How to write a motivation letter, and how it differs from a cover letter
Build the letter around one question: why this programme, scholarship or project, and why you. Name it, show the study or work that prepared you, state your plan after it, and keep to the length the institution sets.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Motivation letter or cover letter: which one you are writing
A cover letter answers a job advert and argues that you can do the work. A motivation letter answers an offer of a place: a degree, a scholarship, a research post or a volunteer placement. The reader is a selection committee or an admissions tutor, and the question in front of them is whether you will use the place well. Prospects, the UK graduate careers site, publishes separate guides for the two documents, and the differences below come from reading them side by side.
| Cover letter (job) | Motivation letter (degree, scholarship, volunteering) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | A hiring manager or recruiter | An admissions tutor or selection committee |
| The question it answers | Can you do this job, and why this employer | Why this programme or award, and what you will do with it |
| Typical length | Three to five paragraphs, no more than one A4 page (Prospects) | About 500 words or one side of A4 for a UK master's (Prospects); one to three pages for a DAAD scholarship |
| Evidence | Work results matched to the advert | Modules, a dissertation, projects, placements, grades and awards |
| Looks forward to | The first months in the role | Your study plan and longer-term goals |
| Ends with | A request for an interview | Usually a summary of fit; interviews are set by the institution |
The names it goes by
The same document is called a motivation letter, letter of motivation, personal statement, statement of purpose or letter of intent, depending on the institution. ETH Zurich asks for a motivation letter for its master's degrees and a letter of intent for its direct doctorate. METU in Ankara calls it a letter of intention. In Germany it is the Motivationsschreiben. Use the institution's own word in your file name and heading.
When a job advert asks for a motivation letter
In much of Europe a job advert that asks for a motivation letter means a cover letter. The Dutch motivatiebrief is the clearest case. If the advert names a position, write a cover letter; the guide to what a cover letter is covers that form.
First: find the institution's own instructions
Every rule on length, language and content that an institution publishes overrides general advice, including this page. Before drafting a sentence, collect four things from the call or the programme page.
- The length, in words, characters or pages. ETH Zurich's MSc Chemistry page asks for about one A4 page; the DAAD Study Scholarships call allows one to three pages.
- The language. ETH asks for the language of instruction of the chosen programme.
- The questions it wants answered. The DAAD call asks for academic and personal reasons for the study project; ETH asks why this specific master's at ETH.
- Where and how it is submitted: an upload slot, a text box in an online form, or a letter. DAAD wants it uploaded under study project/motivation in its portal.
- Whether a letter is asked for at all. Some selections do not use one, and an unrequested essay is not read.
Check the programme or call page before you send anything. Calls are reissued every year and the wording changes.
How a motivation letter is built
Prospects suggests five or six paragraphs for a UK postgraduate statement: an introduction, three middle paragraphs and a conclusion, each following from the one before. Most institutional instructions ask for the same three things in some order.
Why this programme, at this place
Name the programme exactly and give a reason that only fits this one: a module, a research group, a lab facility, a partner organisation. ETH's instruction is precise about this: motivation for choosing this specific master's programme at ETH Zurich. A reason that would fit any university reads as no reason.
What prepared you
Prospects lists how your undergraduate study prepared you, for example a dissertation, and relevant skills, grades, awards or placements. Pick two pieces of evidence and give each one a sentence of detail: what you did, what it produced, what you learned that the programme builds on. University College Utrecht's careers page asks applicants to describe what they did and let the reader draw the conclusion.
What you will do with it
State a plan you could defend in an interview: the topic you want to work on, the kind of role or research you aim for afterwards. Prospects includes long-term goals in its list. A scholarship committee in particular reads this part as the return on its money.
Weak spots, said once
Prospects says a university will want to know about gaps or lower marks, and asks you to explain them positively: how you addressed the problem and what will be different in postgraduate study. One or two sentences are enough. A letter that spends a paragraph apologising has lost a paragraph of evidence.
Annotated sample: a scholarship letter for a master's
The applicant is invented: Deniz Kaya, a civil engineering graduate from Eskişehir who worked two years on municipal water projects, applying for a master's in water resources engineering with a scholarship. Each row gives the job of the paragraph, a sample line and the reason it is there. Replace every bracketed detail with your own.
| Part | Sample line | Why it is written this way |
|---|---|---|
| Heading | Motivation letter: MSc Water Resources Engineering, [university], [intake] | Programme and intake visible at once, so the letter cannot be filed under the wrong application. |
| Opening | I am applying for the MSc in Water Resources Engineering because two years of designing small drainage schemes showed me how little I know about catchment-scale modelling. | One sentence that names the programme and a real gap the degree fills. |
| Why this programme | Its [named module on flood modelling] and the [named research group]'s work on [topic] are the two things I want to learn. | Specific to this programme; would be false for most others. |
| Evidence 1: study | My bachelor's thesis compared two stormwater runoff methods on a 40-hectare district; the comparison is the starting point for the questions I want to study. | A dissertation, as Prospects suggests, with a scope a reader can picture. |
| Evidence 2: work | At [municipal water utility] I prepared the hydraulic calculations for [number] neighbourhood drainage projects and presented them to the technical committee. | A work example that shows the applicant can finish things; every number comes from a record. |
| Weak spot | My first-year grades in mathematics were low; I retook two courses and passed both with [grade]. | Said once, with what changed. |
| Plan | After the degree I want to return to municipal water planning and build the flood models my former team had to buy in. | A plan a committee can weigh; it also explains why a scholarship matters. |
| Close | Thank you for considering my application. | Short; the evidence is already on the page. |
How the same material changes for a volunteering letter
A volunteer placement asks a narrower question: why this project, and what you will do in it day to day. Keep one piece of evidence that shows you can work with the people the project serves, cut the study plan, and add your availability. The European Solidarity Corps profile has its own short motivation field with a character limit, covered in the ESC guide.
What institutions ask for, read on 13 October 2026
| Institution or call | What it calls the document | Length | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospects (UK postgraduate guide, June 2026) | Personal statement | About 500 words, one side of A4; some universities ask for two sides or set a character limit | Reasons for applying, preparation, skills and awards, long-term goals, weaknesses explained |
| ETH Zurich, MSc Chemistry | Motivation letter | About one A4 page, in the language of instruction | Motivation for this specific master's at ETH; a recommendation letter is a separate document |
| DAAD Study Scholarships, graduates from Turkey | Letter of motivation | One to three pages | Academic and personal reasons for the study project in Germany |
| METU, graduate application sheet | Letter of intention | Not stated on the sheet | Submitted in the online system; referees get a link to send their letters |
| Jean Monnet Scholarship, 2027-2028 call | No separate letter in the document list | Not applicable | Application form, ID, language certificate, diploma and transcript; selection includes a written exam in Ankara |
Where the sources differ
University College Utrecht's careers page suggests closing a master's motivation letter by proposing an interview. None of the other institutional pages above mention an interview request, and many programmes set their own interview stage. Follow the programme: if it runs interviews, a closing line that welcomes one does no harm; if it does not, end with your fit.
Prospects warns against using your undergraduate application as a template, because tutors want to see how you have progressed. It also asks for one version per course. Both points apply to scholarships too.
When this page is not the one you need
- A master's application in Germany through uni-assist, with its gap-free tabular CV and the three-question Motivationsschreiben: see the German master's guide.
- A Dutch job letter (motivatiebrief, sollicitatiebrief): the Dutch guide covers the aanhef, the slotgroet and the programme version.
- A UK job: the UK cover letter guide has the British greeting and sign-off.
- A PhD with a research proposal: the proposal follows the department's template, and the letter introduces it rather than repeating it.
- An application form with numbered questions: answer each question where it is asked, even if the content overlaps with a letter you wrote elsewhere.
Next steps
- Line up referees before the deadline. DAAD asks for one recent letter from a university teacher, generated in its portal; METU sends each referee a link. The reference list guide covers asking someone.
- Make the CV agree with the letter: the same dates, titles and grades. A committee reads both, and a mismatch is the first thing it notices.
- Use AI tools with care. Prospects says generic AI-written statements are less effective than personal stories and experiences; check what your institution allows.
- CitedCV can write the CV that goes with the letter, in English, Turkish or German, from facts you enter or upload. Its own letters are job letters: the opening names a position, so it is not built to write a programme or scholarship letter.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a motivation letter and a cover letter?
A cover letter answers a job advert and shows you can do the work; a motivation letter answers a place on a degree, scholarship or project and shows why you want it and what you will do with it.
How long should a motivation letter be?
As long as the institution says. Prospects suggests about 500 words for a UK master's, ETH Zurich about one A4 page, and the DAAD Study Scholarships call one to three pages.
How do I start a motivation letter?
Start by naming the programme or award and giving one concrete reason you want it, drawn from your study or work. Avoid a general opening about lifelong passion; it fits every applicant.
What should a motivation letter for a scholarship include?
Your reasons for the study project, the academic and work evidence that prepared you, and your plan afterwards. The DAAD call asks for academic and personal reasons, in one to three pages.
Is a motivation letter the same as a personal statement?
Yes, in most cases they are the same document under different names. Prospects says personal statement; ETH says motivation letter; METU says letter of intention. Follow the format the institution describes.
Can I use the same motivation letter for several universities?
No, write one per programme. Prospects recommends tailoring each statement, and ETH asks why you chose its specific programme, which a shared letter cannot answer.
Should I mention low grades in my motivation letter?
Yes, briefly, if they show on your transcript. Prospects says to explain gaps or weaker marks positively: what you did about them and what will be different now.
How do I end a motivation letter?
End with a short summary of why you fit and a thank-you. University College Utrecht suggests proposing an interview; other institutions do not ask for one, so follow the programme.
Sources
- Prospects: Personal statements for postgraduate applications (June 2026)www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/masters-degrees/personal-statements-for-postgraduate-applications
- Prospects: How to write a cover letter (May 2025)www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/cover-letters
- ETH Zurich: MSc Chemistry, application documentsethz.ch/en/studies/master/application/master-chemie.html
- DAAD: Study Scholarships, Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines (graduates from Turkey)www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/?status=3&origin=14&detail=50026200
- METU: Graduate application information sheetiso.metu.edu.tr/en/system/files/grad-handout-eng.pdf
- EU Delegation to Türkiye: Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme call, 2027-2028 (Turkish)www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2026/documents/Duyuru-Metni-2027-2028-Akademik-Yili_Turkce.pdf
- University College Utrecht: CV and motivation letterstudents.uu.nl/en/university-college-utrecht/student-life-and-career-orientation/masters/cv-and-motivation-letter