Celebrating Your Scholarship
Congratulations on receiving a scholarship!
Many scholarships awarded to University of Montana students are made possible by the generous support of donors. We encourage you to express your gratitude to these donors so they know how impactful their giving is for students.
Throughout the year, the UM Foundation shares the remarkable work of scholarship recipients like you with donors as a way to showcase the impact of scholarships. Your personal outreach is a meaningful way for you to share with donors your academic achievements and proud moments you feel scholarships helped make possible. Hearing from scholarship recipients is very meaningful to donors.
Scholarship Thank You Letters
Once you have received a scholarship award through Scholarship Universe, you will be prompted to fill out the Thank You Letter section. Your responses will be used to generate a thank you letter to the donor(s) who supported this scholarship. Your responses will be shared with the UM Foundation, the donors to this scholarship and other trusted scholarship supporters.
Sample Thank You Letter Responses
The bulleted responses below show several example responses to the thank you letter prompts you will see in Scholarship Universe.
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- I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to you for choosing me as a recipient of this scholarship. I was considering being a part-time student this year due to financial challenges before I received scholarship and I could not be more thrilled. I now can continue as a full-time student and get one step closer to achieving my academic goals. I am deeply appreciative of your support.
- It is a great honor to receive this scholarship that will help fund the expenses of my education at the University of Montana. I am most grateful for your belief and support.
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- Choosing to attend the University of Montana was an easy choice for me. Growing up in Montana, I knew early on that I desired to be close to home, my family, and all the wonderful things Montana has to offer. I also knew that I would receive stellar educational opportunities at UM. I have appreciated being able to have a variety of classes to choose from and the assistance that I have received thus far in creating a schedule that meets my needs and aligns with my academic goals has been great. I have also valued the support that I have gotten from all of my professors which has contributed to my success.
- I am very blessed to say that I had many incredible experiences in high school such as traveling to New York three times for a national high school jazz band competition, playing in the XXX Youth Symphony, and winning my district's solo ensemble competition for my instrument solo.
- Growing up I always thought that I was going to be a D1 softball player at one of the top 25 schools in America, but that all changed when I took my first theater class freshman year. Now it might sound cheesy, but I really did feel a spark when I entered the stage. Since then, I have wanted to grow my dedication in both acting and design. My goal is to be well-rounded in all fields of theatre, to better my craft!
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- Going into the medical field was a goal I set for myself many years ago. An early interest in both science and math made it very appealing to want to work in a field that I knew I could keep myself curious, challenge myself, and also care for the people of my community. I also come from a long line of nurses in my family, including both my grandmother and great grandmother, both of whom set stellar examples for me when it came to developing a commitment to quality care and empathy for others. These reasons made the pre-nursing track a natural choice for me and as I enter my Sophomore year I feel confident I have made the right choice.
- I’ve long felt called to political work, and this semester I interned with the Montana Public Interest Research Group in the legislative session organizing lobby days for fellow students. I’ve also worked as a field organizer with Montana Conservation Voters during election season, and this summer I will be interning with the Montana Nonprofit Association through the Max Baucus Institute as a Baucus Fellow analyzing how legislation impacts non-profit operations across the state. My academic interests focus on political economy, issues related to tax policy, welfare states, active labor market policies, and organized labor, areas I believe are central to creating a more just and equitable society. These experiences strengthen my commitment to campaign work and public service.
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- I will also begin to apply for graduate programs this fall and hope to get my master's degree in Public Policy or Public Administration and work in nonprofits or governmental service. This scholarship will give me the flexibility to apply to master's programs and focus on my final year of classes and my sport in Missoula.
- As my time continues here at the University, I will continue to take advantage of all the performing opportunities that I can. I am looking forward to being a part of the play XXX, which will perform Autumn semester 2025.
- I plan to go into broadcast journalism, either audio or television. I have been in love with the program This American Life since first listening while in the booster seat of my mom’s car. It’s my dream to work for the podcast
- I am passionate about healthy forest management practices. As we humans continue to alter the ecosystem, we also have a responsibility to do this in ways that are best for the ecosystems as a whole. I would like to help make that shift in the timber industry, using forest management practices for the health of the forest.
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- Thanks to your generosity, I can dedicate more time to academics, internships, joining more student groups and clubs, and further building the experience I’ll need to attend law school and pursue a career advocating and campaigning for working people. I am sincerely thankful for your investment in my future.
- Thank you for supporting my goals towards my personal and professional potential. The generosity extended to me through this scholarship money is something that I feel beyond grateful for. Thank you for the investment in my education and for seeing the belief in my potential. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.
- As an out-of-state student, I have a lot of extra costs associated with tuition and housing. Therefore, this scholarship will help me focus on my studies, rather than worrying about money. I hope to continue to work in wildland fire throughout my years at the University of Montana, and when I graduate.
- This scholarship helps to make all of this possible. It eases the financial burden of pursuing higher education and gives me the freedom to focus more fully on my studies and the opportunities around me, allowing me to graduate on track. I’m truly grateful for the generosity of this award. It not only supports me now, but also helps me build toward the future I’m working hard to achieve. Thank you for believing in me and investing in my journey.
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- Jane Doe
- John Doe
- Grateful UM student
Awards from College or School
If you have been notified of your scholarship(s) through your college, school or program, and they have asked you to send your letter directly to a specific representative, please do so. Once the letter is submitted to your college, school or program, the scholarship thank you process is complete.
Please contact the UM Foundation if you have any questions about scholarship thank you letters at thankyou@supportum.org.