What Is an Appeal Letter? How to Write One in 6 Steps

Decisions aren’t always set in stone. 

If you’re looking for a second chance, you’ve come to the right place. 

An appeal letter is a note written to someone you want to reconsider a decision they made about you. Whether you feel you weren’t properly warned about something or if you were treated unjustly, an appeal letter can be used in numerous instances. 

To write an appeal letter, you need to be persuasive and firm with your words. The flow doesn't come in a day, which is why you can switch to document creation software for personalized tone assistance, choice of words, and easy-to-use templates. With built-in appeal letter template creation, addressing your concerns and stating reasons for appeal would become easier.

Let's look at the major steps to take while drafting a persuasive and action-oriented appeal letter. 

What are the steps for writing an appeal letter?

The steps to writing an appeal letter are straightforward and mentioned in state or company policy guidelines. Strategize your appeal letter by taking the correct approach to writing. Here are some important steps:

• Review the appeal process if possible 
• Determine the mailing address of the recipient
• Explain what occurred 
• Describe why it’s unfair/unjust 
• Outline your desired outcome 
• If you haven’t heard back in one week, follow-up.

Following these steps will ensure that you properly address the situation at hand and hopefully achieve your new outcome. 

How to write an appeal letter

Writing a letter of appeal doesn’t have to be as intimidating as you think. Common instances where you may be writing an appeal letter are to appeal an admission decision or appeal a decision related to your career. These situations don’t feel good, but instead of replaying the events over and over again, you can take action by writing an appeal letter. 

1. Review the appeal process if possible 

Most universities and companies have an appeal process in the fine print. It may take some digging, but when found, you can determine the deadline and components needed for your appeal letter. 

You can also dig into HR law to figure out if what you’re appealing is cause for legal action. If you can take legal action based on your specific situation, then it’s best to involve a lawyer so that you follow all the procedures correctly. 

2. Determine the mailing address of the recipient

Whether the mailing address or the email address, you need to know where you’ll be sending your letter so that it goes to the right place. The last thing you want is your letter getting into the wrong hands, or worse, not being received by anyone. 

If you don’t know where you should send the letter, talk to an HR professional or an admissions counselor. 

3. Explain what occurred 

The end goal of an appeal letter is to have a decision overturned. This part of your letter gives you the chance to explain the context behind the events that occurred. 

In this paragraph, it is crucial that you stick to the facts. Your case becomes much stronger when you have evidence. This can be specific emails with times and dates, policies that weren’t upheld, or other documents that will help establish what happened. 

Lastly, admit any mistakes that you made. You may think it’s good to shy away from your faults, but in an appeal letter, it’s crucial to outline where you may have been wrong. Admitting to these faults may take away any grievances the recipient has about you because you’re being self-aware in addressing your wrong-doings. 

4. Describe why it’s unfair/unjust 

When stating why the decision was not fair, maintain a calm and confident tone of voice. In most cases, you feel passionate about how you were wronged. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be writing this letter. It’s best to avoid being overly emotional.

Don’t say: I feel like your decision was made to hurt me and stunt my career growth. 

Say: Your decision stunted my career growth because it went against the company value of [specific value]. 

5. Outline your desired outcome 

Keep this section brief. State the outcome you want and the date you expect it by. An appeal letter doesn’t always have to be to overturn a decision. Instead, it can be used to add a clause to a contract. 

6. If you haven’t heard back in one week, follow up 

We all know people are busy, and sometimes, you need to give the recipient an extra nudge. Kindly follow up if you have not heard back within a week. The follow-up can be via email or phone call, it doesn’t have to be as formal as the letter. Just be direct, confident, and professional. 

Appeal letter template

Let’s take a look at what your appeal letter should actually look like, plus what should be included in order to change the recipient’s mind. 

• Introduction: In the first paragraph, give a pretext to the situation, introduce yourself, and where you stand in the big picture. Do not jump into the reasoning right away, but build the momentum first.
• Mid-paragraph: This is the main section where you would state the reasoning behind your non-acceptance of the decision. Mark the points that you are not satisfied with and state the "why" of it. Be clear, kind, and to the point with your reasoning. Do not go on a tangent and speak with an emotional outburst.
• Conclusion:  Mention an appeal and initiate urgency without sounding pushy or needy. Keep your conclusion action-oriented, time-driven, and neutral. Your ask should be logical and realistic. 

Appeal letter examples

An appeal letter may or may not be outcome-based. Its word variance depends on the nature of the scenario you are operating in. The best kind of appeal is what conveys unbiased and logical reasoning. It doesn't have to be bait for sympathy or emotional teardowns, but it needs proper conditioning of your viewpoint. 

Here are a couple of appeal letter samples that you can refer to before putting your appeal across to a supervisor

How to write an appeal letter for college

In a college setting, an appeal letter is constrained to scores, grading, disciplinary actions, and assignment submissions. Below is an appeal letter sample stating a revaluation of grades in the year-end semester examination.

How to write an appeal letter for work

In a business setting, decision-makers are known to make appeals. Be it an employee, a manager, a legal executive, or a financial executive, business appeals are submitted by everyone. It could be a plea to review company policy, optimize workload, request for a new software subscription, and so on.

Below is an example of a business appeal letter reporting a case of workplace harassment to HR.

In the next example, you would see instances of appeal of an employee to the respective reporting manager for sanction of their sabbatical. 

How to write an appeal letter for the court

The letters written to courts for legal obligations need to be moderated by an advocate or someone registered with the state bar council. The court does not entertain appeals that sound mundane or emotionally blurted. Even though a case party might submit the appeal, the court discards it.

Let's look at an example of how to write an appeal letter for court.

Appeal letter for visa refusal

Have you ever submitted a tourist visa application and received a refusal from the immigration department? The situation can be nerve-wracking since you wouldn't know what specific part of your visa application got flagged. To apply for a visa refusal appeal, consider using the following appeal letter template:

How to write an appeal letter for unemployment

If you are repatriating to your home country and are looking for employment, you need to file a legal appeal to the local federal entity. By doing so, you can finance yourself without taking up any odds and fund your family till you don't earn a paycheck. While you are unemployed and looking to obtain government funding, some best practices and policies need to be followed, and your appeal letter should be a testament to that.

Formatting an appeal letter with the following points in mind would strengthen your case and prioritize your file above other appealers.

• Be clear with formatting: Be careful with your page size, indentation, margins, and structure. The appeal letter shouldn't be hard to read. Instead, it should give a clear understanding of your background. Draft your appeal letter with personalized templates in Microsoft Word to get a perfectly structured and clean printout.  
• Determination: This is the most important step of an appeal that gives you strength and resilience to make the impossible possible. Determination plays a key role in how you write the appeal. It would help you sound confident, keep it succinct and brief, and be punctual with all the telephone hearings afterward.
• Mode of appeal: There is no fixed mode of appeal submission. It can be through fax, email, or online. The issue with sending an online forum appeal would be that it would go as a block of text without being adjusted in a proper layout. That might not deliver your reasons clearly, resulting in a clear delay of processes.
• Include the basics: Do not leave behind the reason for the requirement of financial aid. Submit your bills and document of citizenship or permanent residence to avail of government funding.
• Be on point: The appeal letter is a formal document. Refrain from going with the flow or breaking down during these filings. Even though citizens can avail of these government services, violating or breaching the standard code of conduct through your writing might deprive you of this right.
• Know the law: Learn the local laws of the state you live in. This would help you analyze which bucket of government assistance you fall into and what other benefits you are eligible for.

Importance of appeal letter

The appeal letter's format and straightforward nature deliver your message to the respective recipient and urge them to reassess your situation. It backs on evidentiary proof, clear statements, and facts where you are confident that no error has occurred from your end. Appeal letters are one of the most successful types of business letter, which aims for justice, ethics, and righteous follow-up. Whether you are a student, a working professional, or a senior citizen, this conveyance works.

Another purpose of an appeal letter is to sort out legal and compliance documentation. The practice is followed by legal teams, pleaders, councilors, and the judge to ensure correct interim and final verdicts. It helps the defendant or the plaintiff to whistleblow on wrong decisions, appeal for hearings, and get another chance to take the case in your favor. Appeal letters work magically since they are written in a polite but direct manner. It is not necessary that after you submit this letter, your appeal will go through. But to save yourself from hot waters, this is one of the most effective resolutions.

What not to include in an appeal letter

When proofreading your letter of appeal, which you should be doing multiple times, make sure that these things are not included in your letter. 

• Grammatical errors 
• Exaggeration 
• Lies 
• Emotional appeals 
• Subjectivity
• Personal attacks 
• Misleading information 

If you steer clear from the above points, you’ll already be on your way to achieving your desired outcome.  

Everyone deserves a second chance 

So you’ve been denied benefits, a raise, or an educational opportunity. Remember, people are human, just like you, and an appeal letter is one way to have that decision reconsidered. No decision is set in stone.

If you’re on the receiving end of an appeal letter, you should quickly learn how to deal with a disgruntled employee.