36 Great Scholarships for Design Majors

What are the best scholarships for design majors these days? The best funding opportunities for any major truly are going to be the ones you can track down and apply to within qualifications. Any aid is always better than no aid in the journey through college and its costs. Getting you one step closer, we’ve got the scoop on the available funds for design majors. So, read on for the current rundown of the 36, best scholarships for design majors right now.

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1. The Jim Boyce Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be pursuing a degree in architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, construction management, interior design or another degree program closely related to accessibility/universal design at an accredited United States institution of higher learning.

– Students must have a 2.5 or higher GPA and demonstrate a strong interest in accessibility in both design portfolio and future career interests.

– The applicant must be a resident of the USA.

The Jim Boyce Memorial Scholarship is an opportunity for any students pursuing a degree in a design discipline related to accessibility and its greater incorporation into design. It is dedicated in honor of the late Jim Boyce as well as other, former Accessibility Professionals Association members. March 31 is the deadline to apply.

Scholarship Website

2. Alan Lucas Educational scholarship

Eligibility

– Full-time students who desire to study propose to pursue lighting education or research as part of their undergraduate, graduate or doctoral studies.

– Be a junior, senior, or graduate student in an accredited four-year college or university located in Northern California (including San Luis Obispo, Fresno, and North).

The San Fransisco chapter of the Illuminating Engineering Society offers a very helpful $1,500 scholarship award to students studying architecture, electrical engineering, interior design, lighting, lighting application, lighting design, or theater. April 1 is this one’s annual application deadline. Reward recipient numbers vary each year.

Scholarship Website

3. Irene Winifred Eno Grant

Eligibility

– Be in the process of developing an educational program or project that is dedicated to health, safety, and welfare.

– The grant is open to students, educators, interior design practitioners, institutions, and an interior design related group.

The American Society of Interior Designers is on a mission to pack the design industry with as many bright minds as possible. Part of the way it does this is through administering numerous scholarship and grant opportunities every year. The organization’s Irene Winifred Eno Grant is one such opportunity that offers $5,000 to anyone developing an educational plan or project involving health, safety, and welfare, such as those often developed by students working their final projects.

Scholarship Website

4. Joel Polsky Prize

Eligibility

– No eligibility requirements.

Another great opportunity from The American Society of Interior Designers, or ASID, is the Joel Polsky Prize. This funding opportunity awards $5,000 to anyone with a project/work that is focused on the impact of design on health and wellness. Submitted products can be works such as but not limited to books, whitepapers, blogs, and videos.

Scholarship Website

5. Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award

Eligibility

– Be a graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited US college.

The Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award is another of ASID’s administered funding opportunities for design students. This one offers a $5,000 award to winners who submit a great interior design research project. This project must be related to wellness and design in order to be considered.

Scholarship Website

6. ASID Foundation Legacy Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a junior or senior enrolled in at least a three-year, accredited program of interior design.

ASID’s ASID Foundation Legacy Scholarship offers winners a chance at a very helpful $4,000. You can win this one if you are a junior or senior in an interior design program and have a great record of personal merit and academic achievement. Apply between February and April for a chance to win.

Scholarship Website

7. David Barrett Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited US college.

Yet another, great funding opportunity afforded by ASID is the David Barrett Memorial Scholarship. Here, students just need to submit a project that displays the use of classical design elements amid traditional materials. Example project types accepted here include workplace, civic, residential, hospitality, and historical restoration.

Scholarship Website

8. The Chelsy Tomashoff Memorial Scholarship for Print Design Excellence

Eligibility

– Be an undergraduate or graduate student in a design, art, or visual communications program.

The Chelsy Tomashoff Memorial Scholarship for Print Design Excellence is provided by Thomas Group Printing, a private printing firm based in New York City. With this opportunity, winners are awarded $1,500. Simply submit a short essay and completed print design for the chance to win.

Scholarship Website

9. Gordon Hay Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a Charlotte Region student in excellent academic and personal standing.

The Gordon Hay Scholarship is facilitated by Blumenthal Performing Arts in memory of Gordon Hay, an organizational development professional that touched many throughout his career and life. Here, winners receive a one-time award in the amount of $5,000. This one is strictly merit-based and for students of the Charlotte Region of North Carolina.

Scholarship Website

10. Two Ten Higher Education Footwear Design Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a US citizen.

– Be a student with at least two years of experience working in a career related to the footwear industry.

The Two Ten Footwear Foundation offers several, great scholarship opportunities. One of these, the Two Ten Higher Education Footwear Design Scholarship, is made for any student, at any accredited school, who has two years of experience working in a career related to the footwear industry. Winners will receive a $4,000 reward that can be renewed for up to four years.

Scholarship Website

11. Footwear Warriors Higher Education Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a US citizen.

– Be a student with at least two years of experience working in a career related to the footwear industry.

– Be a veteran.

Another great scholarship opportunity offered by The Two Ten Footwear Foundation is that of the Footwear Warriors Higher Education Scholarship. This one is made for military veterans with at least two years experience in footwear industry work. April 3 is the last day to apply for consideration.

Scholarship Website

12. National Shoe Retailers Association Higher Education Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a NRSA member or related to a NRSA member.

– Have a minimum of two years of employment in the footwear industry.

The Two Ten Footwear Foundation’s NSRA Higher Education Scholarship provides a great funding opportunity in the name of the National Shoe Retailers Association. Here, NRSA backs an award of up to $3,000, renewable for up to four years. Qualifying applicants do, however, need to be NRSA members or related to a NRSA member and present with at least two years of footwear industry work experience.

Scholarship Website

13. National Shoe Travelers Higher Education Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.

– Have a minimum of two years of employment in the footwear industry.

– Be a member of the National Shoe Travelers with financial with good academic performance and personal character.

At this time, the fourth and final scholarship opportunity offered by the Two Ten Footwear Foundation is the National Shoe Travelers Higher Education Scholarship. Winners of this one get a $5,000 award that can be renewed for up to four years. Personal character and financial need are prime, determining factors to this award.

Scholarship Website

14. DSF Geri Wolff Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be enrolled full-time in an accredited college or university with a declared major in computer sciences, digital design, or other digital signage related fields, committed to graduation and currently in their junior or senior year.

– Be a student in good standing with a minimum 3.0 cumulative overall GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and be enrolled full-time at time of application. Consideration will be given to applicants with exemplary credentials and a commendable work ethic.

The Digital Signage Federation, or DSF, has offered a yearly scholarship opportunity since 2014 via its DSF Geri Wolff Scholarship. Students enrolled in a program related to digital signage and with a 3.0 GPA or better can apply. February 28 is the deadline to apply, while winners receive notice the following month.

Scholarship Website

15. AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship

Eligibility

– Have at least a 2.0 GPA in any degree program involving graphic design, illustration, or photography.

– Be a US citizen.

– Demonstrate financial need.

The AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship offers scholarship recipients $2,500 or more in expense assistance every year. The Professional Association for Design is the provider, and they strive to provide for at least 20 winners annually. This one began in 1995 and has since awarded over 700 students more than $1M.

Scholarship Website

Related resource: 25 Great Scholarships for Theater Students

16. Student Arts Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a resident of Minnesota’s Region 7W.

– Be seeking a first undergraduate degree in an arts-related field.

The Central Minnesota Arts Board offers the annual chance for students to win a Student Arts Scholarship. The Student Arts Scholarship is a $1,500 scholarship that can be renewed up to four times in a lifetime. Qualifying applicants must, however, be residents of Minnesota’s Region 7W, but can attend school anywhere.

Scholarship Website

17. Gucci Changemakers X CFDA Scholars by Design Award

Eligibility

– Applicants must be seeking to attain an undergraduate (BFA/ BA or equivalent) degree within any specialization of fashion design.

The Gucci Changemakers X CFDA Scholars by Design Award is a great opportunity offered by Gucci, the renowned fashion-maker. Two students are chosen for this one each year with the award totaling $20,000, renewable for up to four years. The application deadline for this valuable opportunity is December 31 every year.

Scholarship Website

18. Nelson Cabinetry Scholarship

Eligibility

– Students must be legal residents of the United States and be enrolled in an accredited high school, college, or university within the US. High school students must be entering or finishing their senior year in order to be eligible. College students must be enrolled at an accredited school for at least one, full calendar year to be eligible.

The Nelson Cabinetry Scholarship offers students a $1,500 award courtesy of the Nelson Cabinetry company. Based out of Dallas, this company specializes in kitchen design and is involved in a number of community and civic endeavors including providing scholarships like this one. Meet the April 15 application deadline for a chance to win.

Scholarship Website

19. The Against The Grain Artistic Scholarship

Eligibility

– Must be of at least 25 percent Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity.

– Must be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the US.

– Must be either a high school senior or a college student currently enrolled full-time at an accredited US vocational, junior college or four-year college/university and must be a full-time, associate/bachelor/master degree-seeking student by the upcoming academic calendar year and pursuing a major in the visual/performing arts (film, theater, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, journalism, mass communications, etc.).

– Demonstrate leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities.

– Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted).

The Against The Grain Artistic Scholarship offers Asian American students a $1,000 award. This one is sponsored by Against the Grain Productions, a non-profit organization built around aiding Asian Americans to be successful leaders in the community. Get in on this opportunity by meeting the May application deadline.

Scholarship Website

20. Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a female student pursuing a design-related degree or a non-design degree that is through a jewelry-related association.

The Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship is offered to students each year courtesy of Gabriel and Co. New York, a renowned area jeweler. This one is for female students pursuing a design-related degree or a non-design degree that is through a jewelry-related association. Apply by April 30 for a chance at the current year’s $5,000 award.

Scholarship Website

21. AWC Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a female student pursuing a college degree.

– Recipients are selected based on a number of factors: work experience, activities, goals, financial need, and grade point average.

The Association of Women Contractors is the administrator of the annual AWC Scholarship. With a win of this opportunity, students receive funding sent to them personally as well as to the school of their choice of attendance. Both the award amounts and the number of winners awarded fluctuate each year based on the funds previously raised for the scholarship.

Scholarship Website

22. PixelPlex Bi-Annual Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a US citizen or a permanent resident.

– Be enrolled (or accepted with plans to attend) in a college or university in the United States.

– Applicant’s field of study must be related to science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), economics, or business.

The PixelPlex Bi-Annual Scholarship is offered by Arizona State University and affords students a $2,000 award. Students must be enrolled in a STEM-related degree program, but plenty of students in design-related programs do accordingly qualify. Students do not, however, need to attend ASU as their accredited school in order to qualify.

Scholarship Website

23. Mid-Atlantic Chapter Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Scholarship

Eligibility

– Must have completed a minimum of one full academic year of studies and must have a minimum of one full academic year remaining prior to completing the degree being pursued.

– Must be enrolled in a construction management degree program, or another Construction Management-related degree program, and show a strong interest in a career in CM, as demonstrated by a response to the essay question in the application package.

– Applicants must reside or attend a college/university in Pennsylvania (zip code 17000), New Jersey (zip code 08000), or Delaware.

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Construction Management Association of America is a leading organization representing the greater construction management industry. In those efforts, the organization encourages students to become educated in and eventually work in the field or a related design field through its Mid-Atlantic Chapter CMAA Scholarship. This great funding opportunity offers students $2,000 to $3,000 each.

Scholarship Website

24. Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley Spirit of Achievement Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be an African American female high school senior attending school in Tarrant County or Grand Prairie, Texas.

– Have a minimum of 2.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.

The Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley Spirit of Achievement Scholarship is available to African American female high school seniors attending school in Tarrant County or Grand Prairie, Texas. This one provides $3,000 to winners’ accounts at the school they become enrolled in. February 17th is the yearly application deadline.

Scholarship Website

25. The GCFM Horticulture Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be in financial need.

– Be majoring in horticulture, floriculture, landscape design, conservation, forestry, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, environmental concerns, ecology, land management and other/or other garden fields.

– Be a college junior or senior or graduate student who is a legal resident of the State of Maine and not related to a GCFM Board Member.

The GCFM Horticulture Scholarship is a generous offering of the GCFM or the Gardening Club Federation of Maine. Students majoring in horticulture or landscaping-related programs or design programs in relation can be eligible to receive the $3,000 award. The degree of the applicant’s financial need, the content of character, grade history, and other, similar components are used to determine winners.

Scholarship Website

26. Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a student enrolled in a US not-for-profit educational institution pursuing their final year of a CIDA-accredited interior design program.

The Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship is a scholarship offered in honor of the late Don Brinkmann, a gifted interior designer that touched the lives of many. Gensler itself, the sponsor of this one is a prominent architecture, planning, and design firm. Winners receive paid scholarship to their school of choice in addition to a fully paid internship at Gensler.

Scholarship Website

27. Gensler Diversity Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be enrolled in a US not-for-profit educational institution and at the beginning of the final year of a NAAB-accredited architecture program.

– Be a minority. The Gensler Diversity Scholarship is another excellent funding opportunity by Gensler. This one offers winning applicants up to $20,000 in addition to a fully paid internship slot at the company. Apply by December 9 and be a minority student in pursuit of a NAAB-accredited architecture degree for a chance to win.

Scholarship Website

28. IFDA Leaders Commemorative Scholarship

Eligibility

– The student must be involved with volunteer or community service and have held leadership positions during the past five years.

– All applicants must have completed four design courses in post-secondary education at the time of application and be majoring in interior design or a related field.

The International Furnishings and Design Association, or IFDA, advocates for the interests of the design industry as it pertains to home furnishings and home design. This organization hosts numerous scholarship opportunities each year that all design majors are recommended to check out. The IFDA Leaders Commemorative Scholarship is the group’s $1,500 scholarship for excellent interior design students with a history of leadership.

29. Vercille Voss Graduate Student Scholarship

Eligibility

– All applicants must be graduate students and have completed four design courses in post-secondary education at the time of application and be majoring in interior design or a related field.

The Vercille Voss Graduate Student Scholarship is an offering of The International Furnishings and Design Association to the tune of $2,000. It honors the memory of Vercille Voss, a longtime Illinois Chapter member and mentor to many. Any graduate student majoring in interior design or a related field can get in on a chance to win.

Scholarship Website

30. The Ruth Clark Furniture Design Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a currently enrolled post-secondary student whose emphasis is on residential furniture design.

– All applicants must have completed four design courses in post-secondary education at the time of application and be majoring in interior design or a related field.

The Ruth Clark Furniture Design Scholarship is intended to directly help those planning to get into the furniture design business. Winners receive $3,000 in scholarship funding but must be going to school for interior design with a specialization in furniture design and making. Ruth Clark herself is a founding chapter member of the IFDA who continues her pivotal work as a designer and mentor to this day.

Scholarship Website

31. The Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship

Eligibility

– All applicants must have completed four design courses in post-secondary education at the time of application and be majoring in textile design or a related field.

The Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship is yet another, great offer courtesy of the IFDA. This one amounts to a very helpful $3,000 in total funding for students of textile design or a similar, related field. March 31 is the application deadline with winners being announced July 1.

Scholarship Website

32. Cameron Impact Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be in the high school graduating Class of 2020, planning to enroll in a full-time course of study toward a bachelor’s degree at an accredited four-year US college or university for the full academic year following high school graduation.

– Be a US citizen.

– Demonstrate leadership and community service engagement.

– Have a 3.7 GPA or higher.

The Cameron Impact Scholarship is afforded by the Bryan Cameron Education Foundation, a private organization focused on fostering leadership and academic excellence in communities across the US. This merit-based opportunity amounts to complete coverage of all tuition and educational expenses for a four-year student. 10-15 high school seniors are awarded each year.

Scholarship Website

33. Shade Sail Design Challenge Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a currently enrolled college student.

Tenshon is a design firm that needs your help. They are enlisting students to help them to come up with new designs for their shade sail systems by offering a chance at scholarship funding in return for winning design submissions. $1,500 is the reward, and creativity, build-ability, practicality, and location relevance are the determining factors for the winning submissions.

Scholarship Website

34. Jean Kawecki Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility

– The applicant must be a resident of NJ.

– Applicants may be any age but must have graduated from high school and be accepted into an accredited art institution or college.

– Must demonstrate financial need

Studio Montclair, a prominent visual arts organization, offers students an annual chance to win the Jean Kawecki Memorial Scholarship. This one honors its namesake Jean Kawecki, a renowned fashion illustrator, designer, and artist. $1,000 is the reward amount, and it is need-based. Apply by May 10 to be in the running.

Scholarship Website

35. WTS Minnesota Women Scholarship

Eligibility

– Be a female student planning to or already pursuing a degree in a design related to the automotive or transportation industries.

WTS International is an organization dedicated to the advancement of women working in and related to the transportation field. Female design students getting an education in any subject area related to design in the automotive or transport industries can apply for this organization’s WTS Minnesota Women Scholarship. There are multiple winners and prize amounts each year with $2,000 being one of the top award amounts.

Scholarship Website

36. The Cyrus Artisan Rugs Scholarship Grant

Eligibility

-Be a future or current student of interior design or related courses who is in good academic standing.

Cyrus Artisan Rugs is a top online retailer of handmade designer rugs and oriental carpets. They see the value that interior designers can offer to their clients through vision and time to make their living and work spaces beautiful. This $500 scholarship can be used for tuition and books. Winners of this scholarship are not eligible for consecutive years.

Scholarship Website

See many more valuable scholarships here.

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