How to Write a Faculty Cover Letter

Short answer: a faculty cover letter makes the case, in your own voice, that you are the colleague a particular department needs. In one to two pages for most fields, sometimes three in the humanities and social sciences, it introduces you and the position, summarizes your research and teaching with one concrete example each, explains why this institution, and closes with what you've enclosed. Rewrite the paragraph about fit for every job.

By the AcademicCareers.com editorial team · Updated October 14, 2026 · 11-minute read

What the cover letter has to do

The cover letter is often the first document a search committee reads, and its job is narrow: make the committee want to read the rest of your file. Penn's career office lists the questions it should answer. Who are you? When will you finish your degree, if you haven't yet? Why this position and this institution? What is your research about, and where is it going? What teaching have you done? How would you contribute to the department?

It is not a prose version of your CV. The CV lists what you've done; the letter explains what it adds up to and why it matters to this department. Expect several drafts.

Start early. Nearly half of all job postings on AcademicCareers.com are bought between August and November, so fall is the busiest season for applications. Build a strong core letter before it starts, then spend your time on tailoring.

Paragraph by paragraph: an annotated example

Career-office models, including MIT's and UNC's, follow a similar arc: an opening, research, teaching, fit with the department and a closing. Click through a sample letter from a fictional candidate, with notes on why each paragraph works.

For a community college or liberal arts college, move the teaching paragraph up to follow the opening, and cut research to a few sentences on how you stay active in your field and involve students. UNC's Writing Center suggests the same shift for teaching-centered institutions. Here is how Dr. Ortiz's opening might read for a community college:

I am writing to apply for the full-time chemistry instructor position at Example Community College. For four semesters I have taught General Chemistry to nursing, engineering and undecided students, many of them working while they study, and I have rebuilt my labs and review materials around their schedules. I would bring that experience, and a habit of starting every unit with a question students care about, to your chemistry and allied health programs.

The research has not disappeared; it has moved to a short paragraph later in the letter, framed around projects students can join.

Length and emphasis by type of institution

Career offices give different numbers because fields differ. MIT's career office describes a letter of one to one and a half pages. Penn's says humanities and social science letters typically run two to three pages and STEM letters one to two, partly because some humanities searches ask for no separate research statement, so the letter carries the research. UNC's Writing Center puts early-career letters at no more than two pages, with a third only when no separate statements are requested.

When in doubt, ask a faculty member in your field who has served on a recent search what letters look like in your discipline, as Penn's career office suggests.

Tone, salutation and letterhead

Tone. Confident, specific and collegial. Write as a future colleague: "I study" and "I teach," not "I hope to be given the opportunity." Cut hedges such as "I believe I may be able to" and empty superlatives such as "world-class." UNC's Writing Center also warns against overselling ("I am the ideal candidate") and against jargon, since many committees include a member from outside the department.

Salutation. Address the chair by name if the ad gives it: "Dear Dr. Chen and Members of the Search Committee." If not, "Dear Members of the Search Committee" works. Avoid "To Whom It May Concern" and "Dear Sir or Madam," and double-check the spelling of every name.

Letterhead. MIT's career office advises a letter on MIT letterhead, and UNC notes that letters typically appear on departmental or university letterhead. If your institution permits it, use it; if you have no academic affiliation, a clean header with your name, title, e-mail, phone and website looks just as professional. Add the date and the committee's address below the header, and sign with your full name and degree.

How to tailor each letter

Before you write a tailored paragraph, spend a focused half hour on the department:

• The ad. Read it twice and mark the two or three things it stresses most; Penn's career office advises building the letter around them.
• The course catalog. Which courses could you teach now, and what's missing that you could add?
• Faculty pages. Look for research connections and for gaps your work fills, without overstating either.
• The institution. Its mission, its students and programs that connect to your work, such as a summer research program, a teaching center or a transfer partnership.

Then change the substance, not just the name: the research plan, the courses and the whole fit paragraph. Use the ad's own wording for required qualifications, so a reader checking them off finds each one. Applying for assistant professor jobs and community college faculty jobs in the same season? Keep two master letters, one research-first and one teaching-first, each paired with a matching teaching statement.

Letters for adjunct and staff positions

Adjunct letters should be one page and practical: the courses you can teach (with course numbers if the department lists them), the formats you teach in, your credentials and your availability. A sample opening for a fictional accountant:

I am applying for adjunct positions in accounting at Example Community College for spring 2027. I am a licensed CPA with twelve years in public accounting and a master's degree with 24 graduate hours in accounting, and I have taught ACCT 101 and 102, online and in person, at Example Technical College since 2023. I am available for evening and online sections.

Browse adjunct faculty jobs, and see our guide on how to become an adjunct professor for what else to send.

Staff letters for roles in advising, student affairs, admissions or research administration should also fit on one page. Take each required qualification in the ad in turn and show where you've done it, with a result. Plain descriptions of what you managed, improved or delivered work better than academic language. Pair the letter with a resume rather than a CV, and browse student affairs jobs for current openings.

Mistakes that sink letters

• The wrong institution's name, left over from another letter. Check every name, title and course number.
• Retelling the CV line by line instead of explaining what it adds up to.
• Writing about what the job does for you. "This position would help me grow" is about you; say what you would do for the department.
• Generic praise. "Your excellent university" with no specifics tells the committee you didn't look.
• The wrong emphasis or length: a research-only letter to a teaching college, or three pages to a community college.
• Sounding like a student. UNC suggests calling your dissertation your current project, to present yourself as an emerging scholar.
• Apologies. "Although I have not yet published..." draws attention to a gap; lead with what you have done.
• Loose ends: an editable Word file, mismatched fonts or no signature.

Final checklist

Run through this list before every upload. Then get ready for the next stage with our guide to faculty interview questions.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a faculty cover letter be?

Usually one to two pages. MIT's career office describes one to one and a half; Penn's notes that humanities and social science letters often run two to three. Community college, adjunct and staff letters should be shorter.

Who should I address a faculty cover letter to?

The chair of the search committee, by name if the ad gives it, followed by "and Members of the Search Committee." Otherwise, "Dear Members of the Search Committee."

How is a community college cover letter different?

It leads with teaching: the students you have taught, how you teach them and how you support students who need more help. Research gets a few sentences about staying current in your field. Aim for one to one and a half pages.

Do I need to use university letterhead?

Use it if your institution allows it. If you have no academic affiliation, a clean header with your name and contact details is perfectly acceptable.

Should I mention salary or a partner's job search in my letter?

No. Both belong in conversations after an offer, when you have the most room to negotiate.

Can I send the same cover letter to every job?

Keep a strong core, but rewrite the fit paragraph and adjust the research plan, courses and emphasis for each institution. Committees can tell when a letter could have gone anywhere.