How to Write a Professional Email

As you’re applying to university, you may find you need to contact your chosen university by email. Writing a professional email is a skill you can take with you for emailing professors, applying to jobs, and future careers. Read on to find our top tips for writing a professional email! 
 

Formatting Your Email

Make sure to use a professional email address, that you check often. For example, your previous university or school email is fine, but don’t use something like coolguy@gmail.com, as this seems unprofessional. If your email is a variation of your name, that is fine – just make sure to check what the display name on your account is as well, as the universities will be able to see this. 

The subject line of your email should be short, concise, but tell the receiver what the email is about. When emailing a university, always include your student or reference number. 

For example: 12345678 + Visa Question 

Avoid using words like “Urgent”, “Please Respond”, etc. in your subject line, unless it truly is an urgent email - if every email the university received was marked urgent, there would be no way to differentiate the emails that actually are. 

Finally, check the font you are sending your email in – something legible, like Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial is fine, in size 12-point type. Do not use all caps, or unnecessary highlighting or colour. 
 

How to Start Your Email

Your email starts with your salutation. This is where you address your email to the recipient. If you know their name, include it. For example: 

“Dear Mr. Smith,”

If you don’t know their name, something more general like: 

“Dear Sir or Madam”, or “To whom it may concern”, or “Dear Admissions,” is fine. 

Do not ever just say “Dear Sir”  or “Dear Madam”– you do not know the gender of the person answering your email, and should not assume. 

“Dear” is the more formal address – avoid saying “Hello,” “Hi”, etc. 

Feel free to follow the address with a kind greeting, such as “I hope this email finds you well”, but this is not required. 
 

Composing Your Email

You should introduce yourself to start the email. List your name, the course you applied for, and the purpose of your email. 
For example: “My name is John Smith, and I have applied to study Law and X University. I have a question about my offer conditions.”

From there, make sure to be concise, explaining as clearly and briefly as possible the reason for your email, so that the recipient can best assist. 

For example: “On my offer letter, I was asked to provide IELTS results. As I completed a degree in English in my home country, I was wondering if this condition could be removed? Thank you for your assistance.” 

Try not to drag the email on – it is completely fine for your email to only be 2-3 sentences, as long as the reader can understand why you are emailing, and what they need to do to assist. 

Make sure you use formal language – avoid slang terms, unnecessary contractions, emojis, profanity, or jokes. Always write in complete sentences, and check for any spelling errors. 
 

Completing Your Email

Make sure to use a formal closing, don’t leave your email open ended. There are several options you can use, but it should read as though you are signing a letter. Phrases like “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” “Best wishes,” are all fine, followed by your name on the next line, and your student number again. 

For example: 

“Best wishes, 

John Smith

12345678”

If you have stated in your email that you will provide an attachment, make sure it is attached. Check again for spelling and grammar, and then you are ready to send! 
 

Finally

Before sending, check that the email address of the recipient is correct, and all attachments have attached correctly.

Once you’ve sent your email, you will usually receive an automatic reply, which often states the standard timeline for a reply. There is no need to reply to this email. Keep in mind that you will only receive a response during the recipients work hours – and that those work hours will more than likely be in the UK. If you don’t receive a quick response, that is not unusual. 

If you don’t receive a reply, it is fine to send a follow up approximately two weeks after your initial email. Following the rules above, be polite, and simply say: 

“Hello , 

I hope you are well. 

I would just like to follow up on my previous email. If you require anything further, please let me know. 

Best,”

With these tips, you should successfully be able to send a professional email, and find success with your studies!