Motivation Letter Format: One A4 Page for Europe

Motivation Letter Format: One A4 Page for Europe

The standard format for a European master's motivation letter is one A4 page: a short header, a salutation, four or five paragraphs that answer the programme's own questions in the programme's order, and your name. ETH Zurich asks for "Approximately one A4 page", KU Leuven recommends one, and Chalmers says the letter "must not exceed 1 page". Write it in the programme's language of instruction.

Our view: a motivation letter is formal correspondence with a job to do, and the job is set by the programme. The downloadable templates with five fixed boxes (introduction, background, why this university, goals, conclusion) get the order wrong for the schools below, because each one publishes a different list. Job cover-letter layouts get the top wrong: two postal addresses and a reference line take up lines that a one-page letter needs. This page builds the format from what universities ask for. Germany has its own header rules: see motivation letter format for Germany only if you apply there.

Every university page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. Programme pages can change between intakes, so check yours before you upload. When your page is laid out, you can test it against the one-page European motivation letter rubric.

What the universities set, and what they leave to you

Most of the format is not prescribed. Here is what the pages we checked do and do not say.

So the font, the margins and the header are your call. Our recommendation: 11- or 12-point type in a plain font, margins of 2 to 2.5 cm, single or 1.15 line spacing, and 400 to 550 words on the page. Uppsala's own conversion, "usually one page (c. 400 words)", is the floor of that range. The full list of published limits is in how long a motivation letter should be.

The one-page letter, laid out

Constructed example: an annotated one-page skeleton

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Daniel Okafor applies to Utrecht University's MSc Applied Data Science. Utrecht's template asks six questions and gives three header fields, so the letter answers them in that order. Each paragraph below shows its first sentence and its job.

Motivation statement Name: Daniel Okafor Utrecht University student number: 1234567 (invented) Master's programme: MSc Applied Data Science 31 October 2026

Dear Admissions Committee,

1. Why this programme, and why Utrecht. I am applying to Applied Data Science at Utrecht because I want to learn to build models that a public agency can audit, and the programme's [course named on the programme page] is where that is taught.

2. Experience that shows interest in the field. As a transport-planning analyst for two years, I cleaned and modelled 18 months of bus-ticket data for a city council, and my forecasts were used to set the timetable for six routes.

3. The subject areas that interest me most. The part of the field I want to study is model explanation, because the council rejected my most accurate model when I could not explain its errors.

4. Evidence of the qualities the programme requires. My statistics coursework included two semesters of regression and one of probability, and I taught myself Python to replace the spreadsheets my team used.

5. How the programme fits my career. After the MSc I want to return to public-sector analytics as the person who can defend a model's errors in a council meeting.

6. My academic achievements, reflected on. My second-year grades were my lowest because I worked 20 hours a week; my final-year average, after I reduced my hours, is the record I ask you to weigh.

Yours sincerely, Daniel Okafor

What the layout does:

• The header is four lines. It carries only what Utrecht's template asks for, plus a date. No postal addresses. The programme name is in the header, so the letter cannot be misfiled.
• Each paragraph answers one listed question, in the template's order. A reader checking "did they answer question 4?" finds it in paragraph 4.
• The bold labels are optional. On a one-page letter, plain paragraphs read better; we show the labels here to make the mapping visible. On a long, question-led essay like TU Delft's, short headings or numbered paragraphs make each answer easy to find.
• The square brackets mark the one detail Daniel must copy from the programme page, not guess.

Paragraph order follows the programme's questions

This is the part templates get wrong. The question lists are different in length, in order and in what they ask for. Write your paragraphs in the order of your programme's list.

Two differences decide your structure. Sciences Po asks for your contribution to the community; KTH, Chalmers and Utrecht do not. KTH says "Include an autobiography" and Chalmers expects a brief autobiographic section; Sciences Po asks for your "background and personal journey", which overlaps but is tied to "this particular programme". A template paragraph called "Conclusion" answers none of these. End on the last question instead.

The countercase: where a programme publishes no list, such as ETH's single instruction ("stating your motivation for choosing this specific Master's degree programme at ETH Zurich"), a standard order is fine: why this programme, what prepared you, what you will do with it. The ETH Zurich motivation letter guide shows what fits on that page.

Formal, not ornate: the register

Formal means correct, polite and plain. It does not mean ceremonial. Sciences Po puts it this way: the letter "must be carefully written, both in form (spelling, paragraphs, etc.) and in substance (the clarity of ideas and structure of arguments)."

Constructed examples: weak and revised lines

Three constructed examples, written by us, not real applicant statements, each with a weak and a revised line:

Weak: Respected Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my keen interest in your esteemed institution.

Revised: Dear Admissions Committee, I am applying to the MSc Applied Data Science at Utrecht University.

Weak: I have been passionate about data since my childhood.

Revised: I started working with data in 2023, when I was asked to forecast bus ridership for six routes.

Weak: I humbly request you to kindly consider my candidature favourably.

Revised: Thank you for considering my application.

The revised lines are shorter and say something a reader can check. British or American spelling does not matter, as long as you use one throughout.

Which language to write in

Write in the language the programme is taught in, unless it says otherwise. The rules are explicit.

Sciences Po states the penalty: "Applications that do not meet this requirement will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered for evaluation". Helsinki adds that "The quality of the language of the motivation letter will also be taken into account." If you are writing a French-taught or German-taught programme's letter in English, stop and check the page first.

PDF, file name, upload field or text box

The same letter can be a PDF, part of a merged PDF or text in a form. Each changes the format.

• Uploaded PDF. Utrecht asks for PDFs that "must not exceed 2 MB". Export from your editor; do not photograph a printout.
• Programme name on the page. KTH wants it "at the top of the page", one letter per programme.
• Programme name in the file name. Uppsala: "If you apply to multiple programmes, clearly indicate in each document which programme it belongs to in the file name." A file called motivation_letter_final2.pdf fails that rule.
• Two letters, one PDF. Politecnico di Milano: "please write 2 different motivation letters (max. 2 pages each) and combine them into one pdf file". Put a header with the programme name on each letter so the reader knows where the second begins.
• Separate files. Aalto: "Upload each document as a separate file", with a separate letter for each study option.
• Typed into a form. Sciences Po: "You must write your motivation letter directly online". Bold, italics and bullet points may not survive; write in plain paragraphs and paste early.
• No changes after payment. Politecnico di Milano: "after paying the application fee, applicants will NOT be able to modify any of the uploaded documents". Check the file before you pay.

Signature, date and the details that look careless

None of the non-German pages we checked asks for a handwritten signature. Our recommendation for an uploaded letter: close with "Yours sincerely" and your typed full name, exactly as it appears in your passport and application. Add a scanned signature only if the programme asks for one.

Details that make a careful letter look careless:

1. A date from a different intake. If the letter says September 2026 and you are applying for autumn 2027, it was reused.
2. The wrong programme name. Copy it from the programme page, including "MSc", "Master of Engineering" or the track name.
3. "Dear Sir". Use "Dear Admissions Committee" or "Dear Selection Committee". You rarely know who reads it.
4. A name that does not match the passport. Use the same spelling and order everywhere in the application.
5. A second page by one line. On a one-page limit, cut a sentence rather than shrinking the margins.

Questions about motivation letter format

Should a motivation letter have headings?

Not on a one-page letter. Plain paragraphs, each answering one of the programme's questions, are easier to read. On a long essay with several required parts, such as TU Delft's 1,000 to 1,500 words, short headings help the reader find each answer.

Do I need to include my address and the university's address?

No page we checked asks for postal addresses. Your name, the date, the programme name and any applicant or student number the template asks for are enough.

Can I use a template I found online?

Use one for layout only. Utrecht offers its own optional template. A generic template's paragraph order will not match your programme's questions; rebuild the order from the programme page.

What font should I use?

The pages we checked set none. Use a plain 11- or 12-point font that still fits the letter on one page with normal margins. For a worked one-A4 engineering letter at a university that sets no questions, see the KU Leuven motivation letter guide.

For what the first and last sentences should say, see motivation letter opening and closing lines.

Get a free review of your motivation letter

Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's one-page European motivation letter rubric. Paste the one-page draft and it checks the four things a one-page letter has to do: name the programme and your reason, answer the programme's own question, connect your preparation to its demands, and stay inside the page. For a longer UK or European letter, use the master's motivation letter and personal statement rubric.

More guides for European master's letters:

• Motivation letter for a master's: three annotated samples: full constructed letters for ETH, Sciences Po and Chalmers.
• UK and European motivation letters: which document your programme is asking for.
• Masters in Europe deadlines for 2027: when each letter is due.
• Graduate school essay guides: every master's and PhD guide by destination.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• ETH Zurich, Computer Science MSc application: one A4 page; language of instruction; motivation for this specific programme.
• KU Leuven, Requested documents: one A4 page recommended.
• Chalmers, Apply for master's programmes: one page; English; no standard template; the list of contents.
• KTH, Computer Science entry requirements: no standard template; English; programme name at the top; the list of contents.
• Utrecht University, Motivation statement template (PDF, no year): header fields; six questions; language; one to two pages. Utrecht University, Application procedure: PDF, 2 MB.
• Uppsala University, Supporting documents: one page, c. 400 words; programme in the file name.
• Sciences Po, Graduate admissions: motivation letter: the four assessed areas; language; care in form. Sciences Po, International admissions (2027 intake): language of the programme. Sciences Po, FAQ: written online; one-year master's in English.
• Politecnico di Milano, List of documents required by the admissions office: English or Italian; two letters in one PDF; no changes after the fee.
• Aalto University, Apply to master's programmes: separate files; a letter per study option.
• University of Helsinki, Studyinfo admission criteria, Master's Programme in Data Science, 2027: language of the degree; language quality.