Most of the scholarships available at San Diego State University (SDSU) are made possible by contributions from generous donors who, through you, want to invest in the future while demonstrating their belief in the importance of a college education.

Hearing from scholarship recipients is very meaningful to donors or their living relatives.  It gives them an opportunity to obtain a glimpse of how the gift has made a difference in the life of a student.  This encourages the donor to continue supporting other students like you, and your letter represents your opportunity to show you are the kind of student they can be proud to support.

Writing Tips

Pay careful attention to the grammar, spelling, and organization of your letter.  Good grammar provides clarity and correct spelling communicates your intelligence and attention to detail.  Use the spell-check and grammar-check functions in your software, but proofread the letter again since the software may not find all of the errors.

When you are finished, read the letter aloud.  If it still makes sense, then it is probably fine.

Content Tips

Tell about yourself

• Your hometown
• Family background
• High school and other experiences that led to your choice of study at SDSU

Tell about your present situation

• Describe how the scholarship will help you meet your educational goals
• Class level and major at SDSU
• Include the criteria you met for scholarship eligibility
• Things you enjoy about college
• Organizations in which you participate
• Internships or co-ops in which you participate or plan to participate
• Extracurricular activities on campus and/or within your community

Tell about your future plans

• What you look forward to at SDSU and after you graduate
• What you hope to accomplish while at SDSU
• Your career plans

Make sure you thank the donor for the scholarship.

Do not mention the amount of your scholarship award. 

Be sure to include the full, correct name of the scholarship in your letter. 

And finally, always type your thank you letter, and make sure you sign it in your own handwriting.

See sample Thank You Letters.