Application guide
How to write a motivation letter that gets you shortlisted
A motivation letter (also called a statement of purpose or personal statement) explains why you want a programme, why you're ready for it and what you'll do afterwards. Committees read hundreds, so a clear structure and specific examples make yours easier to remember.
Most motivation letters should be one to two pages. If the scholarship gives a word limit, stay within it.
A five-paragraph structure
- Your opening. State what you're applying for and the main goal that drives you. Skip quotes and life stories that start in childhood.
- Your background. Choose one or two experiences from your studies or work that prepared you for this programme. Show results, not just duties.
- Why this programme. Name specific modules, professors, labs or features. Explain how each one fills a gap in your skills.
- Your plan after graduating. Describe the job, project or change you'll work on, and where. Scholarships funded by governments care a lot about this.
- Your close. Summarise in two or three sentences why you are a strong fit, and thank the reader.
Weak versus strong sentences
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| I am passionate about public health. | Over two years at a district health office, I tracked vaccination coverage for 12 communities and saw how poor data delayed outreach. |
| Your university is world-famous. | The module on health information systems and Dr X's work on mobile data collection match the problem I want to solve. |
| I want to help my country. | I plan to return to the Ministry of Health to design a digital reporting system for rural clinics. |
Common mistakes
- Sending the same letter to every programme
- Repeating your CV instead of explaining it
- Writing about the scholarship's money instead of your goals
- Spelling the university or programme name wrong
- Going over the word limit
Before you submit
Read it out loud. Cut any sentence that could appear in anyone else's letter. Then ask someone who knows you to check that it sounds like you.
Want feedback on your draft? See our motivation letter review.
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