Motivation Letter Mistakes to Avoid for a Master's
Motivation letter mistakes European rules punish: sending letters nobody asked for, going over form limits, reusing text other schools can read.
Motivation Letter Mistakes to Avoid for a Master's
The costliest motivation letter mistakes in Europe are procedural, not stylistic. Helsinki's Data Science master's says "Any text exceeding the defined limit will not be assessed." Erasmus School of Economics says motivation letters "will not be considered." Politecnico di Milano locks every upload once you pay the fee. Chalmers warns that your letter "can be read by the different evaluators at all universities in Sweden."
Most "mistakes to avoid" lists are about clichés and typos. Those matter, but no university page we checked rejects a letter for a cliché. Several pages, quoted below, say what happens when you send a letter nobody asked for, go over a limit, use the wrong language or miss a required upload. Our view: fix the rule mistakes first, then the writing mistakes. When the letter is final, a motivation letter review checks it against the programme's own question and limit.
Every page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. Several print no cycle year, so recheck each programme page for your intake.
Mistakes the rules punish
| Mistake | What the official page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sending a letter that was not requested | "Documents that haven't been requested won't be considered and will delay the processing of your application." | universityadmissions.se (Sweden) |
| Same, in Finland | "Unrequested documents will not be reviewed and may delay processing." | Aalto University |
| Same, in Norway | "do not upload additional documents that are not listed" | NTNU |
| Sending a letter to a school that ignores letters | "Additional documents, such as motivation letters or letters of recommendation, will not be considered." | Erasmus School of Economics |
| Going over the limit | "Any text exceeding the defined limit will not be assessed." | University of Helsinki, Data Science MSc, 2027 |
| Leaving out a required letter | "If your application lacks a motivation letter, your application will not be evaluated." | Same Helsinki page |
| Writing in the wrong language | "Applications that do not meet this requirement will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered for evaluation" | Sciences Po |
| Editing after paying | "after paying the application fee, applicants will NOT be able to modify any of the uploaded documents or add any extra documents." | Politecnico di Milano |
| One letter for two choices | "prepare and upload a separate letter for each study option." | Aalto University |
Each row is a separate trap. The quiet ones below are the easiest to miss.
Writing a letter "just in case." The Swedish national portal says: "If the university hasn't asked for any additional documentation, be sure not to submit anything extra." A letter you were not asked for is not a bonus at these schools. It is a delay. Before you write a word, find the programme's document list. Our Chalmers required-or-optional guide shows how one Swedish school decides who must upload one.
Trusting your word processor's count. Helsinki's letter is written "on the application form", and it "must not exceed the length defined on the application form." The page does not print that length. Read it in the form before you draft. KTH's computer science letter "must be in English and less than 500 words"; Chalmers' letter "must not exceed 1 page." Our motivation letter length guide compares the published limits.
Reusing one letter. Chalmers: "all letters of motivation can be read by the different evaluators at all universities in Sweden." A Lund reader can see the letter you wrote for Chalmers. KTH asks you to "state which programme each letter applies to at the top of the page." Sciences Po says "If you apply to two programmes, you must write two motivation letters in separate sections." Polimi asks for "2 different motivation letters (max. 2 pages each)". See same motivation letter for several universities for what can be shared.
Uploading a draft. Polimi's lock is the clearest case; our Politecnico di Milano motivation letter guide covers its timing. EPFL's doctoral school is similar for PhD applicants: "you cannot update your application after you have submitted it."
Writing in the language you are best at. Sciences Po: "Your letter must be written in the language of the chosen programme." Helsinki: "You must write the motivation letter in the language in which you intend to complete the degree."
Mistakes readers notice
These come from our reading of what the programmes ask, not from a published rule. Label: our recommendations.
- Repeating the CV. Chalmers asks you to "Explain the connection between your current studies and your choice of programme". A list of courses with grades does not explain a connection. Name one course and what it let you do.
- The wrong university name. If you reuse a letter, search it for every other school's name before you upload.
- Praise with no fact behind it. "World-renowned faculty" fits every university. Sciences Po says applicants "are expected to demonstrate that they have thoroughly researched the programme". Name a course, track or thesis option from the programme page instead.
- Your IELTS or TOEFL score in the letter. Test results are a separate upload or form field. EPFL's EDIC, for example, says "Self-reported scores should be recorded on the application form." Repeating a score in the letter spends words and adds nothing the reader does not already have.
- Grades with no context. If your CGPA or class needs explaining, give one sentence of context and move on. Our recommendation: do not convert it yourself unless the programme asks.
The countercase: if the programme asks you to explain your English, or your grades, in the letter itself, do it there. Follow the page, not this list.
Constructed examples: two fixes
Two constructed examples, written by us, not real applicant statements. Programme and course names are invented.
Fix 1: the CV repeated.
Before: I completed my B.Tech in Civil Engineering with a CGPA of 8.4/10. I studied Fluid Mechanics, Hydrology, Environmental Engineering and Water Resources. I did an internship at a construction company.
After: My hydrology course ended with a catchment model I could run but not calibrate, because we had no field data. During my internship I collected that kind of data on site for the first time. This programme's field-methods course is where I want to learn to calibrate a model against it.
Why the fix works: the "after" version uses one course and one internship to answer Chalmers-style "connection" questions. The grade and the course list stay on the CV and transcript.
Fix 2: generic praise.
Before: Your university is one of the best in Europe, with world-class faculty and excellent facilities, which makes it the perfect place for me.
After: I am applying because the programme lets me write the thesis with an external partner. My bachelor's project already used data from a regional water board, and I want the thesis to continue that work.
Why the fix works: the "after" version names one feature a reader can check on the programme page and ties it to your evidence. Use a real feature from your programme's page, not this invented one.
Authorship mistakes
Some universities publish rules on who writes the documents. Quote them before you decide how to work.
- TU Delft (application procedure): "All applicants should submit their application for admission by themselves. We advise against the use of external agencies that offer this service."
- Sciences Po: "Your motivation letter must demonstrate authenticity and sincerity."
- ETH Zurich ESOP (scholarship page), about the separate thesis pre-proposal: "The pre-proposal for the Master's thesis must be developed by yourself and use established scientific citation practice. Plagiarism, negligent or intentional misinformation will lead to exclusion from the admission process or - if discovered later - to the revocation of the admission and of any scholarship."
These rules are about who writes and whether the content is true. Read your programme's declaration before you sign it. Our guides on TUM's AI and plagiarism rule for motivation letters, on whether universities check SOPs for plagiarism and on what to do if an agent wrote your statement of purpose cover the details.
A 10-point pre-upload check
- Is a letter requested? Find it in the programme's document list. If it is not there, do not upload one.
- Is it an upload or a form box? Helsinki's Data Science programme and Sciences Po use form fields; most others on this page take a PDF.
- What is the limit, and where is it stated? Words, characters or pages, from the programme page or the form.
- Is your count inside it? Count in the format the form uses. Text over the limit may not be read.
- Is it in the programme's language? Not the language you write best.
- One letter per programme or study option? Aalto, KTH, Sciences Po and Polimi each say so.
- Is the programme named at the top, where KTH-style pages ask for it?
- Is every other university's name gone? Search the file.
- Does any claim go beyond your CV and transcript? If so, can you prove it?
- Is this the final version? At Polimi, uploads lock when you pay. At some portals you cannot replace a file after submitting.
Questions about motivation letter mistakes
Should I send a motivation letter if it is optional?
If the programme lists it as optional, yes. Polimi lists its letter under "Optional documents" that "can improve your chances of being positively evaluated." If the page does not list a letter at all, do not send one: the Swedish portal, Aalto and NTNU, quoted above, say extra documents are not considered, not reviewed or should not be uploaded.
What happens if my motivation letter is too long?
At Helsinki's Data Science master's, "Any text exceeding the defined limit will not be assessed." Other schools state a limit without a consequence. Treat every limit as hard.
Should I mention my IELTS score in a motivation letter?
No, unless the programme asks you to discuss your English in the letter. The score goes in the form or a separate upload.
Can I use the same motivation letter for several universities?
Not unchanged. Chalmers letters "can be read by the different evaluators at all universities in Sweden", and each programme asks different questions. Already submitted a letter naming another university? See sent the wrong statement after submitting for the correction email.
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. It checks whether you answer what the programme asked, tie your preparation to it, give a forward plan and stay inside the space the programme allows. For a longer UK or European letter, use the master's motivation letter and personal statement rubric.
More motivation letter guides:
- Motivation letter opening and closing lines: twelve constructed lines, weak and strong
- Why this programme: the motivation letter paragraph: answering the question every programme asks
- Statement of purpose mistakes: the writing mistakes in US-style statements
- Graduate school essays hub: every master's statement guide
Sources
Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.
- University Admissions in Sweden, Find out what you need to submit (no year stated): unrequested documents rule.
- Aalto University, Apply to master's programmes (autumn 2027 entry): unrequested documents, separate letters per study option.
- University of Helsinki via Studyinfo, Master's Programme in Data Science admission criteria (2027): missing letter, over-limit text, language rule.
- NTNU, How to apply, international master's (no year stated): unlisted documents rule.
- Erasmus School of Economics, Application procedure, Economics and Business (2027–2028): letters not considered.
- Politecnico di Milano, List of documents required (no year stated): optional letter, two-letter rule, fee lock.
- Chalmers, Apply for master's programmes (2027 entry): one-page limit, letters readable across Sweden.
- KTH, Computer Science MSc entry requirements (no year stated): under 500 words, programme name at top.
- Sciences Po, Motivation letter and International admissions (2027 intake): language rule, two letters, authenticity.
- TU Delft, Application procedure, MSc international diploma (no year stated): external agencies statement.
- ETH Zurich, Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (master's start HS27): pre-proposal authorship rule.
- EPFL, EDIC how to apply (2027 entry): no updates after submission, self-reported scores.
Review Your Motivation Letter
See how your own draft reads against the limit and the questions your programme publishes.