glimpse of how their gift has made a difference in the life of a student. Your words remind donors of the impact of their scholarship gift, and many of them continue to give additional scholarship funds because they know their gifts are deeply appreciated and that they are helping deserving students realize their potential.
Tips and Suggestions for Writing a Thank-You Letter
- Thank the donor for his or her generosity in providing this scholarship. Tell the donor how this scholarship has made a difference in your education.
- Read about the history and background of your scholarship by clicking Award Information when you log in to ScholarWeb. Here you will find information about your scholarship and its donor. You can use this information to personalize your thank-you letter.
- Tell the donor a little about yourself.
- Where are you from?
- What is your family background?
- What high school did you attend and what activities were you involved in there?
- What activities are you involved in or plan to be involved in at Tennessee Tech?
- Why did you choose to attend Tennessee Tech?
- What are you majoring in and why?
- Tell the donor about your goals and future plans after completing your education at Tennessee Tech. What do you hope to do after graduation? What is your long-term career ambition?
- If you are receiving a renewable scholarship and have sent a thank you letter to the donor during a previous year, give the donor an update as to what has changed in your life since your last letter.
- Pay careful attention to the grammar, spelling, and organization of your letter. A well-written letter reflects favorably on you, the scholarship committee who selected you, and on Tennessee Tech University as a whole.
Sample Thank-You Letters
Here are some examples of well-written thank-you letters. These are offered only as a guide; please put your own words and thoughts into your thank you letter.
Thank-You Letter Requirements
- Your letter must be completed and submitted online via ScholarWeb. Hand-written letters will not be accepted.
- Do not include a salutation ("Dear Mr. Smith," or "Dear Scholarship Donor,") in your letter. We will add the salutation when the letters are printed. Also, do not include a closing ("Sincerely, John B. Student") in your letter.
- If you receive multiple donor-funded scholarships, you must submit an individual thank-you letter for each scholarship you receive.
- If you are receiving a renewable scholarship, you must write a thank-you letter to the donor each year that you receive the scholarship.
- To receive your scholarship funds, all thank you letters for scholarships must be submitted in ScholarWeb NO LATER than two weeks from the date of the award was accepted. Failure to submit your letter by this deadline may result in your scholarship award being rescinded.
For questions about the thank-you letter requirement, contact us at 931-372-6159 or scholarships@tntech.edu.
