Application Letter: Definition, Types and How to write it

We are all familiar with writing the application of leave of absence at least once in our lives. If you can’t relate, there are countless other times application letters are written. It can be for a job, asking for permission to host a football competition on the school grounds, asking for a transfer certificate after your dad gets posted somewhere else, etc. Here, I will tell you how you will write a general application letter.

What is an Application Letter?

If you’ve been following, the letter you write when you request for something, ask permission for something or apply for something, is an application letter. It is usually a one-page letter. It can be written for domestic or professional purposes. It can also accompany documents sometimes, like job application letters. So to say, application letters encompass more than cover letters; they can be an inquiry and a request letter too.

Types of Application Letters:

Following this thread, application letters can be classified into 3 broad groups. They include:

1. Job Application Letter (sample)
2. Academic Application Letter (sample)
3. Personal Application Letter

Examples of job application letters include:

See cover letters

Examples of academic application letters include:

1. Application letter seeking permission
2. Scholarship application letter
3. Application for leave of absence/in advance
4. Application for a seat in the hostel
5. Application for a testimonial, etc.

Examples of personal application letters include:

1. Loan application letter
2. Rental application letter
3. Application letter for a deduction of fine
4. Application withdrawal letter
5. Internship application letter
6. Transfer application letter
7. Application letter for a travel grant, etc.

Note that these personal letters can be written person-to-person or person-to-business.

Steps on How to Write An Application Letter:

Like any other basic letter writing, the application letter starts with planning. Plan on the content, enquire about the recipient, think through about the details to include, keep things simple and short, and et voilà!

Let’s break things down.

Suppose you are writing an application to your college professor for the retake of your Microeconomics exam. Here’s how you draft your piece:

1. Start with the date.
2. Include the name of the professor, his post, department, and name of the university. Your professor can be an external or internal faculty. If he is an external faculty, mention this and the name of your university. If not, you still should include it to make things more precise. Add his contact information.
3. Follow this up with the date. Proceed to the subject line, here, application for the retake on an exam is the subject.
4. In the first paragraph, introduce yourself. Mention your name, batch, and program, followed by the course name. Now state why you are writing, which is to apply for the retake of your Microeconomics exam.
5. Next paragraph should mention the reasons for you to skip the exam. Make sure they are valid grounds. If you had been sick, attach prescriptions or documents from the appointment. If you had been away for personal issues, give brief details of the event.
6. In the closing paragraph, ask him/her to excuse you on these grounds and to retake your exam and say how it will be beneficial to you.
7. Close with your details. Don’t forget to add your contact information like the mailing ID here.

Tips to Remember:

1. Take care of the readability and white space in your letter.
2. Make sure your pints connect with each other. Don’t include irrelevant information since an application is to be concise by format.
3. Take care of grammatical and spelling errors.
4. Be sure of the dates you are writing in the letter.