How to Write a PhD Motivation Letter (With Structure and Examples)

A PhD motivation letter tells the admissions committee why you want this specific PhD. It is not a second CV. It is your argument for why you are the right person for this research, at this university, now.

Many applicants lose marks here. They repeat their CV, or they write generic praise for the university. This guide shows you how to structure the letter, how long to make it, and what to avoid.

What a motivation letter must do

A motivation letter is different from a cover letter for a job. It must answer three questions:

1. Why do you want to do a PhD, and why this topic?
2. Why this university and this supervisor?
3. Why are you the right candidate for this research?

The University of Groningen's Graduate School for the Humanities states this directly for external PhD applicants: the letter must explain how the PhD fits your career plans, why their university is the right place for your research, and why you are the right person to do it. Do not assume every committee wants the same thing. Read the call or the admission page for your target programme first.

Tip: Never open your letter by repeating your date of birth, degree title, or university name. The committee has your CV. Use the first lines to state your research interest.

Length: there is no single standard

Length limits vary by university and programme. Do not reuse one letter at one fixed length for every application.

The safest approach: search the programme's own "how to apply" or "admission requirements" page for the words "motivation letter," "statement of purpose," or "letter of intent." If the page gives a word count or page limit, follow it exactly. A letter that goes over the stated limit can be rejected on a technicality before anyone reads your argument. If the page gives no limit, keep the letter to one page.

Structure, paragraph by paragraph

Use this structure as a starting point, then adapt it to the questions the specific call asks.

1. Opening: your research interest

State the topic or question that drives you. Connect it to something concrete: a thesis chapter, a project you worked on, a paper that changed how you think about the field. Avoid a slogan opening such as "Since I was young, I have been passionate about...".

2. Your preparation

Explain what in your academic and research background prepared you for this specific PhD. Name real projects, methods, and skills. Do not just restate your transcript; explain what you learned from doing the work.

3. Fit with the programme and supervisor

Say why this research group, this supervisor, or this call fits your interests. Name the specific project, lab, or research line. A letter that could be sent to any university, unchanged, signals that you did not do the research.

4. Your plan and goals

Say what you want to investigate and, if the call allows it, sketch your approach. If the programme asks for a separate research proposal, keep this section short here and put the full plan in that document. The University of Groningen, for example, asks for a letter of motivation and a separate research proposal of up to 2,000 words; the two documents should not repeat each other.

5. Closing

Restate your motivation in one or two sentences and close formally. Do not add new claims here.

Common mistakes

• Repeating the CV. A motivation letter that lists your degrees and dates again wastes the space you have to argue your case.
• Writing one generic letter for every application. Committees read many letters each year and notice a letter that does not mention their specific programme, supervisor, or project.
• Ignoring the stated questions. Several programmes list specific questions the letter should answer, for example about your professional goals or what you expect to learn. Address each one.
• Overclaiming. Avoid promises you cannot support, such as guaranteeing a specific result from your planned research.
• Weak proofreading. A letter with grammar or spelling mistakes undermines your claim that you can write academically. One German university's letter-writing guide, based on the DAAD manual, tells applicants to proofread the text and cut anything unnecessary, since the letter is also a sample of your academic writing.
• Flattery instead of argument. General praise for how good or famous a university is reads as filler, not as a reason to admit you.

Style: write like a researcher, not a sales page

• Use a reflective, factual tone. Avoid flowery language, exaggeration, and flattery.
• Do not describe the advantages of the programme back to the admissions committee; they wrote the programme description and do not need it summarised.
• Use your space to present yourself and your fit, not general praise.
• Draft an outline first, then write, then cut. Remove any prompt questions or headings from your final draft unless the instructions ask you to keep them.

Where this fits in your PhD application

The motivation letter is one document among several. Most PhD applications also need an academic CV, transcripts, and often a direct email to a potential supervisor before you apply. See our guide on how to email a potential PhD supervisor if you have not contacted one yet.

Before you submit anything, re-read the call once more. If it lists a word count, a specific question list, or required headings, treat that as the real instruction, and treat this guide as the general structure behind it.

Tip: Save each version of your letter under a filename that names the university and programme. Reusing a letter from a different application, without changing the specific parts, is a common and visible mistake.

PhD Atlas lists current PhD positions in Europe and in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and other countries, with the supervisor and project named, so you can write a letter that is specific from the first line. Sign up and PhD Atlas matches open positions to your CV.