What do I write to accept their offer?

[SocViv]

I'm ready to accept an offer of admission from my top choice program. They want something "in writing", and given that it's a multi-year financial package I'm accepting, it seems like I should write more than "OK, I'll take it. See ya soon".

Does anyone have an example of what to write in a letter to accept a funding offer from a graduate program? How formal does the letter need to be? Do I need to reiterate what their offer was and make it sound all legal-like?

[lotf629]

Don't think so. My guess is that if you wrote something casual like "Sweet, I'll take it!" (okay not that casual but you know what I mean...), and then they needed something more formal, you'd get an email from the DGS saying something like "We're delighted you've decided to join us! At your convenience, can you please contact Person X to confirm the details of our offer and sign Y Important Piece of Paper?" If a more formal acceptance is necessary, they'll tell you what steps to take.

[rae]

With the offer I accepted, I assumed replying to the official DGS email to be "in writing." I just said "I am writing to tell you that I will accept the offer. Signed, me." They haven't said anything yet... I figured if I did it wrong they'd just let me know!