During your time as a student, you may find yourself in a situation which requires an appeal letter. Some of the situations where you need to know how to write an appeal letter for college include:
- Appealing against disciplinary action.
- Appealing a grade that you have been given.
- Appealing against a rejected application for admittance.
The following tips are going to help you to craft a college appeal letter that will be rake seriously and help you to fight your case and convince the recipient that you are deserving of a second chance.
Use the Appropriate Format For Your Letter
One of the most important things when writing an effective appeal letter is to choose the appropriate format for a professional and formal letter like this. Its basic structure and format will always follow the same pattern as outlined below:
- Always Add a Letterhead. You should always begin your appeal letter with a letterhead which includes your name, address, phone number and email address to allow the college to respond to the letter.
- Use the Full Date. The date that you are writing your letter should be included in full. The correct format is to write the day, the full name of the month and then the year (18, May 2015).
- Address The Recipient. In order to identify the intended recipient you should include their full name, their title and their address.
- Adding a Reference Line. Adding a reference line is going to let whoever opens the letter know at a glance what it is about. The easiest reference to add on this type of letter would be something simple like ‘RE: College Admissions Appeal’.
- Finding The Appropriate Salutation. If you know the name of the person that will be dealing with your appeal letter, then you should address them formally (Mr. Smith or Mrs. Jones). Never use their first name. Alternatively, you can simply say Dear Sir or Madam as appropriate or simply To Whom It May Concern if the letter is to be put in front of a committee or panel. It is usually wise to make some attempt to find out who will be reading your letter if possible.
- The Body of The Letter. This will be the main portion of your letter and it is where you will plead your case to the college.
- Wrap Up With a Closing Line. The closing phrase that you use will depend on the salutations used. If you know the name of the recipient then you should close with ‘Yours Sincerely’. However, if you are using a salutations such as Dear Sir, or To Whom It May Concern, then it is more appropriate to use ‘Yours Faithfully’. If you are in doubt then you can use alternatives such as ‘Cordially’ or ‘With Regards’.
- Don’t Forget The Notations. It is likely that your appeal letter is going to require you to include some additional documentation as evidence. If so, then you must make sure to mark this on the letter. This is done by adding ‘enclosures’ or ‘Enc.’ a few lines below your signature.
What to Include In The Body of Your Letter
The actual content of your letter is going to depend on your situation, but for the purposes of an example let’s assume that you are appealing against your college application being rejected. The opening paragraph should briefly explain what the letter is about. The next one should then put forward your side of the story.It is important that you maintain a calm and professional tone and that you state only facts and documented details that you can support with additional evidence. This might actually end up spanning a couple of paragraphs. Once you have put forward your story, you will need to look closely at the policies the college works with. After that you can cite any pertinent points that you feel will support your claim. In the rejected application example this might include the college’s admissions policy.
Finally, you should close your letter with a paragraph summarizing your letter’s key points. At this point you should also ask for the college to reconsider their decision and take the opportunity to thank the reader for taking the time to read your letter.
These tips should help you to create a winning appeal letter. Remember to be professional in your tone. It is likely that you will be emotional and even a little bit angry, but it is important to remain level headed when you write your letter. Only then will you have a good chance of being successful in your appeal.