ScholarshipUniverse: Thank You Letters
Getting started with ScholarshipUniverse is easy. If you have a valid maine.edu account, then you will be able to access ScholarshipUniverse.
How to access ScholarshipUniverse:
- Go to umaine.scholarshipuniverse.com.
- Login with your MaineStreet username and password.
Once you have signed on to ScholarshipUniverse, you will be able to complete and submit thank you letters to donors.
Thank you letters from students to donors is one of the most important ways we can show our appreciation to the donors and family and friends of donors who have generously given to the University of Maine so that students may have the opportunity to pursue their degree(s) with less financial worry and hardship.
Awards administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid will solicit and manage student thank you letters to donors through ScholarshipUniverse. That includes many scholarships awarded by colleges and departments. Some colleges and departments may opt to solicit hand-written thank you letters from their students outside of ScholarshipUniverse: If so, your college or department will be in contact with you about submitting thank you letters. Otherwise, you will be expected to complete and submit thank you letters to donors through ScholarshipUniverse.
If you are awarded a scholarship from a fund with an active donor, you will be expected to write and submit a thank you letter through ScholarshipUniverse. Not all scholarships have an active donor: If you receive an award from a fund without an active donor, then you will not need to complete a thank you letter.
Please note that if your award requires a thank you letter, your thank you letter must be submitted and approved by the college, department or office issuing the award before your award can be processed.
Writing Your Thank You Letter
When you are awarded a scholarship from the Office of Student Financial Aid or from your college or department, you will receive an email from ScholarshipUniverse confirming your award and letting you know if a thank you letter is required. If your award requires you to complete a thank you letter, the email will read:
Dear {{Student First Name}},
You’ve been awarded the {{Scholarship Name}} for {{Total Amount Awarded}} for the {{Award Year}} academic year.
Scholarships are made possible through the gifts of University of Maine friends and alumni who have chosen to generously share their resources with the University and our students. Our donors are very interested in the University of Maine community, particularly the students, and would enjoy hearing from you.
Please log into https://umaine.scholarshipuniverse.com/ to complete a thank you letter and view your awarded scholarship. The thank you letter must be submitted before the award can be processed. If you have difficulty accessing the site or completing your thank you letter, please contact us at umscholarships@maine.edu.
We wish you all the best for a successful academic year at the University of Maine.
You may also log in to ScholarshipUniverse at any time to view your Student Dashboard and check if you have any thank you letters to complete, among other action items.
If you have a thank you letter to complete, you will see an Award Response Needed action item along with a deadline. Click the Take Action button to complete your thank you letter. Thank you letter deadlines are set by the college, department or office making the award.
When you click the Take Action button, you will be taken to a template where you will be able to construct your thank you letter. Most colleges and departments use a general thank you letter template. The general thank you letter template includes three prompts:
- Tell the donor about you
- Personal thank you message
- Letter closing
Each prompt includes directions and example text of what is expected. Each prompt is followed by a open text box in which you can type or paste your response.
Please note that your letter will include an automatic greeting that reads:
Dear {{Name of Donor}},
As a {{Academic Year}} recipient of the {{Name of Scholarship}}, I am writing to thank you for this generous scholarship.
You must include a response to each prompt before you can submit. If your college or department is using a different thank you letter template, follow the directions on screen.
Once your letter is ready, click the Submit button.
After submitting your thank you letter, it must be approved by the college, department or office which made the award. The approver has the option of sending your letter back to you to make any necessary edits. If this happens, you will receive an email notification directing you to make the necessary edits to your previously submitted thank you letter and to re-submit.
Please note that by submitting your thank you letter, you authorize the release of your letter to the donor(s) and others associated with this scholarship.
If you have difficulty accessing or completing your thank you letter, please contact us at umscholarships@maine.edu.