Scholarship motivation letter: the method, and what Chevening, Eiffel, DAAD and Mastercard really ask for

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

A scholarship motivation letter does not prove that you want to leave. It proves that a funder has good reason to bet on you rather than on the next candidate. Before writing a line, open the programme's form: many major scholarships do not ask for a "letter" in the classic sense. Chevening asks four questions, Eiffel expects a "career plan" of one or two pages, the DAAD sets one to two pages for the doctorate, and Mastercard Foundation scholarships follow the form of each partner university. This guide gives the common method, then what each one really requires.

What a scholarship panel reads

A scholarship panel does not compare dreams, it compares investments. Each programme has a written mission, and your text must show that you serve it:

• Chevening (UK government) looks for future leaders able to influence and build professional relationships, with a measurable career plan;
• Eiffel (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs) wants to attract the best foreign students and train future decision-makers in priority fields;
• DAAD EPOS funds development-related master's programmes for professionals who will serve their home country;
• Mastercard Foundation Scholars targets talented young Africans held back by their financial situation and committed to their community.

The official Eiffel scoring grid shows where the decision is made. Out of 40 points at master's level, 30 concern the candidate: coherence of the path (5), residence at recruitment (3), quality of the record and openness (18), personal and career plan (4). Your text is therefore worth 4 points directly, but it is also what makes your path readable: it explains a detour, links your grades to your goal and proves the coherence scored out of 5.

Scholarship letter or Campus France letter: the difference

If you have already written a study plan for Études en France, do not copy it. Our article on the Campus France motivation letter answers a different question.

The Campus France letter shows that a path leads logically to a programme. The scholarship letter shows that funding will produce something: a trained professional who returns, a project that moves forward, a community that benefits.

What Chevening, Eiffel, DAAD and Mastercard really require

Chevening: four questions, no letter

Chevening assesses your answers in four areas: your leadership and influencing skills, with examples showing clear results; the professional relationships you have built; the reasons for your first-choice course and university; your career plan, short, medium and long term, with measurable goals. Answers are written in English. The official guide asks you to respect the word limits shown in the form without restating them: check them when the cycle opens.

Two rules are clear. Using artificial intelligence to generate answers is "strictly prohibited"; Chevening says it uses detection tools, and a fraudulent or copied application is disqualified. Next, Reading Committee feedback published by Chevening in 2020 names the most common error: defining leadership instead of giving examples. It recommends the STAR method (situation, task, action, result), talking about your own contribution rather than "the team", and not copying the university brochure to justify a course choice. For the 2027-2028 intake, applications closed in October 2026: the next cycle should open in August 2027.

Eiffel: the "career plan"

For Eiffel, you do not apply alone: the French institution submits your file, with its own internal deadline, before 6 January 2027. The 2027 submission guide lists the master's documents: ID, CV of two pages maximum, diplomas, transcripts for the last three years, a language certificate where relevant, and a career plan of one or two pages, written in French or, failing that, in English. The plan can be supported by the opinion of an outside person, for example from a company. For the doctorate, a thesis presentation of five pages maximum and an external expert's opinion are added. The grid scores the plan "corresponding to the motivation for a programme in France and to future career goals": talk about a profession, not just studies.

DAAD: one to two pages, and a single letter for EPOS

For the doctoral scholarship, the official DAAD listing sets the motivation letter at one to two pages: academic and personal reasons for the project in Germany, and what you expect from it for yourself, your profession and your career. The research proposal, written by you and discussed with your supervisor, is ten pages maximum. For EPOS master's, you choose up to three programmes and send a single letter, identical for all, explaining why these programmes and why this order of priority, with your academic, professional and personal reasons. German programmes are covered in our guide to DAAD scholarships and German foundations.

Mastercard Foundation: the partner's form

The foundation does not receive applications itself: each partner university or NGO manages its own form, questions and dates. So there is no single Mastercard essay. The foundation does publish nine mistakes to avoid, including dishonesty, plagiarising past applications, an incomplete file and not providing enough information, especially about your financial need. It asks you to tell your own story, "not what you think they want to hear". See our article on the Mastercard Foundation Scholars scholarship.

The model outline of a scholarship motivation letter

When the format is free (one to two pages), this outline fits the limits and answers what the grids assess.

Three writing rules apply everywhere:

Example: one paragraph before, then after

The example below is invented to illustrate the method: the candidate, the cooperative and the figures do not exist. Imagine a Beninese agronomist aiming for a development-related master's.

Before:

Since childhood I have been passionate about agriculture and have always dreamed of studying in Germany, the country of excellence and rigour. This scholarship would be a unique chance for me to fulfil my dream and contribute to my country's development.

Anyone could sign this paragraph. It flatters the country, talks about a dream, contains no facts and does not say what the scholarship will produce.

After:

Since 2023, I have kept a post-harvest loss register for a cooperative of 140 soybean farmers near Parakou: we lose 18% of production between the field and the store, for lack of proper drying and storage. I secured funding from the municipal union for two drying areas, which cut losses by five points in one season. The post-harvest technology module of the master's I am aiming for will give me the methods to go further; when I return, I want to turn this into an advisory service for the department's cooperatives.

The second paragraph gives a measured problem, a personal action with a result, a precise link to a module and a concrete next step. Exactly what Chevening's recommended STAR method and the Eiffel grid look for.

The mistakes that eliminate an application

• Not answering the question asked. A text written for one scholarship and pasted into another shows immediately. Exception: DAAD EPOS specifically requires a single letter for your three choices.
• Defining instead of proving. Three lines on what a leader is replace the example that would have convinced.
• Copying the brochure. The Chevening committee noted it: describing a course in the university's words does not prove you studied it.
• Letting AI or a third party write it. Chevening forbids and detects it; the Mastercard Foundation names plagiarism as the most common mistake. A reviewer can correct, not write for you.
• Keeping quiet about financial need when the programme asks, as Mastercard partners do.
• Going over the limit. One page too many shows you did not read the instructions.
• Paying someone who promises a "guaranteed" letter. Chevening states that it does not work with any third party that charges for application support. See our article on scholarship scams.

Do not forget the other documents: a strong file pairs the letter with well-prepared recommendation letters that confirm what you claim.

Preparing your letter with Compatri

Start with the listing of the scholarship you are aiming for in Compatri's scholarship directory (in French), checked against official sites, then compare programmes in our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students. Clicking "Candidater" on a listing opens a step-by-step application tracker (in French): conditions, steps to tick, deadlines for your nationality, and reminders before the deadline as long as submission is not ticked.

For proofreading, the volunteer diaspora mentors have often been through these programmes: you send them a connection request with a message, and the exchange starts if they accept. Ask for their view on clarity and evidence, not a rewrite: the text must remain yours.

Compatri awards no scholarships and does not replace official rules: only the programmes' sites are authoritative.

Official sources

• Chevening: how to apply (questions, references, AI)
• Chevening: application criteria
• Chevening: common errors
• Chevening: Reading Committee feedback (2020)
• Campus France: France Excellence Eiffel programme
• Campus France: Eiffel submission guide, 2027 session
• Campus France: Eiffel master's scoring grid
• DAAD: doctoral scholarship in Germany
• DAAD: development-related EPOS master's
• DAAD: information for scholarship applicants
• Mastercard Foundation: Scholars Program
• Mastercard Foundation: 9 common scholarship application mistakes