Free downloads

Free template packs

Structure guides with annotated, fictional samples for your statement of purpose, CV and emails to professors, plus a planner for your whole application season. All free, always.

Use the structure, write your own words

Universities and scholarship committees run plagiarism and similarity checks, and wording copied from a template or sample can get an application rejected. Every sample in these packs is fictional and only shows how a structure works.

SOP and motivation letter pack

A structure guide for statements of purpose, motivation letters and scholarship essays, with two annotated fictional samples.

What's inside

A six-part structure that works for most statements of purpose and motivation letters
How to adapt it for a Pakistani application: CGPA, your university, gaps and return plans
Annotated fictional sample: two Chevening-style essays (leadership, career plan)
Annotated fictional sample: a motivation letter for a German master's, DAAD style
A final checklist to go through before you submit

Files

47-fellows-sop-and-motivation-letter-pack.pdfStructure guide and annotated samples (PDF)

Builds on these pages

Check before you apply. Prompts, word limits and deadlines change every year. Check the official page (for example chevening.org, daad.de or your university's course page) before you write.

Free template pack

Academic CV pack

An academic CV structure for scholarship and university applications, Europass guidance, and notes on what committees look for.

What's inside

What selection committees look for when they skim a CV
An academic CV structure, section by section
Pakistani CV habits to drop (CNIC, father's name, "Objective")
How to build a Europass CV when a German course or DAAD asks for one
An annotated fictional sample CV

Files

47-fellows-cv-pack.pdfCV structure guide and annotated sample (PDF)

Builds on these pages

Check before you apply. Formats and page limits are set by each university and scholarship. Check the official page before you send your CV.

Free template pack

Professor and referee email pack

Emails for a PhD or MPhil supervision enquiry, a polite follow-up, asking a teacher for a reference letter, and saying thank you.

What's inside

Ground rules for emailing professors and teachers
A supervision enquiry for a PhD or MPhil, with a fictional sample
A follow-up for when there is no reply
Asking a teacher for a reference letter, and what to send them
A thank-you, with an update on how it went

Files

47-fellows-professor-outreach-pack.pdfEmail structures and annotated samples (PDF)

Builds on these pages

Check before you apply. How references are submitted, and when, is set by each university and scholarship. Check the official page and give your referees the exact details.

Free template pack

The emails, to read and rewrite

Copy an email if it helps you start, then rewrite it in your own words. Professors notice emails that look like everyone else's.

PhD or MPhil supervision enquiry

When to send it: Before you apply, once you have read some of the professor's recent work. For an MPhil at a Pakistani university, check the department's process first: some departments assign supervisors after admission.

Structure

Subject line naming the degree, the intake and your topic.
One or two sentences on who you are: degree, university, CGPA with its scale, current role.
Two or three sentences on fit: a specific paper or project of theirs, and how it connects to what you have done.
One clear question they can answer quickly.
Your CV attached, and a short thank-you.

Fictional sample

Subject: Prospective PhD student, [intake]: [your topic in a few words]
Dear Dr [Surname],
My name is Ayesha Khan. I completed an MPhil in Microbiology at [university], Islamabad, with a CGPA of 3.71/4.00, and I now work as a research assistant on antibiotic resistance in hospital wastewater.
I read your recent paper on [paper topic], and your use of [method] to trace resistance genes is close to what I tried, on a much smaller scale, in my MPhil thesis. I would like to apply a similar approach to wastewater from hospitals in Pakistani cities.
Will you be taking PhD students for [intake], and would my background fit your group? I have attached my CV.
Thank you for your time.
Kind regards,
Ayesha Khan
[email] · [Google Scholar or ORCID link]

Ayesha is fictional. Your fit paragraph must name a paper you have actually read.
The question is easy to answer with a yes or no, which makes a reply more likely.
Mention a scholarship you plan to apply for (for example a DAAD or HEC scheme) only if you have checked it fits.

Follow-up when there is no reply

When to send it: After 10 to 14 days with no reply, reply in the same email thread. Follow up once. If there is still no answer, move on.

Structure

Reply in the same thread so they can see your first email.
One sentence to remind them who you are.
Repeat your question in one line.
Thank them, and keep it to three or four lines.

Fictional sample

Subject: Re: Prospective PhD student, [intake]: [your topic]
Dear Dr [Surname],
I'm following up on my email below about PhD supervision for [intake]. I would be grateful to know whether you are taking new students, and whether my work on [topic] might fit your group.
Thank you again for your time.
Kind regards,
Ayesha Khan

Short and polite. No pressure, no guilt.
A silent professor is not a rejection of you. Many simply don't answer unsolicited emails.

Asking a teacher for a reference letter

When to send it: As early as you can, and at least three weeks before the deadline. Ask in person or on a call first if you can, then send this email with everything they need.

Structure

Subject line with the word "reference" and the programme.
Remind them how they know you: course, year, project, your grade.
Say what the letter is for, the deadline, and how it is submitted.
List what you have attached to help them.
Give them an easy way to say no.

Fictional sample

Subject: Reference letter request: [programme or scholarship]
Dear Dr [Surname],
I hope you are well. I was in your [course name] class in [year] at [university], and you supervised my final-year project on [topic].
I am applying for [programme] at [university], and I would be very grateful if you could write me a reference letter. The deadline is [date from the official page], and the university will email you a link to upload the letter once I submit your details.
To help, I have attached my CV, my transcript, a draft of my statement of purpose, and a short note on the project I did with you and what I learned from it.
If you don't have time this term, I completely understand. Please just let me know.
With thanks and best wishes,
Hassan Ali
[phone] · [email]

Hassan is fictional. The reminder paragraph is the most useful part: teachers have many students.
Take the deadline from the official page and give it exactly. Never ask a teacher to sign a letter you wrote yourself; write a short note of facts instead.
Send one polite reminder about a week before the deadline if the letter hasn't been submitted.

Thank-you and update

When to send it: Right after the letter is submitted, and again when you hear the result, whatever it is.

Structure

Thank them for the specific thing they did.
Tell them what happens next, or the result.
Keep the door open politely.

Fictional sample

Subject: Thank you for the reference
Dear Dr [Surname],
Thank you very much for writing my reference for [programme]. I know how busy this time of year is, and I really appreciate it.
I have now submitted my application, and I will let you know the result when I hear.
With thanks,
Hassan Ali

Teachers rarely hear how things turned out. Sending the result, good or bad, makes it easier to ask them again.

Application season planner

A deadline, task and budget planner for a whole application season, as an Excel file and CSVs for Google Sheets, with a short PDF on how to use it.

What's inside

Deadlines sheet: every programme and scholarship, with a countdown and a "confirmed on the official page" column
Season plan sheet: the usual tasks, from English tests to HEC attestation, for you to date
Budget sheet: common costs and where to check each one, with totals in rupees
The same three tables as CSV files, for Google Sheets or any other app
A short PDF guide to using the planner

Files

47-fellows-application-planning-guide.pdfHow to use the planner (PDF)
47-fellows-application-season-planner.xlsxSeason planner (Excel, works in Google Sheets)
47-fellows-application-season-deadlines.csvDeadlines (CSV)
47-fellows-application-season-tasks.csvSeason plan tasks (CSV)
47-fellows-application-season-budget.csvBudget (CSV)

Builds on these pages

Check before you apply. This planner has no deadlines or fees filled in. Copy each one from the official page and note the date you checked it.

Free template pack

Everything here is free. We never charge for applications, and we never share or sell your details.

Subject: Reference letter request: [programme or scholarship]
Dear Dr [Surname],
I hope you are well. I was in your [course name] class in [year] at [university], and you supervised my final-year project on [topic].
I am applying for [programme] at [university], and I would be very grateful if you could write me a reference letter. The deadline is [date from the official page], and the university will email you a link to upload the letter once I submit your details.
To help, I have attached my CV, my transcript, a draft of my statement of purpose, and a short note on the project I did with you and what I learned from it.
If you don't have time this term, I completely understand. Please just let me know.
With thanks and best wishes,
Hassan Ali
[phone] · [email]