Cover Letter for a Funded PhD Position: Sample and Template

When to use this

Many PhD places in Europe, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Estonia, are advertised as jobs: a named project, a supervisor, a salary and a closing date. The advert usually asks for a CV and a "cover letter" or "letter of motivation" of about one page. You can see examples in our list of funded PhD and postdoc positions.

A cover letter for an advertised position is different from a motivation letter for a master's programme. The project already exists, so your job is to show that you fit this project: its methods, its topic and the skills the advert lists.

Always follow the advert. If it names a length, headings or questions to answer, use those. The employer's advert is the final word.

What hiring committees look for:

• That you read the advert and the group's recent work
• A clear match between the advert's requirements and your degree, thesis and skills
• One or two concrete results (a thesis finding, a dataset you built, a method you used)
• Why this project and group, in a sentence or two, not a life story
• A clean, one-page letter addressed to the named contact

The sample

This sample is fictional. The applicant, the university and the project are invented. Write your own letter in your own words.

Dear Dr [Surname],

I am writing to apply for the PhD position "[exact title from the advert]" (reference [number]) in the [Group name] at [University]. I recently completed an MS in Electrical Engineering at [University], Lahore, where my thesis developed a control method for grid-connected solar inverters, and I would like to continue this work at doctoral level in your project on bidirectional power converters.

The advert asks for experience in power electronics, control design and simulation. In my thesis I designed and simulated a 5 kW inverter in MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS, and tested a reduced-scale prototype in our university lab. The controller cut total harmonic distortion from [x]% to [y]% under the load profiles we tested. I also worked for a year as a research assistant on a [funder]-funded project measuring power quality in [city] feeders, which taught me to work with noisy field data and to write for non-specialist partners.

Your group's recent paper on [topic] in [journal, year] is the reason this position stands out to me. Its approach of [one specific detail] is close to the problem I worked on, and I would like to learn to take such designs from simulation to hardware at data-centre power levels.

I have attached my CV, transcripts and the names of two referees, as the advert requests. I would be glad to discuss my application at any time.

Yours sincerely,

Hamza Iqbal [email] | [phone] | [Google Scholar or GitHub link]

Template you can fill in

Dear [Dr / Professor] [Surname],

I am writing to apply for the PhD position "[exact title]" (reference [number]) at [University / institute]. I [recently completed / am completing] a [degree] in [field] at [University], where my [thesis / final project] focused on [one line].

The advert asks for [requirement 1] and [requirement 2]. [One or two sentences of evidence for each: what you did, with what tools, and one result.]

[One or two sentences on why this project or group: a specific paper, method or question, and what you want to learn.]

I have attached [the documents the advert lists]. Thank you for considering my application.

Yours sincerely, [Name] [Contact details and profile link]

How to adapt this

• Copy the exact position title and reference number from the advert into your first line.
• Mirror the advert's requirements in the order it lists them, with one piece of evidence each.
• Keep it to one page. Your CV carries the full detail.
• Name the contact person the advert gives. If none is named, "Dear Hiring Committee" is fine.
• Send only what the advert asks for, in the format it asks for (often one combined PDF).

Common mistakes

• Sending the same letter to every position with only the title changed.
• Writing about the country or city instead of the project.
• Repeating your whole CV in paragraph form.
• Missing documents the advert asks for, such as transcripts or referee names.
• Applying after the closing date. Many adverts close at midnight in the employer's time zone.

Related: Academic CV template, Email to a potential supervisor and Research statement.