What Type of Scholarships Are Available for Graphic Design Students?
Scholarships for graphic design students help those students pay for their college courses without going into debt. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost of attending a public undergraduate college reached more than $14,000 in 2011, while the cost of attending a private university increased to more than $37,000 a year. Those figures include the cost of tuition, room and board. Students attending out of state schools can expect to pay even more for their education. Graphic design students can pay for a large amount of their costs with one or more scholarships.
How do Scholarships Work?
A scholarship is essentially free money that students can use to pay for college. Many of the organizations that offer scholarships for design students require that those students submit a portfolio with the application. The portfolio should highlight some of the graphic design work that the student did in the past. Some organizations use a committee that narrows down the selection to a handful of students before making a final decision. The organization responsible for handing out scholarships will either cut a check directly to the student or send the money to the student’s college. Organizations often give students money as a way to pay for supplies and items they need before classes start.
Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships
Worldstudio AIGA scholarships are available from the American Institute of Graphic Arts. This program is open to minority students and students who come from families with financial problems. Instituted by AIGA as a way to help disadvantaged students pay for college, the program now awards several scholarships every year. Those scholarships range from $2,000 to $3,000, but the organization also awards several $500 scholarships and two $5,000 scholarships for worthy students. When applying for a scholarship, students must demonstrate that they have a strong financial need and that they will use the money for some type of higher education.
ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship
Do you love the idea of using your graphic design background to create new video games? Do you hope to one day change the world of gaming? The ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship is a unique program that awards cash prizes to graphic design students interested in working in computer and video game development after graduation. The program is only open to minority students and female students, and applicants must have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher. Thirty students every year receive one of these scholarships for graphic design students in the range of $3,000.
Microsoft Imagine Cup
If you are currently enrolled in college and pursuing an undergraduate degree in graphic design, consider applying to the Microsoft Imagine Cup. This program is open to teams of students, and those students can enter the cup in one of three fields: phone game design, software design or Windows game design. Teams create new programs, games and concepts for a specific field and compete in various challenges. Each member of the winning team receives a $50,000 scholarship.
Conclusion
Paying for college is expensive, and many students find that they need to take out a large number of loans to pay for their tuition and other expenses. Scholarships for graphic design students range in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars that will pay for an entire year or more of school, and you won’t need to worry about paying that money back later.
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