Scholarships – Fall 2023
Fall scholarship applications are due by 11:59 ET on April 3.
Workshop information is here.
Penland is an intentionally inclusive and dynamic creative community—a community that values the creative energy that arises from diverse artistic visions and approaches. Penland’s scholarship program exists to make our workshops accessible to those who are not able to participate without financial assistance and to create educational opportunities for people who have been underrepresented at Penland and in the craft world. Scholarships are one way we are pushing back on historic imbalances and barriers.
How to Apply for a Scholarship or Studio Assistantship
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- Minimum age is 18. Scholarship and studio assistantship applications must be made online at penland.slideroom.com. Do not use the regular enrollment application.
- Read the cancellation and refund policy.
- If applying for a studio assistantship, check this page or Slideroom to determine the availability of these scholarships.
- Scholarship and studio assistantship applications require a nonrefundable $5 Slideroom fee. You will need to list two references as part of your application. Applications for studio assistantships and the glass studio scholarship require images of your work.
- Your application must be completed by 11:59 pm ET on April 3.
- Student will be notified of their status in early May.
Scholarship applicants pay a nonrefundable $5 Slideroom fee; if awarded a scholarship, they will be charged an additional $25 processing fee. Once accepted, scholarship students will be asked to pay their invoiced balance by August 15. We will consider applications after the deadline only if there are unfilled spaces or cancellations.
Partial Scholarships with Work Requirement (Work-Study)
Fees for students receiving partial scholarships are listed here.
Partial scholarship (work-study) students do work for the school during their session, pay a discounted tuition, and receive room and board. Work-study students accept the challenge of balancing studio time with working for the school.
During the session work-study students work approximately 20 hours per week on a variety of service tasks, usually cleaning, food service support, dishwashing. (Because of the glass workshop schedule, glass students work 10 hours per week and pay a higher fee.) All work-study students are given a schedule on the first day and generally work part of each day during the session as well as on the day before and after the session. The work is manual labor and the schedule, while reasonable, requires work-study students to carefully balance their time and energy between the studio and their work obligations.
If you have physical limitations and you are selected for a scholarship, please let us know as soon as possible what kinds of work you can do, and we’ll do our best to make an appropriate work assignment.
In addition to working during the session, work-study students are required to work from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on the day before their session. You are responsible for making travel arrangements that will allow you to meet this requirement. If you cannot meet this requirement, please do not apply.
NOTE: Before you apply, please read our COVID-19 Safety Guidelines document. Please note that our safety procedures are subject to modification as public health guidance changes.
Special Partial Scholarships
Hot Glass Work-Study Scholarship
There is one spring Concentration work-study scholarship for a glass student who will work 30 hours per week in the glass studio, and must be available to work the day before the workshop starts. Your application should include five images of your work. For more details, contact the glass studio coordinator at 828-765-5507. Recipient is responsible for a reduced tuition of $3,403, a $25 processing fee, the studio fee, and travel to and from Penland.
Development Work-Study Scholarship
There is one spring Concentration work-study scholarship for a student who will work 20 hours per week in the development office during the session, plus 8 hours the day before the session begins. You will be responsible for the tuition amount of $2,308, a $25 processing fee, a studio fee, and travel to and from Penland. A detailed description of this position is here.
Movement Work-Study Scholarship
There is one spring Concentration work-study position for a student who will teach movement classes. Your application and résumé should address your qualifications to teach movement. You may be asked to provide copies of certification if selected. This is a 20 hour per week position. This scholarship covers tuition, room and board. You will be responsible for the studio fee and travel to and from Penland. A detailed description of this position is here.
Texas Star Scholarship
This scholarship supports a Concentration student in clay. The award is for a student with financial need who is ready to engage fully in creative exploration. The recipient will have a full work requirement and will pay only $500 toward their tuition.
Full Scholarships with Work Requirement
Samuel A. Almon Scholarship
Established in honor of Samuel A. Almon, who was a friend of the school, this fund provides a scholarship with work requirement that covers room, board, and tuition for a textiles Concentration. This scholarship requires that the student contribute a piece to the scholarship auction.
Christy Wright Scholarship for Glass Art
Established by the family and friends of Christy Wright, this fund provides a scholarship with work requirement that covers room, board, and tuition for a glass Concentration for a student making a career transition into glass.
Studio Assistantships
Studio assistants are students who assist instructors and are responsible for maintaining the school’s standards for studio operation. They receive housing and meals and pay only a $5 application fee in Slideroom and a $25 non-refundable processing fee if selected.
Studio assistants are selected based on their knowledge of a working studio. In addition to 25–40 hours of work each week, studio assistants are required to work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the day before their session and may have some work to do on Friday after the session is over. Clay studio assistants have a work assignment on Saturday morning after the session and stay on campus Friday night. View available spring studio assistantships here.
Standby Program
Residents of certain counties in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee are offered half-price tuition when they take unfilled spaces less than four weeks before the beginning of a workshop. This offer is also available to all K–12 teachers and college, university, and community college faculty regardless of where they live. For details visit this page: Standby Program