Paying for college takes a lot of planning. The rising cost of tuition can put higher education out of reach for even the most talented students. College scholarships can help them follow their dreams without the burden of excessive debt. If you’re supporting a student’s application, our free bundle of 10 sample recommendation letters for scholarship applications offers practical, customizable examples for various types of scholarships.
Your free, fully customizable templates include the following 10 example letters:
1. Academic Excellence Scholarship Recommendation
This template provides a comprehensive view of a student’s academic achievements, making it ideal for students with strong grades and a passion for learning.
2. Community Service Scholarship Recommendation
Perfect for students deeply involved in volunteering and community projects, this letter highlights the positive impact they’ve made and their commitment to service.
3. Leadership Skills Scholarship Recommendation
Designed to emphasize leadership in school and community settings, this letter covers a student’s contributions to committees, events, and projects.
4. Overcoming Adversity Scholarship Recommendation
Tailored for students who have shown resilience, this letter addresses personal challenges a student has faced and how they’ve maintained academic and personal growth in the face of adversity.
5. STEM-Focused Scholarship Recommendation
This template showcases a student’s abilities in science, technology, engineering, or math, and highlights their dedication to the field and future goals.
6. Athletic Scholarship Recommendation
The balance between athletic and academic performance is highlighted in this letter, providing a holistic view of a student’s achievements, character, and teamwork.
7. First-Generation College Student Scholarship Recommendation
This letter acknowledges the significance of becoming the first in one’s family to pursue higher education, addressing academic excellence and personal commitment.
8. Financial Need Scholarship Recommendation
This recommendation template is ideal for students who demonstrate academic dedication and excellence while navigating financial challenges.
9. Career-Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship Recommendation
Suited for students pursuing technical fields, this letter highlights hands-on skills, dedication, and specific achievements in areas like automotive technology or culinary arts.
10. General Academic Scholarship Recommendation
This sample recommendation letter for scholarship applications offers a balanced view of a student’s academic strengths, character, and extracurricular activities, suitable for a range of general scholarship applications.
How To Write Scholarship Recommendation Letters
If you’ve been asked to write a recommendation letter for your student’s scholarship, you might feel overwhelmed. You want to help your student, but you’re worried your letter won’t be good enough. Our scholarship recommendation letter templates cover all of the following:
- Using your letterhead, add your personal information (full name, title, school name, etc.) in the top left corner.
- Each sample letter includes an introduction, two or three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- The first paragraph introduces your student, specifies the scholarship for which they are applying, and shares details about the nature and length of your relationship.
- The body paragraphs describe the ways your student is suitable and deserving of the scholarship.
- The final section pulls everything together and emphasizes your student’s strengths as well as the reasons why you are endorsing them.
Don’t feel you can honestly provide a positive recommendation? Gently decline their request for a letter. Avoid putting yourself in a position where you will have to be insincere. You don’t want to write something negative because it could cost the student an opportunity to earn a scholarship.
Get your free customizable scholarship letter templates
Our free templates include examples of all the letters described above to help make writing scholarship recommendation letters for your students easier than ever. Just click the button below to to fill out the form on this page and grab your free Google Doc templates.