Registration

Registration

Learn with us!

Penland welcomes serious students of all levels of experience—absolute beginners to professionals. We seek a diverse student population representing varied experiences, backgrounds, races, professions, and age groups (minimum age 18).

CURRENTLY
Enrolling for spring and summer workshops.
Apply for fall scholarships Feb 15 – March 15, 2024

COMING SOON
Partial summer scholarship applications open March 1
Fall registration opens May 1

a class photo of a penland metals workshop in front of the metals studio

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Registration Process

Registration is on a first-come, first served basis and continues until workshops are filled. All registration takes place online.

Trouble registering?
Short help video here.
Download guide

Processing Fee & Deposits
At the time of application, the following are required to secure your place:

Application Fee: $50
Workshop deposit: $500 for concentration workshops, $250 all other workshops
Cost of Housing and meals (including off-campus-student meal plans)

Scholarship applicants pay a $5 Slideroom fee when applying for a scholarship.  If selected to receive a scholarship or assistantship, you will be responsible for a nonrefundable processing fee of $25.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for all workshops except for the fall weekend session. Learn more about and apply for scholarships HERE.

Waiting Lists

If you are interested in a workshop that is full, and you would like to apply as a full-paying student, we encourage you to place your name on the waiting list. We get some cancellations, and the enrollment picture can change from week to week. Waiting lists are kept in order by the date requests are received. Applicants will be contacted if space becomes available. No fee is necessary to have a space on a waiting list, and the $50 processing fee will not be charged unless you are enrolled. You may apply for up to three workshops on the waiting list. Please do not use this form if you need a scholarship or are interested in the standby program.

Cancellations, Refunds, and Transfers

Please read our cancellation, refund, and transfer policy here.

Joint Enrollment

We know that students often want to attend a workshop with a family member, partner, friend, etc., and we love that. However, we can’t guarantee joint enrollment in specific workshops. Also, each enrollment is treated separately in terms of deposits, fees, cancellations, and refunds.

Standby Program

Residents of nearby counties in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee are offered half-price tuition when they take unfilled spaces less than two weeks before the beginning of a workshop. This offer is also available to all active, retired, and veteran military personnel, K–12 teachers and all teachers at colleges, universities, or community colleges, regardless of where they live. For details contact the Penland registrar or visit the standby page.

Accessibility

The Penland campus is located on uneven, hilly terrain that poses accessibility challenges. The following studios are accessible: books, clay, drawing and painting, glass, iron, letterpress and printmaking, lower metals, photography, papermaking, and wood. The upper metals studio and both textiles studios have stairs that limit access; both are made partially accessible by stair lifts.

Housing that meets ADA standards is available in several buildings. Accessible parking is found at the dining hall and at all studios. A limited number of golf carts are available for use on campus; please let us know if you will need one.

While we do our best to accommodate all students, we know that our campus is not accessible for everyone. We are happy to talk with you about what our campus can or cannot do in this regard. Please contact our registrar to discuss in more depth how we can help you come to Penland: 828-765-2359, ext. 1306 or registrar@penland.org. And please know that improved access is part of our long-range campus planning.

Session Schedule

Overall Schedule
All sessions–except the fall weekend session, begin at 5:00 PM on a Sunday and end at 10:00 AM on a Monday.

  • Sessions begin with an orientation meeting at 5:00 PM on Sunday. The last workshop activity is an auction or a show-and-tell on Thursday night. The last meal is Friday breakfast; campus departure time is 10:00 AM on Friday.
  • The fall weekend session begins with an orientation meeting at 5:00 PM on Friday. The last workshop activity is a show-and-tell at 5:00 PM on Sunday. The last meal is Monday breakfast; campus departure time is 10:00 AM on Monday.
  • The schedule for studio assistants and scholarship students who have a work commitment differs from the above. See the scholarship and studio assistantship pages for details.

Daily Schedule
A typical daily schedule for all but our weekend sessions (for schedules particular to your session, including arrival and departure, please see our session schedules):

Monday – Friday

  • 8:00–8:45 PM: Breakfast
  • 10:00–11:30 AM: Demonstrations/formal instruction
  • 11:30–12:15: Independent work time
  • 12:15–1:00 PM (1:15 PM in summer): Lunch
  • 2:00–4:30 PM: Demonstrations/formal instruction
  • 4:30–6:15 independent work time
  • 6:15–7 PM: Dinner
  • 7:00 PM +: Independent work time, artist talks, etc.

Saturday/Sunday

No formal instruction. Studios are open for independent work

  • 9:00–9:45 AM: Breakfast
  • 12:30–1:00 PM (1:15 PM in summer): Lunch
  • 6:15–7:00 PM: Dinner

Movement

Penland sessions include free movement classes. Current movement information is here.

Penland Housing

Most students choose to maximize their participation by staying on campus. Penland housing is quite simple. Buildings are not air-conditioned. Furnishing is basic: a bed and a place to put your clothes.

Housing assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. We do our best to match students with the type of housing they request, but this is not always possible, and we cannot honor requests for specific rooms or buildings.

Gender Inclusive Housing is a housing option that allows students to share a space with fellow students regardless of their sex, gender identity, or gender expression. This option is available, along with gender-specific housing, on our online application form.

—Additional housing information and photographs of representative rooms can be found here.
—Housing is only available for those enrolled in workshops.
—Students are welcome to participate in Penland workshops while staying off campus.

Meals

Students staying on campus pay for all meals as part of their room and board charge. Penland provides excellent, nutritious meals made with fresh ingredients. There is always a vegetarian option, but we cannot promise to accommodate special dietary needs. If you have questions about food at Penland, please send an inquiry to kitchen@penland.org.

Off-Campus Students

Students who live in the area or prefer to find their own lodging may enroll as off-campus students and participate in all activities of the Penland session. Off-campus students may select a meal plan when enrolling.

Cost of Materials

Tuition does not cover the cost of materials used for students’ own production. (Hot glass tuition does cover the cost of clear glass in the furnaces.) Most workshops require you to bring certain materials and tools with you. Some materials may be purchased from the studio at the student’s discretion. Students will receive an invoice at the end of the session for those items.

Studio Safety

In many workshops, students may be working with tools that can cause injury if improperly used. A safety tour and information about the proper handling of tools and materials is part of our workshops; however, students assume the risk of working with tools and materials provided by the school.

Studio Information

Information about Penland’s studios, including a list of the tools and equipment in each studio, is available here.

Policies

Drugs and Alcohol—Alcohol is not permitted in the studios. The legal drinking age in North Carolina is 21. The use of illegal drugs while at Penland is strictly prohibited. We cannot tolerate behavior that jeopardizes your safety or the safety of others.

Personal Property—Penland is not responsible for the security of property belonging to students, instructors, or staff.

Pets—Students are not permitted to have pets with them while at Penland. If you work with an ADA compliant service animal, please contact the registrar.

Unacceptable Behavior—Penland reserves the right to dismiss any student, without refund, for behavior that is disruptive to the community learning and living environment. Penland may refuse admission to students with a past history of unacceptable behavior.

COVID-19 Safety—Students, instructors, and staff are all subject to Penland’s current COVID-19 Safety Guidelines. Anyone who intentionally or repeatedly violates these guidelines will not be allowed to remain on campus.

College & Teacher Credits

Penland students can receive college credit through Western Carolina University (WCU). Click HERE for more information, including important dates. 

Arrival & Departure

Arrival
Penland is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Spruce Pine, NC, 52 miles north of Asheville. The easiest way to get here is by car, but commercial van service (not affiliated with Penland) to and from the Asheville airport and bus terminal is available before and after each session for a fee. Plan to arrive at Penland between 1:00 and 4:45 PM on Sunday. Most sessions begin at 5:00 PM on Sunday. EXCEPTION: the fall weekend session begins at 5:00 PM on Friday.

Note: Studio assistants and scholarship students with a work requirement must arrive in time to work on Saturday morning before their session begins.

Departure
Workshop activities for most sessions end with a show-and-tell or an auction at 8:00 PM Thursday night. Friday breakfast will be the last meal provided; please plan to depart campus by 10:00 AM.

Fall weekend sessions: workshop activities will end at 6:00 PM Sunday; students are welcome to stay through Monday morning. Monday breakfast will be the last meal provided; please plan to depart campus by 10:00 AM

Travel Information