There is no one hard and fast rule when writing an application to the school. Each application would be different depending on the school, the level and the strengths of the child. It is always a good idea to call your school first to find out if they have any vacancies, who to write to, whether there is an application deadline, and any specific application process to the school (e.g. whether there is an application form, application fee and what documents to include, e.g. official transcript and whether original documents are needed). Some may even be online applications.
What to write about would very much depend on the level of the child / young adult. In any case, you should bear the following two points in mind:
1. The school admission application letter is essentially a marketing brochure for you / your child. You should try and communicate you / your child’s strength in the fewest words and in concise terms.
2. Always be extremely polite. Praise the school a lot and give reasons why you or your child would like to be admitted.
This application letter is usually written by one or both parents (having both parents signing has the advantage of demonstrating that they are on the same page):
1. First state your child's current grade level and the level he / she is applying in the school and in which academic year.
2. Write down your child's strengths academically and socially.
3. Mention any extracurricular activities and awards your child has (sports, music).
4. Praise the school and its educational facilities. Mention what you love about the school, how you agree with its teaching philosophies, why you love the school and you want your child to get into the school. It is important to do some background research on the school online.
5. Write down why your child is a good fit for the school and will excel in it.
6. Explain why you are planning to change school. Mention any important situation, such as moving to another area.
7. Include a picture of your child where appropriate.
8. Thank the school for considering your application.
This application letter can be written by the parents or the student. Obviously it is more impressive for it to be written by an aspiring student as it demonstrates the motivation, manner, writing skill and organisational skill of the student:
1. First state your current grade level and the level you are applying in the school and in which academic year.
2. Mention your academic performance in previous years – include any awards, publications, honours, or coursework that do not appear on your academic results, transcripts or recommendation letter.
3. Mention any extracurricular activity, community service, work experience, and hobby.
4. Include any special skills (such as foreign language fluency or computer programming expertise)
5. Praise the school and its educational facilities. Mention what you love about the school, how you agree with its values, why you love the school and you want to get into the school. It is important to do some background research on the school online.
6. Write down how you can contribute to the school academically, socially, or through your sporting, music or other achievements.
7. Explain the reason why you would want to be admitted to the new school. Mention any important situation, such as moving to another area.
8. Thank the school for considering your application.
A college application letter should be well written by the applicant as it demonstrates the motivation, manner, writing skill and organisational skill of the student. Keep it simple (2 pages) and to the point. Stick to the facts (which must be accurate and verifiable), be honest, accurate and do not brag. The admission offices are trained to spot inconsistencies and may seek to verify the facts.
1. State your personal details including name, address, telephone and email.
2. Clearly state which degree or course you are applying for. Are you already doing relevant subjects in your secondary education and are you enjoying them? Do you understand the course you are applying for? You should show a clear understanding of what it entails in the letter. Do you have any study goal? If you have any career aspirations, mention your career goal and how the degree or course can help in achieving that.
3. Include information on your high / secondary school with your graduation date, GPA (weighted), class ranking, SAT / ACT score, IB score, GCSE score (or the equivalent in your jurisdiction).
4. Mention your academic performance in previous years – include any awards, publications, honours, coursework that do not appear on your academic results or transcripts.
5. Mention any extracurricular activities, community service, work experience, and hobby. Provide specific details of your role and responsibilities, hours you put in relating the extracurricular activities to differentiate from other standard college applications. If after-school work limits your ability to participate in clubs or sports, make sure your resume highlights your job responsibilities, training, and on-the-job skills.
6. Highlight any special skills (such as foreign language fluency or computer programming expertise). Focus on the depth and length of the skills. When writing about skills, activities and achievements meet the requirements, keep in mind that colleges prefer to see you focusing on one or two key skills or experiences rather than knowing a little about everything.
7. Tailor your letter to each university / college. Mention what you love about the field / area you are applying for and why you would like to do the particular degree / course in the university / college. It is important to do some background research on the school online.
8. What do you have to offer to the university / college? How you can contribute to the university / college life, academically, socially, or through your sporting, music or other achievements.
9. Thank the university / college for considering your application.
10. Include any references or testimonials from people who know you if required.
For graduate admission, applicants' application letter will be very different from standard university / college applications. For postgraduate application, you should demonstrate:
1. Your career goals and how receiving postgraduate training in your chosen field can help you achieve your career goals.
2. Why choosing a particular department at the university you are applying to. Name the professor you want to work with and tell them why they are important to your training (you will need to conduct extensive due diligence on the university and department).
3. Your research interests. Tell them how you want to increase the human knowledge base by exploring issues that have not been fully studied.
4. Finally, show that you understand that graduate training is long, difficult, and rigorous, but you are willing to invest time because you are highly motivated.
Competition for admission in graduate and undergraduate programs can be fierce. It would be a good idea to apply to more than one universities / colleges and hope for the best. Good luck!
Not the right document?
Don’t worry, we have thousands of documents for you to choose from:
10 Jun 2022
6 min read
2 Jun 2022
6 min read
27 May 2022
6 min read
20 May 2022
6 min read
9 May 2022
6 min read
3 May 2022
3 min read
25 Apr 2022
5 min read
31 Mar 2022
1 min read
29 Mar 2022
1 min read
20 Mar 2022
6 min read
12 Mar 2022
5 min read
21 Feb 2022
5 min read
31 Jan 2022
5 min read
13 Jan 2022
4 min read
3 Jan 2022
5 min read
7 Dec 2021
11 min read
14 Nov 2021
6 min read
1 Nov 2021
9 min read
21 Oct 2021
1 min read
17 Oct 2021
7 min read
7 Oct 2021
12 min read
16 Sep 2021
4 min read
14 Sep 2021
5 min read
10 Sep 2021
3 min read
31 Aug 2021
4 min read
23 Aug 2021
3 min read
16 Aug 2021
5 min read
30 Jul 2021
6 min read
23 Jul 2021
7 min read
13 Jul 2021
5 min read
2 Jul 2021
5 min read
24 Jun 2021
5 min read
15 Jun 2021
4 min read
4 Jun 2021
6 min read
28 May 2021
5 min read
21 May 2021
5 min read
14 May 2021
5 min read
7 May 2021
5 min read
30 Apr 2021
5 min read
23 Apr 2021
5 min read
16 Apr 2021
5 min read
9 Apr 2021
5 min read
1 Apr 2021
5 min read
26 Mar 2021
4 min read
19 Mar 2021
5 min read
12 Mar 2021
5 min read
5 Mar 2021
6 min read
26 Feb 2021
5 min read
19 Feb 2021
6 min read
11 Feb 2021
5 min read
29 Jan 2021
6 min read
29 Jan 2021
3 min read
22 Jan 2021
6 min read
15 Jan 2021
6 min read
8 Jan 2021
6 min read
31 Dec 2020
6 min read
24 Dec 2020
0 min read
24 Dec 2020
7 min read
18 Dec 2020
6 min read
11 Dec 2020
6 min read
4 Dec 2020
6 min read
27 Nov 2020
6 min read
27 Nov 2020
7 min read
22 Nov 2020
7 min read
13 Nov 2020
8 min read
12 Nov 2020
8 min read
7 Nov 2020
8 min read
5 Nov 2020
6 min read
30 Oct 2020
7 min read
29 Oct 2020
8 min read
23 Oct 2020
7 min read
19 Oct 2020
8 min read
16 Oct 2020
10 min read
7 Oct 2020
9 min read
28 Sep 2020
8 min read
18 Sep 2020
7 min read
9 Sep 2020
7 min read
3 Sep 2020
7 min read
27 Aug 2020
8 min read
27 Aug 2020
9 min read
19 Aug 2020
8 min read
17 Aug 2020
8 min read
11 Aug 2020
8 min read
11 Aug 2020
8 min read
10 Aug 2020
11 min read
10 Aug 2020
9 min read
7 Aug 2020
9 min read
4 Aug 2020
9 min read
3 Aug 2020
10 min read
23 Jul 2020
8 min read
23 Jul 2020
8 min read
12 Jul 2020
8 min read
5 Jul 2020
7 min read
25 Jun 2020
7 min read
12 Jun 2020
9 min read
11 Jun 2020
9 min read
9 Jun 2020
9 min read
8 Jun 2020
8 min read
4 Jun 2020
5 min read
4 Jun 2020
8 min read
2 Jun 2020
10 min read
28 May 2020
13 min read
25 May 2020
8 min read
1 May 2020
10 min read
1 Apr 2020
6 min read
1 Mar 2020
11 min read
1 Feb 2020
11 min read
8 Jan 2020
9 min read
1 Jan 2020
1 min read
10 Dec 2019
7 min read
26 Nov 2019
8 min read
5 Nov 2019
5 min read
24 Oct 2019
3 min read
1 Oct 2019
1 min read
1 Oct 2019
1 min read