How to Write a Thank-You Email to a Professor (Examples)

Knowing how to thank a professor for helping you with something at college or university is always polite. This article will explore how to thank a professor in emails. Thanking a professor is quite simple, but you need to know the best ways to word your “thank you” email.

How to Write a Thank You Email to a Professor

A thank you email to your professor should say something like, “I would like to show my appreciation to my favourite professor for your detailed lessons in the class. I also want to thank you for your caring spirit and assistance to a student such as myself.”

Now that you’ve seen a rough example of how a thank you email is structured, it’s time to dive into it. You can refer to the following list to see what you need to include:

• Start with appropriate greetings
• Open with a “thank you”
• List the main reason for your “thank you” message
• Go into specifics
• Be positive
• Be sincere
• Keep sentences short and clear
• Include one last “thank you” (if it fits)
• Close with appropriate salutations

Below, we’ve included e-mail examples of how to write a thank-you email to a professor for different situations. These should give you a better understanding of what to include in your emails:

Thank You Email to Professor After Acceptance

Remember to follow the format listed above if you want to get your emails perfect every time.

• Subject line: An Appreciation for My Acceptance
• Dear Professor,
• I just want to say thank you for helping me get through acceptance. Without you, there’s no way I would have been able to make it this far.
• You are the best professor a guy could ask for. Thank you for looking out for me. I owe you one.
• Kind regards,
• Steve Redford

• Subject line: Thank You for Getting Me to My Acceptance
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for everything you’ve done. I don’t think you know just how much you’ve changed my life.
• You’ve given me so much to think about and work towards. I’m so glad to have a professor like you in my life, and I hope we can stay in contact.
• Thank you so much,
• Alex Man

As a side note, you can always include the extra “thank you” as your salutation at the end of the email. This might help you save space and make your email more concise.

Thank You Email to Professor for Reference

Professors can do a lot to help you, so it’s wise to thank them for whatever they might have done. This time, we’ll check how you could thank them for the specific circumstance of giving you a reference.

• Subject line: I Appreciate the Reference You Wrote
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you so much for the kind words you included in my reference. I had no idea that I had that much of an impact on your class.
• It’s nice to see that my work is appreciated. I hope we can remain in contact because you’re such a great person. Thank you again.
• Kind regards,
• Rosie Cheeks

• Subject line: I Knew You’d Come Through for Me!
• Dear Professor,
• Your reference was remarkable! Thank you so much! Your reference alone convinced my employee to hire me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
• Kind regards,
• Roger Danforth

Thank You Email to Professor End of Semester

There are plenty of reasons to thank your professor. Regardless of what they’ve done for you, you should send them a “thank you” email when they’ve helped you (even if you’ll see them again next semester).

• Subject line: I’ll See You Next Semester!
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for all of the things you taught me this semester. You’ve given me a lot to take home and think about.
• I don’t think I’ve ever met a professor as talented as you. I can’t wait to take your classes again next year. Thank you so much.
• Kind regards,
• Abbie Walters

• Subject line: I Appreciate Everything You’ve Done
• Dear Professor,
• I really appreciate all the extra time you spent working with me this semester. You’ve helped me to get my head around a few things I thought I’d never understand.
• You are such a great teacher, and I hope I get you again next year. Thank you for being the best.
• Kind regards,
• Adam Reid

Thank You Email to Professor for Recommendation

If you’re happy to receive a recommendation from your professor, you should know the best ways to thank them.

• Subject line: Thanks for the Recommendation
• Dear Professor,
• I really appreciate the recommendation you wrote for me. I don’t think you realise how much it meant to me to see you write those things.
• I hope we can continue to stay in touch, and I can update you as I go. I appreciate you.
• Kind regards,
• Peter Michaels

• Subject line: Your Recommendation Means So Much
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You have given me a lot to think about with the kind words you included in your recommendation.
• It’s not often that I get caught up in my feelings. Thank you for everything you said.
• All the best,
• Claire Bennett

Focus on the subject lines we use throughout to give yourself more of an understanding of what to title your email.

Thank You Email to Professor for Extension

Extensions are always welcome, especially when you feel overwhelmed by the workload. Always thank your professor if they’ve given you the benefit of the doubt and let you take longer before handing something in.

• Subject line: Thank You for the Extra Time
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for allowing me a deadline extension, sir. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, but you’ve really helped to ease that.
• I appreciate all of the things you do for me. It’s not often that I meet professors like you.
• Kind regards,
• Sarah Catford

• Subject line: I Appreciate the Extension
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you so much for giving me an extension. I promise that I won’t let you down moving into the next phase of this project.
• I’m sorry I couldn’t get it to you sooner, but I’m so thankful. You are so understanding, and that’s hard to come by.
• Kind regards,
• Millie Smith

Thank You Email to Professor for Replying

A simple reply goes a long way. Thanking a professor for their reply might seem like overkill, but it’s worth doing in some situations.

• Subject line: Thank You for Your Swift Response
• Dear Professor,
• I appreciate you getting back to me so soon. I wasn’t sure if I was asking you a silly question. It’s nice to see that there are no silly questions.
• Thank you for taking the time to reply to me. I know you’re usually very busy.
• Kind regards,
• Freya Coughlan

• Subject line: I Appreciate Your Detailed Reply
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for explaining all of the things I was struggling with. You’ve given me a lot to think about and play around with.
• I don’t think you realise how good of a professor you are. You always know the right things to say.
• Thank you so much,
• George Bottom

Thank You Email to Professor After Graduation

You’ve just graduated! That’s great news! It’s time to thank the people who helped you get this far (starting with your professor).

• Subject line: Thank You for Getting Me Through!
• Dear Professor,
• I graduated, and it’s all thanks to you! I don’t think this day would have been made possible without your constant guidance.
• I’m so thankful that you took the extra time to help me through some of the things I struggle with. You’ve changed my life.
• Kind regards,
• Sophie Baxter

• Subject line: A Thank You Email After My Graduation
• Dear Professor,
• It was graduation day the other day, and I couldn’t have made it this far without you! You’ve done so much to help me get here.
• Thank you for all the extra lessons you gave me to help me figure some things out!
• Best wishes,
• Suzanne Barkley

Short Thank You Message to Professor

Not all emails need to be long-winded. A thank you email can be short, and the following examples will show you how that looks.

• Subject line: A Quick Note to Say Thank You
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve allowed me to explore my options in the future.
• Kind regards,
• Alicia Keys

• Subject line: Just to Say Thank You
• Dear Professor,
• I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me lately. You’ve helped me figure out so many new things.
• Kind regards,
• Melissa Wells

Thank You for Your Help Email to Professor

If your professor has helped you, you should thank them for whatever they’ve done. It could be minor assistance to something that you were really stumped by.

• Subject line: Thank You for Assisting Me With This
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for taking the time to run me through the project. You have helped me understand some of the things I wasn’t getting.
• I appreciate you taking the time with me on this.
• Kind regards,
• Mathew Keane

• Subject line: Thanks for the Help!
• Dear Professor,
• You have done so much for me, and I owe you! Thank you for being such a supportive professor.
• Without you, I wouldn’t have made it this far through the semester.
• Thank you so much,
• Becca Kingsnorth

Thank You for Your Support Email to Professor

Support can come from anyone. You should thank your professor if they’ve provided you with support during a difficult time.

• Subject line: Thanks for Your Continued Support
• Dear Professor,
• I really appreciate you coming to support me during my speech. You showed me that I could amount to anything with the right people behind me.
• Thanks a bunch,
• Charlotte Tame

• Subject line: I Appreciate All Your Support
• Dear Professor,
• I really appreciate the support you’ve provided through this trying time. Thank you for being a constant positive figure in my life.
• Kind regards,
• Roger Marker

Thank You for Sponsoring My Internship Email to Professor

While internship programs aren’t the most common things in most colleges, you still might find yourself coming across one. If your professor helped set you up with an internship, it’s worth thanking them.

• Subject line: I Couldn’t Have Done This Without You
• Dear Professor,
• I don’t know how to thank you enough. You sponsored my internship, and you’ve made it possible for me to turn my life around.
• Thank you so much for being such a great professor.
• Kind regards,
• Tim Isaiah

• Subject line: I Owe This Internship to You
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for your sponsorship of the intern program. You have given me a chance to try something I never thought would be possible.
• Kind regards,
• Jamal Beef

How to Thank a Professor for a Class

A simple “thank you” goes a long way when you are happy to sit in a professor’s class and learn from them. These emails will show your professor just how much you respect them.

• Subject line: Thanks for the Class
• Dear Professor,
• Thank you for taking today’s class. I know you were covering another professor, but you really helped me understand something that I didn’t get before.
• Kind regards,
• Pharah Misiel

• Subject line: I Appreciate Your Knowledge
• Dear Professor,
• I appreciate you taking the class the other day and helping me to understand a few of the things I didn’t get.
• You are a great professor, and I would love to be in your classes more often.
• Kind regards,
• Julietta Smith

Subject Line for Thank You Email to Professor

You might have noticed that we’ve included subject lines in every example. This is to help you understand some ways to entice your professor to open your email.

The simplest subject line is “Thank You,” though this isn’t always the best choice.

It would help if you made it more personal and relevant. The more you respect and admire your professor, the more you need to focus on the contents of your subject line.

Writing something like “A Thank You From Me to You” or “I Want to Thank You For All Your Help” is a better way of being more personal.

For example, if your professor pays close attention to you to ensure you’re following along, they might have done more to help you than they realise. Writing “Thank You for Taking the Time to Make Sure I Was Okay” is a great way to highlight your professor’s extra effort.

Should I Send a Thank You Email to My Professor?

If you feel your professor deserves a thank you email, you should always send them one. It’s a polite thing to do, and it shows that you really appreciate all the hard work they put in when helping you develop.

A thank you email will work regardless of who you send them to. It’s a simple and polite way to show that you’re a kind and grateful person. It also lets someone know how much you appreciate all the work that went into helping you feel better.