Art Scholarships

A Scholarship is a grant of financial aid to a student, usually based on academic or artistic merit or financial need. Unlike other forms of financial aid, art scholarships do not have to be repaid. As the price of art school tuition increases every year, art scholarships become even more of a necessity.

Kinds of art scholarships

Most art schools have various art scholarship opportunities, for both new and existing students. Your art school is the first place you should start your scholarship search. Contact the admissions department and ask for information on what scholarships they offer and when the deadlines for application are. Visit the school web site and research their Financial Aid section.

School-based scholarships

School-based scholarships (scholarships given by schools) can be divided into several categories:

1. Portfolio Scholarships are awarded based on the strength, quality, and potential of the applicant's artwork portfolio.
2. Academic scholarships are awarded based on SAT/ACT scores, and are evaluated on a scale with consideration for critical reading and math scores.
3. Scholarships Combining Artistic and Academic Honors are awarded based on a combination of artistic skill and academic achievement.
4. Need-based Scholarships are awarded based solely on the applicant's financial situation.

Other potential scholarship sources include:

• Use FastWeb's free scholarship search to find information on more than 600,000 scholarships
• Professional organizations
• Art industry and trade groups
• Community and civic groups
• Local businesses
• Art competitions
• Your employer (or your parent's employer) - Many large corporations, like Target or Walmart have scholarship foundations.
• Charitable Foundations
• The Military - There are many scholarships available to the military community.

Read on: Applying for Art Scholarships