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Home  Articles  How to apply to a university  Write a Successful Motivation Letter for Your Master's Search all Masters

It is very common nowadays that European universities that o er di erent international

Master’s degree programmes ask applicants to send a number of important documents
like: CV, transcript of records, Bachelor's degree diploma, language certi cate, etc.

Still, one of the key documents required during your university application is the
motivation letter (or cover letter).

But why is a motivation letter so important? A well-written letter can be a decisive factor in
ensuring you a place in your desired Master’s programme. Admission committees take the
cover letter very seriously, as it re ects the applicant’s commitment and intentions. The
quality of your letter attests your character, goals and ambitions. It is probably the most
personalized document of your application.

Therefore, writing an original motivation letter for your Master’s is a task that should not be
taken lightly.

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By requiring a motivation letter, the Master's recruiting committee o ers you the chance to
prove yourself with a short document in which you are supposed to give some relevant
and interesting insights about yourself, and prove that you are the right person to be
chosen for the programme.

Write a good motivational letter for your Master's degree

Writing a motivation letter for admission at university can prove to be sometimes tricky
and challenging for some applicants, who often nd themselves wondering how the letter
should look like, what it should contain, and how to convince coordinators that they are the
right ones to be chosen for the programme.

The internet is packed with di erent websites that o er tips and tricks on such letters. By
simply doing a web search on ‘motivation letter’, you will nd a vast number of examples of
di erent motivation letters or letter templates with structural and content details.

This article will focus on a few key points drawn from personal experiences, that proved
e ective in my case, and will hopefully be useful in helping you write a good cover letter.

Do your homework and put in the e ort!

Before you start writing your application motivation letter, it is best you nd out as much
as possible about the university that is o ering the Master’s programme and about the
programme itself. Usually, the universities' website is pretty clear and informative about its
requirements, expectations and about what quali cations and qualities they hope their
candidates have. You can also try to search for the university’s pro le on Mastersportal and
nd all the information you need in one place.

Knowing a little bit about their requirements, about their main projects, activities, personal
philosophy and interests will help you get an idea of what your motivation letter should
contain. Relating to the main activities and interests of the university will de nitely help
start a positive cooperation.

To get the perfect motivation letter for your Master’s program, you will also need to have
great English writing skills. If you need to improve your English speaking, why not try taking
a good English language course abroad?

How to write a motivation letter

Start with writing down some of the main ideas, important points you would like to
approach in your cover letter and later build around them, then enrich their content. An
example would be:

Make your goal clear: provide a short preview of the rest of the letter
Why do you think that the university and the Master's programme are interesting
and suitable for you?
Focus on some of your strongest quali cations, past experiences (international
experiences are always relevant) and qualities; organise the middle paragraphs in
terms of the quali cations most relevant to the programme to the least, and you can
also refer to your CV for more details
Conclude by restating your interest and show appreciation for the chance to prove
yourself in the letter (in some cases, you can ask for a personal interview)

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Be personal & original

Give your readers some insight about you, as an individual. Remember this is a very
personal document in which you are expected to prove that you are di erent from the rest
of the applicants and that your qualities, skills and quali cations make you suitable for
participating in the Master’s programme.

Although it might be sometimes helpful to have other motivation letter examples, do not
copy other letters you have seen and try to be original, as it will help a lot! Also, avoid
bragging too much about yourself. You are not expected to present yourself as a
superhero, but to be objective and realistic.

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Be professional and consistent

Whether it is the way your motivation letter looks, the way it is organised and structured in
paragraphs, the font size, the length of the letter, or even the rst paragraph, the rst
impression always counts!

Present your letter in a professional format, style, and grammar (e.g. use the same font,
the same abbreviations throughout the letter, etc.). Check for any mistakes you can nd.
You can also ask your friends to have a look and see if you've missed anything. This step is
very important because small details make the di erence.

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Final advice on writing your motivation letter

It is always a good idea to ask your friends, a teacher or someone who has already done
such an application for advice. Usually, you can get in touch with students who are already
studying the Master's programme you are applying for and they can give good advice.

All these key points can prove e ective in helping you write a successful motivation letter,
but, in the end, your personal touch and knowledge is what matters and makes the
di erence.

A good motivation letter will always be successful if the applicant is really interested and
willing to get the desired place in the Master's programme of his/her choice. What you
really need is to trust yourself and try it. And, if you are not successful the rst time, keep
on trying, because you will make it!

Here are a few examples of successful motivation letters:

Motivation letter for a Biomedical Engineering degree

Motivation letter for a Tourism and Entrepreneurship degree
Motivation letter for a Computer Science degree
Motivation letter for an Information Systems degree
Motivation letter for an Advanced Optical Technology degree
Motivation letter for an International MBA
Motivation letter for a Food Safety degree
Motivation letter for a History and Oriental Studies degree
Motivation letter for a Political Science degree

Apply right now to a Master’s abroad

You can now apply with Studyportals to one of our partner universities abroad. You can
apply whenever you want, and it won't cost you anything.

Check the available Masters and see which of the degrees match your background and
interests. Start the application process by lling in your student pro le. You will soon get
contacted by one of our application counsellors who will assist you further. We’ll then apply
on your behalf. Find out more about applying to a Master's degree with Studyportals. 

Fingers crossed!

Written by Alexandru Giurca Share on   

Studied Forestry at the Transylvania University (Romania), the
Georg August University Göttingen (Germany) and the University
of Eastern Finland (Finland)

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