Knowing how to write a letter of intent starts with your program’s own page, because the name does not mean one thing. The University of South Carolina’s Department of Geography lists a letter of intent “also known as” a statement of purpose or a statement of intent, and asks for 1,500 to 1,750 words. Boise State’s Master in Population & Health Systems Management asks for a “500-word statement explaining educational and career background and future objectives”.
We read the pages of six graduate programs and one graduate studies office on October 16, 2026. All seven ask about your preparation, and four of the seven ask you to connect your plans to faculty. The steps below follow what those pages ask for. Where a step gives drafting advice, the advice is ours, not a program rule.
Key Takeaways
- A letter of intent is what your program says it is. South Carolina’s geography department treats it and the statement of purpose as one document, while Notre Dame’s history department calls its version a Statement of Intent and sets it apart from a college personal essay.
- Length is set program by program. On October 16, 2026, Boise State asked for 500 words, Arizona State’s PhD in Urban Planning for no more than 600, Cal Poly Pomona’s biology master’s for one single-spaced page and South Carolina for 1,500 to 1,750.
- All seven pages ask about your background. Four ask you to tie your plans to faculty, and Cal Poly Pomona says an applicant who has not named a sponsor “will not be admitted”.
- The University of New Mexico’s graduate studies office suggests an order: the program and degree first, then your qualifications, then why their program and its faculty fit your goals.
What a Letter of Intent Means at the Programs We Read
The University of New Mexico’s Graduate Studies office defines the letter as “An intellectual autobiography that conveys the continuum of experiences and events in your academic life which have led you to desire an academic graduate education”. Its guidance is general, and it sends applicants to each program for the rules. Here is what six programs ask for, read on October 16, 2026.
| Program | What it calls the document | What it asks for | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Mexico, Graduate Studies (general guidelines) | Letter/Statement of Intent | Program and degree first, background, why this program and its faculty | One or two typed pages |
| University of South Carolina, Geography | Letter of intent, also known as statement of purpose or statement of intent | Coursework and training, life experience, faculty match, career goals | 1,500 to 1,750 words |
| University of Notre Dame, History PhD | Statement of Intent | Area of interest and faculty mentors, background, other qualifications | Not stated on the page |
| Arizona State University, PhD in Urban Planning | Statement of Intent | Specialty, education, training at ASU, other information | No more than 600 words |
| Arizona State University, MUEP (urban and environmental planning) | Statement of Intent | Interest in planning, background, educational objectives | No more than 1,000 words |
| Boise State University, Population & Health Systems Management | Letter of Intent | Educational and career background, future objectives | 500 words (page still dated for the fall 2025 intake when read) |
| Cal Poly Pomona, Biological Sciences master's | Personal statement of intent, letter of intent, Statement of Intent | Research experience and interests, professional goals, confirmed sponsor | One page, single-spaced |
Three of these pages use more than one name for the same document. UNM’s title is “Letter/Statement of Intent”, South Carolina gives three, and Cal Poly Pomona’s biology FAQ moves between “personal statement of intent”, “letter of intent” and “Statement of Intent” on one page. Notre Dame’s history department draws a line instead: its Statement of Intent is “Unlike the personal essay you may have written when applying for college”. Where a program treats the names as one, as South Carolina does, our statement of purpose examples show the same document under its other name.
The name can also mean something else. At Texas A&M’s Graduate and Professional School, the “Letter of Intent” is a form that lets a program admit a student who is finishing another TAMU graduate degree. Medical school applicants send a different letter of intent: a short note telling one school they will attend if admitted.
How to Write a Letter of Intent, Step by Step
The order below follows the UNM guidelines and the six program pages. Each step names the pages it comes from.
Step 1: Read the prompt, the limit and the format rules
UNM calls its own advice “only general guidelines for writing a letter of intent for graduate admissions” and points applicants to each program’s website or handbook. Program pages set the hard edges. Cal Poly Pomona’s statement “must not exceed one page in length (Arial 11-point font; 1-inch margins all around; single-spaced)”. Arizona State’s planning pages cap theirs at 600 or 1,000 words.
Our advice: before drafting, copy each program’s questions into a list. Every question the prompt asks becomes a sentence or a paragraph you owe the reader.
Step 2: Research the program and its faculty
UNM’s guidelines open with “Before You Write, Do Your Homework!” and tell applicants to “Get the names of specific faculty members with whom you want to study”. South Carolina says “we strongly encourage applicants to contact potential advisors before applying”, and its application form asks you to name the faculty you want to work with. At Cal Poly Pomona the order is fixed: “You must first find a sponsor.”
Our advice: read two or three recent papers or project pages from each person you plan to name. You need enough to say, in one sentence each, how their work connects to yours.
Step 3: Open with the program, the degree and your direction
UNM’s guidelines say to “Place central points early”. In the opening paragraph, they say to “State the program to which you are making application” and to say “Whether you are seeking a master’s or doctorate”. An opening in our wording might read: ‘I am applying to the PhD in History to study [your area] with Professor [name].’
All three model letters on our letter of intent examples page name the program in their first sentence.
Step 4: Show the preparation that qualifies you
Every page in the table asks for this. South Carolina wants you to “describe any coursework or academic training that has prepared you for graduate studies”, along with life experience such as internships or professional work. Notre Dame asks: “Tell us about your previous studies, such as courses you took, papers you wrote”. Boise State asks for your “educational and career background”.
Pages differ on personal history. Cal Poly Pomona says “It is not necessary for you to provide personal or family history, or your motivations for seeking the degree”, and adds: “This is not a college admissions essay.” South Carolina lets you explain an unusual record, such as “a semester of low grades”, without a detailed account of private problems, and UNM’s style list says “Explain anomalies”.
Our advice: choose two or three experiences that led to the question you want to study. Give each one a detail that only you could write.
Step 5: Make the case for this program
UNM’s advice for the closing paragraph is to “Explain specifically why you wish to attend their particular program”. It also asks you to show how your interests “form a match with the research interests of one or more faculty in the program or department”. South Carolina asks why the department is a good match “with a specific focus on faculty expertise”, and warns: “Highly qualified applicants might not be admitted to the program if they cannot demonstrate a good fit with department expertise.”
Not every program asks about faculty. Arizona State’s PhD in Urban Planning asks what additional training you can obtain at Arizona State, and Boise State’s prompt names only background and objectives. Notre Dame asks which faculty members you would like as mentors, because “Without this information, we can’t assess how well your interests match our resources.”
Step 6: Close with where the degree leads
South Carolina asks you to “explain how graduate studies in geography will further your career goals”, in academia, industry, government or the nonprofit sector. Cal Poly Pomona’s FAQ says: “Describe your professional goals (e.g., PhD, medical school, employment).” Arizona State’s MUEP page lists “Your educational objectives”. Goals can stay open at Notre Dame, which asks whether you already have a dissertation topic and says “This is in no way required”.
UNM ends its guidelines with a concluding statement: “Summarize briefly why you believe you possess the experience and skills to be admitted to their program”. Our advice: name a goal specific enough to test, such as a kind of job or a research question, and show how this degree leads there.
Step 7: Cut to the limit and revise
UNM’s style list says “Edit ruthlessly” and “Cut out redundancy”. South Carolina names one line to cut: “Applicants should avoid saying that they have always been fascinated with maps/weather/foreign lands.” Such lines, its page says, “do little to distinguish applicants”.
Our advice: read each sentence and ask whether another applicant could have written it. If so, replace it with a detail from your own record or cut it. Then check the count against the limit you copied in step 1.
Our advice: give the draft a second reader at this stage. On the letter you write, ExceptionalGrad’s graduate school application advisors “will review your application, help edit essays, optimize your C.V., and assist with interview preparation”. We edit and advise; we never write.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a letter of intent be for grad school?
As long as your program says. On the pages we read in October 2026, limits ran from Boise State’s 500 words to South Carolina’s 1,500 to 1,750. Notre Dame’s history page set none. When a prompt is silent, the University of New Mexico’s general guidelines say one or two typed pages.
Is a letter of intent the same as a personal statement?
At some programs it is. Cal Poly Pomona’s biology FAQ, read in October 2026, calls one document a personal statement of intent, a personal statement and a letter of intent. Notre Dame’s history PhD sets its Statement of Intent apart from the college personal essay: show yourself as an aspiring historian, not your life story.
What is a statement of intent for graduate school?
It is the name some programs give the statement where you explain your interests, preparation and plans. In October 2026, Notre Dame’s history PhD, Arizona State’s two planning programs and Cal Poly Pomona’s biology master’s used it. South Carolina’s geography department listed it as another name for its letter of intent.
How do you end a letter of intent for graduate school?
With a short case for why you will succeed there. The University of New Mexico’s general guidelines, read in October 2026, end with a concluding statement: tell the committee you are qualified and motivated and will succeed in graduate study and research. Our advice: keep that closing to two or three sentences.