Student Aid and Scholarships
In addition to university-wide financial aid, the Department of Art & Art History offers a wide range of scholarships to support current and incoming students across our program areas. Scholarships recognize creative achievement, academic promise, financial need, and specific areas of study or practice, depending on the criteria established for each award.
Each year, the department distributes approximately $82,000 across 30-35 individual scholarship awards.
Students apply with a portfolio of work through a centralized scholarship system managed by the Scholarship Office. Once submitted, the applications will automatically be sorted into relevant award pools. Students are encouraged to review the scholarship opportunities below to learn more about typical award amounts.
Visit the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office for application details and deadlines.
| Scholarship | Number of students awarded per year | Typical award | Candidate qualifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peninsula Advertising Photographers Assoc. (PAPA) Scholarship Endowment | 1-2 | $500 | Undergraduate; BFA Photography major/concentration. |
| Art & Design Scholarship Endowment | 1-2 | $500 | All levels; all majors/concentrations; financial need required. |
| Helen B. Dooley Endowment | 2 | $2,000 | All levels; all majors/concentrations; financial need required. |
| Violet Lanis Speddy Scholarship | 2 | $1,000 | Undergraduate and graduate students; all majors/concentrations; at least half-time enrollment (undergrad: 6 units, grad: 4 units). |
| Catherine Urban Scholarship for Art and Design | 1-2 | $750 | Junior or senior; all majors/concentrations; financial need required; 3.0 GPA; at least half-time enrollment (undergrad: 6 units, grad: 4 units). |
| Kenneth & Mary Auvil Printmaking Endowment | 1 | $6,000 | Graduate students; all majors/concentrations; must have ability to work in the printmaking lab and meet review committee requirements. |
| Elizabeth Heil Scholarship | 2-3 | $3,500 | All levels; Spatial Art. |
| Willis Nelson Memorial Scholarship Endowment | 1 | $1,500 | Graduate students; Pictorial Art; full-time enrollment (9 units). |
| Fire Arts Fund | 1 | $1,200 | All levels; Spatial Art. Priority to ceramics students, followed by foundry or glass students. |
| Art Gallery Quasi Endowment | 1 | $800 | All levels and all majors in Art & Art History. |
| Katherine Brie Romero Memorial Arts Scholarship | 1 | $1,000 | Undergraduate and graduate students; Pictorial Art; 3.0 GPA; full-time enrollment (undergrad: 12 units, grad: 8 units). |
| Raymond Henley Carrico Memorial Scholarship | 1 | $500 | All levels; all majors/concentrations. |
| Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Award | 1 | $2,000 | All levels; Pictorial Art. Intended as $1,500 scholarship plus $500 supplies; preference for Pictorial major with Painting emphasis. |
| Carolyn B. Hayes Art Scholarship | 5-6 | $4,000 | All levels; all majors/concentrations. |
| James E. Olson Scholarship | 4-5 | $6,000 | All levels; all majors/concentrations; 3.0 GPA; 12 units. Awarded annually during spring; 50% scholarship and 50% equipment/supplies. |
| Nick Lomoro Scholarship Fund | 1 | $1,000 | All levels; Spatial Art. Preference for a student who works in the foundry. |
| Swanson Gill Art Scholarship Endowment | 1 | $1,200 | Undergraduate and graduate students; Studio Practice, Digital Media Art, Pictorial Art, Photography, and Spatial Art. |
| The Peter and Dona Lycurgus Art Scholarship Endowment | 2-3 | $1,200 | All levels; all majors/concentrations; financial need required. Preference for students with minimum 2.8 GPA and demonstrated financial need. |
| Fine Arts Fund | 1 | $2,000 | Undergraduate and graduate students; open to Art BFA and MFA degrees. |
