Study to Become an Architect: Pay for School with Scholarship “Green”
Architecture students have a tough row to hoe. First, if you’re really gung-ho you seek a school with a big reputation, something that will put a “ka-pow!” on your resume. Then, in order to make that dream school a reality, you have to load yourself with maximum student loan debt to pay the tuition. What if you could slash some of that debt with architecture scholarships?
Keep in mind that some scholarships include architecture, architectural history, civil engineering, and landscape architecture, as well as other closely related design and planning majors.
Colleges and Universities
Hands-down first stop for scholarships should be your school’s architecture department. Many students are unaware that colleges and universities squirrel away scholarship funds in various places throughout campus. General merit and need-based scholarship dollars flow directly from the main financial aid or scholarship office—these are open to all students. But some very lucrative cash may only be found in various departments, such as the architecture department. Ask your department head for a list of available programs, then narrow down that list to those for which you’re qualified.
- The School of Architecture at Cal Poly maintains a nice stable of well-endowed scholarships specifically for its students. Each targets a distinctive brand of student. For example you can find awards for students with strong leadership abilities, students in their final year of arch. study, students aiming for construction management, and others with a passion for the technical aspects of the field. Awards range from $300 to $5,000.
- Iowa State’s Architecture program offers scholarships aimed at students in design majors—which includes architecture—as well as to students with travel and research funding needs, career interests in “institutional” design, and more. Awards average $1,000.
Private and Professional Sources for Arch Scholarships
Some of the best sources for Architecture scholarship money are found in the private sector. Of note, professional architecture organizations and associations invite student members. Benefits often include a chance to qualify for valuable scholarships and fellowships for all levels of your education.
If you are an ethnic minority or woman pursuing a degree and career in the field or a closely related field, your chances for winning scholarship money expand significantly.
- The American Architectural Foundation, a leading professional organization of architects, provides two cash awards programs: The Minority/Disadvantaged Scholarship rewards an outstanding new architecture student from a financially disadvantaged and/or ethnic background with up to $2,500 for help in defraying tuition costs. The AAF also sponsors an annual $25,000 fellowship aimed at graduate and post-grad architecture students with a passion for “architectural heritage.”
- The American Institute of Architects maintains a well-endowed memorial scholarship – the Jason Pettigrew Memorial Scholarship – that is annually awarded to a varying number of outstanding AIA student recipients across the country.
- The Association for Women in Architecture’s Foundation branch offers cash scholarships to student members pursuing a career in the male-dominated field of architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, or a closely related field.