The Motivation Letter 2025

The preferred length is 300–400 words. That is usually about 2 A4 pages.

If the motivation letter has to be submitted on paper, pay attention to the formatting requirements. They usually look like this, but we recommend checking on your institution’s website:

• font size 14
• 1.5 line spacing
• Times New Roman
• clear division into paragraphs, and concision

The electronic account offers no formatting for the motivation letter: you get a text field into which you paste a letter you prepared in advance. Changing the font, its size, or adding line or paragraph spacing is impossible.

Advice on writing each section

1. Letterhead.

Whether there is a letterhead, and what it looks like, depends on each university’s requirements. Some institutions do not require one at all. Read the formatting requirements for the motivation letter carefully on the website of the institution you have chosen.

2. Opening address.

In this section it is important to state the specialty, its code and the degree program you want to study on. An example opening:

Important. The rector’s first name and patronymic go in the vocative case.

3. Main body.

The main body is where the “special something” of your motivation letter belongs — the thing that sets you apart from other applicants. So it is worth covering these topics:

• A story from your life that led you to this profession. For example, as a child you watched doctors at work and were inspired by it. Or your school teacher got you hooked on the subject. Perhaps your profession is a family tradition and you are the fourth generation doing it.
• What this profession means to you and why you dream about it. You can also mention what you have already done in the field: courses you took, books you read, special classes you attended and so on.
• Your achievements at school. Do not list every single one — focus on the most prestigious and describe the rest in more general terms.
• Why you chose this particular institution. Perhaps you liked the student community or the academic mobility programs, somebody well known graduated from there, or it has good lecturers.
• Say how you see yourself in the life of the university, and what you would like to do after graduating. The admissions committee wants to see that you take initiative, are active, and are ready to change yourself and the world for the better.

4. Closing.

Be sure to thank them for reading your motivation letter. An example closing:

What ruins a motivation letter

• Being far too long or far too short.
• Excessive emotion. Stick to the rule “more facts, fewer feelings”.
• A vast list of achievements. Better to pick the most important ones and focus on them, and cover the rest in 1–2 sentences.
• Sentences that are hard to follow. Two lines is the maximum; anything longer should be split up and simplified.
• Lots of mistakes. Ask your parents, acquaintances or friends to read your motivation letter through; their view will help you see what you missed.

Common mistakes when writing a motivation letter

The letter is written in Ukrainian, so the pairs below are wordings in Ukrainian: the left column is what applicants write, the right column is what it should say.