For a lot of funded master’s and almost every funded PhD, one email can decide everything. A professor’s support, or a supervisor’s acceptance letter, is often the single factor that turns a rejected application into a funded one. Scholarships like the Chinese Government Scholarship reward applicants who have already lined up a supervisor, and countless research positions are filled by students who simply emailed the right professor well and on time.
The problem is that most students get this email badly wrong. They send a generic “Dear Sir, I want to do PhD under you, please accept me” message to fifty professors at once, and hear nothing back. Professors receive dozens of these and delete them in seconds. This guide shows you how to write an email that actually gets a reply, with copy-paste templates you can adapt for scholarships, PhD supervisors, and research positions.
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Why emailing a professor matters
Depending on what you are applying for, contacting a professor does one of two things:
- For a funded PhD or research position, the professor often controls the funding and the decision. If they want you, you are most of the way there. If you never contact them, you may never be considered.
- For scholarships that ask for a supervisor or pre-acceptance letter (many government scholarships, including the Chinese Government Scholarship at graduate level), that letter can be the deciding document in your file.
Even where it is not strictly required, a warm connection with a professor gives your application a human advocate on the inside. That is worth a lot.
Before you write: do your homework
The single biggest reason these emails fail is that they are generic. The fix is research. Before you write to any professor, spend twenty minutes on each one:
- Read their recent work. Look at their department page, their two or three most recent papers, and their current research focus. You do not need to understand every detail, but you must be able to name what they work on.
- Check they are taking students. Some professors state on their page whether they have openings. If funding or a lab is full, a different professor is a better use of your time.
- Confirm your fit. Your background and interests should connect to their work in a way you can explain in one sentence.
This research is what lets you write one sentence that no other applicant can copy, and that sentence is what gets your email read.
The anatomy of an email that gets replies
Keep it short. A professor should be able to read it in under a minute. A strong email has these parts:
- A specific subject line. Not “PhD application” but something like “Prospective PhD student interested in your work on X.” For scholarships, name the scholarship.
- A one-line introduction. Who you are, your degree, and your university.
- Why them, specifically. One or two sentences showing you have read their work and how your interest connects to it. This is the most important part.
- What you are asking for. Be clear: are you asking whether they are accepting students, whether they would supervise you under a named scholarship, or whether you can discuss a project?
- Your key qualifications, briefly. One or two lines: your degree, grade if strong, and any relevant research, publication, or project.
- A clear, easy next step, and a note that your CV and transcript are attached.
- A polite close.
Attach your CV and academic transcript. Do not paste your whole life story into the body.
Template 1: Emailing a potential PhD supervisor
Adapt every bracketed part. Never send it as-is.
Subject: Prospective PhD applicant interested in your research on [specific topic]
Dear Professor [Last name],
My name is [Your name], and I recently completed my [degree, e.g. MSc in Environmental Engineering] at [University]. I am writing because I am very interested in pursuing a PhD in your group.
I read your recent work on [specific paper or topic], and I was particularly interested in [one specific point, finding, or method]. It connects closely to my own [thesis / project / research] on [your topic], where I [one line on what you did].
I am writing to ask whether you are currently accepting PhD students for [year / intake], and whether my background might be a good fit for your research. I am also exploring funding through [scholarship name, if any].
I have attached my CV and transcript. I would be grateful for the chance to discuss how my interests align with your work. Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Phone / email / LinkedIn or Google Scholar link, if any]Template 2: Emailing a professor for a scholarship supervisor or pre-acceptance letter
Use this when a scholarship asks you to secure a supervisor or an acceptance letter before you apply.
Subject: Supervisor enquiry for [Scholarship name] application, [field]
Dear Professor [Last name],
My name is [Your name], a [degree] graduate from [University] in [country]. I am applying for the [Scholarship name], which is a fully funded scholarship for [master's / PhD] study at [University / in country], and I am looking for a supervisor whose research fits my interests.
Your work on [specific topic] is closely aligned with my background in [your area]. During my [degree], I [one concrete example: a project, thesis, or result].
The scholarship asks applicants to identify a supervisor [or obtain a pre-acceptance letter]. I would be very grateful to know whether you would be open to supervising my study, and whether you would consider supporting my application. I have attached my CV, transcript, and a short statement of my research interests.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I am happy to provide any further information.
Kind regards,
[Your name]Template 3: A short, polite follow-up
If you have not heard back after seven to ten working days, send one brief follow-up. One, not five.
Subject: Following up: PhD enquiry, [specific topic]
Dear Professor [Last name],
I hope you are well. I wrote to you last week about the possibility of joining your research group as a PhD student and applying through [scholarship name]. I understand you are busy, so I wanted to follow up briefly in case my message was missed.
I remain very interested in your work on [topic] and would welcome the chance to discuss it. My CV and transcript are attached again for convenience.
Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
[Your name]Common mistakes that get your email deleted
- Mass emailing. Sending the same message to many professors, with no personalisation, is obvious and gets ignored. Worse, professors in the same department sometimes compare notes.
- Being too long. A wall of text about your whole life does not get read. Keep it under a minute.
- No specific reason for choosing them. If you cannot name what they work on, you have not earned a reply.
- Poor spelling and wrong titles. Address them as “Professor” or “Dr” correctly, spell their name right, and proofread. Errors here signal carelessness.
- Asking for too much too soon. Do not attach a ten-page proposal or ask them to fix your application. Open a conversation first.
- Demanding or entitled tone. You are asking for their time. Be warm and respectful.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels
What to do when they reply
If a professor responds positively, move quickly and professionally. Answer any questions clearly, send anything they ask for promptly, and if they offer a call, prepare for it as you would an interview: know their work, know your own, and be ready to explain your research interests. The same preparation that goes into a strong statement of purpose and a good scholarship interview applies here.
If they decline or do not reply, that is normal. Thank anyone who responds, and move to the next professor on your list. Persistence, done politely, is what gets results.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to email a professor before applying for a scholarship? It depends on the scholarship. Many funded PhDs and some government scholarships (such as the CSC at graduate level) strongly favour or require a supervisor’s support or a pre-acceptance letter. For taught master’s scholarships, it is often not needed. Check each scholarship’s rules.
How many professors should I email? Email a focused list of professors who genuinely fit your interests, and personalise each one. A handful of well-researched, tailored emails beats fifty copy-paste messages.
What should I attach? Your CV and academic transcript, and for scholarship enquiries, a short statement of your research interests. Do not attach large files or your entire application.
How long should I wait before following up? Seven to ten working days. Send one polite follow-up. If there is still no reply, move on.
What if my English is not perfect? Keep sentences short and clear, and proofread carefully. A simple, well-structured email in plain English is better than a long, complicated one. Ask a fluent friend to check it if you can.
Should I email during holidays or exam periods? Professors are often less responsive during university breaks and busy exam weeks. Term time usually gets a better response.
Draft your list of professors, research each one for twenty minutes, and adapt a template above for your top three this week. When your outreach turns into an application, our guides to the statement of purpose and recommendation letters will help you finish strong, and you can browse funded options in our list of fully funded scholarships.
