In schools, at home and even in business, we encounter different kinds and types of letters. There are business letters, personal letters and even employment letters. Each type of letter has different kinds. For personal letters, we have the love letters. For employment letter, we have an application letter. For business letters, we have the letter of intent.

A letter of intent (or LOI) is a document which summarizes the agreement between two or more parties just before the said agreement is being settled or concluded. The agreement mentioned here may be a purchase agreement, a venture agreement or any other agreement that aims to close.

There are many purposes of writing a letter of intent. For one, it can serve to clarify the primary points of a certain complex transaction. This is intended for the convenience of each party. It can also be used to declare the current official negotiation of the parties involved. These negotiations may be a merge or a joint venture proposal. And at other times, a letter of intent can be used to provide safeguards in case deals collapse during negotiation.

Sometimes a letter of intent is also referred to as a memorandum of understanding, or a term or discussion sheet.

To be more specific, it can be an educational letter of intent. This is usually a negotiation between schools. The negotiation is frequently between high school senior athletes and colleges and universities. This reserves an athletic scholarship for the senior high school by the time he graduates.

It can also be an academia letter of intent. This is usually a part of the application process. This is considered an “Application Essay” in the academia.

The letter of intent for disabled person is written by the parents or the guardians of the disabled person that describes the person's child history, current status and location of other important documents needed to use. If the guardian or parent dies, the letter of intent is being followed by the court for guidance and understanding of the wishes of the families.

A school's letter of intent is the number one requirement in the formation of a school club. There are a lot of clubs in a certain school. Before such clubs' formation is being approved, they have to pass a letter of intent stating their intention to form a club, the purposes of the clubs' formation and the mother club of the said club to be formed.

Many popular teams of sports now have been recruiting the best athletes that they can have. They call these potential prospects to become an athlete a blue chip. Before they (the blue chip collegiate prospects) can become a certified player of the team, they need to submit their letter of intent. This kind of letter of intent is stating the application of the blue chip collegiate prospects to become a player.

A business letter of intent is usually used for purchasing a product or services. This states the full intention of the sender to do business with the recipient.

The letter of intent is considered a formal letter or a professional letter. It should bear the basic format complete with essential parts. First is the first tree line that should contain your name, street address, city and state address.

The date follows after a single or few spaces after your address. Then a few spaces after the salutation follow. The body proper is next. This states your real intention for writing the said letter of intent. This could be a business, sports or for academic purposes.

The closing should be placed after a few spaces after the body. Do not forget you signature which should be placed below the closing. And of course your printed name.