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Top 22 Graphic Design Scholarships in February 2023
Graphic design is an incredibly versatile field — graphic design students may go on to find careers in publishing, marketing, corporate positions, freelance work for artists or venues, or even video game design. Graphic design scholarships exist in many forms, including awards for undergraduate, graduate, and vocational schools. These scholarships are a great way for aspiring graphic design professionals to pay for their degree!
Jump ahead to:
- Top graphic design scholarships
- How to win scholarships for graphic design
- Resources for students studying graphic design
- Frequently asked questions
- Additional scholarship categories to explore
Keep on reading to learn more about the top graphic design scholarships for students looking to break into this rewarding field!
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies: If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
Scholarships360 Exclusive Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
Sponsored Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students. Sponsored Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year. Offered by Gucci Open to current and incoming college students who will be studying design, marketing, art, film, communications, or other creative fields. Offered by The Society of Illustrators Open to college-level animation and illustration students whose department chairs or administrators submit their work for the competition. Offered by Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Open to African-American or Black students pursuing a degree in visual arts. Offered by Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation Open to incoming and current undergraduate students pursuing a degree in printing-related fields, graphic communication, or publishing. Offered by Academy of Special Dreams Open to college students who have a disability and are pursuing a course of study related to art. Scholarships360 Exclusive Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Scholarships360 Exclusive Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Sponsored Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students. Offered by Wunderman Thompson Women and non-binary postsecondary students pursuing any creative field who want to work or intern at Wunderman Thompson. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by Cardsdirect.com Open to high school seniors and college students who design and submit an original greeting card. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by Collins + Co. Open to Black college (and community college) students studying public relations, marketing, social media, or related fields. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by Out of Home Advertising Association of America Open to students enrolled or accepted to a creative arts or design program and those pursuing a graphic design or related degree. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by Against The Grain Productions Open to Asian American and Pacific Islander college students pursuing fashion and/or graphic design degrees. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by American Institute of Graphic Arts Open to postsecondary students pursuing a degree in graphic design, illustration, or photography. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Offered by Berrien Community Foundation Open to college-bound high school seniors from Berrien County, Michigan who will be pursuing a bachelor's degree in the Arts. This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications. Sponsored Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students. Sponsored Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.Top 22 Graphic Design Scholarships in February 2023
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Gucci Changemakers North America Scholarship
The Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship
CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
PGSF Full-Time Students Scholarship
Academy of Special Dreams College Scholarship Fund
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship
Future Designer Scholarship
Richard B. Watkins Scholarship
Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education (FOARE) Creative Arts/Design Scholarship
LiveLikeLyly Memorial Scholarship
AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships
The David A. Hicks Scholarship for the Arts
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
How to win scholarships for graphic design
If you’re applying for graphic design scholarships, you may be required to submit examples of your work that showcase your skills. If this is the case, try to be selective with the pieces that you include in your application. It’s important to showcase only your very best work so that you can put your best foot forward with scholarship committees. Check out our guide on creating a portfolio to learn how to put together a compelling collection of work.
You may also be required to submit an essay as part of your application. As with any scholarship essay, it’s important to demonstrate your passion and goals when applying for graphic design scholarships. Scholarship committees often read thousands of applications, so you’ll want to write an essay that stands out from the crowd.
Fortunately, we have many resources to help you write a top-notch essay. These include guides on writing 250 or 500 word essays, writing an essay about yourself, and writing a winning scholarship essay. You can also take a look at our overview of the most common scholarship essay prompts.
Resources for students studying graphic design
The great thing about studying graphic design is that there are so many resources you can leverage to learn new skills and network with industry professionals. Here are a few professional organizations dedicated to graphic design that you should check out:
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
AIGA is the world’s largest and most well-known professional design association. This organization offers a host of great resources for graphic design students, including job boards, training tutorials, design competitions, and annual conferences. AIGA offers memberships for students and designers of all types and experience levels.
The Society of Illustrators
Illustration is a branch of graphic design focused on drawing. If drawing is your specialty, you should consider joining the Society of Illustrators! This professional association offers art competitions, educational programs, as well as local meet-ups and annual conferences.
Graphic Artists Guild
This organization is dedicated to helping graphic artists and designers build and maintain successful careers. Members benefit from educational and business resources, virtual and in-person social / educational events, and advocacy for fair working conditions.
The following organizations are also dedicated to supporting graphic designers:
- Society for News Design
- International Council of Design
- D&AD
- Art Directors Club
- Society for Experimental Graphic Design
Frequently asked questions about graphic design scholarships
What college should I go to if I want to be a graphic designer?
The Rhode Island School of Design, Yale University, and Art Center College of Design are known for having strong graphic design programs. That being said, every school has its own specialties. It’s always a good idea to research the department of each school to see if it is in line with your interests and graphic design strengths.
Is graphic design a good major?
Graphic design is a highly versatile major that opens the door to many creative careers. It allows for intersections between the corporate world and visual arts, and can be a perfect field of study to both fuel your passion project and pay the bills.
Do graphic designers get paid well?
Payscale.com found the median salary of graphic designers to be $45,939. Salaries vary widely among graphic designers, as some may work for a small startup, while others could work for a huge corporation. Additionally, many graphic designers are freelance, while others are full-time employees. These factors can all change graphic designers’ pay dramatically.
Explore these other scholarship categories
- Top art scholarships
- Top animation scholarships
- Top scholarships for women
- Top scholarships for college students
- Top scholarships for high school seniors
