How to apply for Scholarships & Grants

Applications Open Spring 2025

Applications for the 2025 merit competition will be available March 1, 2025.
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Overview

The Art Students League of New York is delighted to offer Scholarships and Grants made possible by our generous supporters.

Scholarships are open to all current and prospective new students and provide tuition for one full-time class for a Regular Session. Partial tuition scholarships are also awarded.

Unless otherwise stated, Grants are open to League Members in good standing and include tuition for one full-time class for the Regular Session (September-May) plus a cash award. Available awards are subject to change.

Please read the following information carefully prior to beginning your application:

Application procedure / submission requirements

• Create a free online account on Submittable.
• Required fields are marked with a red asterisk (*).
• An Art Students League ID number is required.
• New students applying for a scholarship must create a League account to obtain a Student Identification Number by clicking here.
• Complete and sign the application form (Note: applicants to the McDowell Travel Grant will be asked to submit a notarized affidavit).
• Upload three (3) digital images of original artwork created within the past year.
• Artworks in multiple panels (diptych, triptych) must be submitted as a single image file.
• Individual works of sculpture may be photographed from multiple angles but must be submitted as a single image file.
• Save each file in JPEG format, no larger than 2 MB (megabytes).
• Optional information: The Art Students League is able to designate certain scholarships based on donor intent. Providing demographic information is voluntary, but can help the Art StudentsLeague distribute awards more effectively. This information has no bearing on the competition itself, which is judged solely on the basis of submitted artwork.

Merit Scholarship eligibility

• Open to students working in all genres of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media.
• Students must apply to ONE of three categories: Realism, Abstract, or Semi-Abstract/SemiObjective.
• League Membership is not required.
• There are no minimum registration hours required.
• Prior Merit Scholarship recipients are not eligible.
• New students applying for a scholarship must create a League account to obtain an Art Students League ID Number by clicking here.
• Recipients of a tuition scholarship must enroll in classes for the 2024/25 Regular Session and fully use the scholarship by May 31, 2025. Scholarships may not be deferred.
• International students must have a visa status permitting full-time study at time of application and for the 2024/25 Regular Session.
• Temporary international visitors to the United States are not eligible.

Grants eligibility and class hours

Competition eligibility is based on registration hours in regular and online classes (excluding workshops and uninstructed sketch classes), regardless of full-time or part time registration status. Following are approximate equivalents for class hours and monthly registration:

• League membership in good standing at time of application (member status may not be Lapsed or Dropped). For further information regarding membership and membership status, please click here.
• Candidates must be enrolled in class(es) at the time of application and competition.
• Eligibility for grants is keyed to registration hours AND areas of concentration. For example, students who have been registered full-time in only a sculpture class will not be eligible for painting grants. Please see Available Awards below for complete details.
• At the time of application candidates must have completed a minimum of 1,120 cumulative class hours (full-time and/or part-time, excluding workshops), of which 420 class hours must be in the current Regular Session (September 2023 – May 2024) (see “Grants Eligibility & Class Hours” below)
• Past recipients of an individual grant may not reapply for the same grant (exception: Nessa Cohen Grant) but may apply for other grants (based on eligibility).
• International students must have the appropriate visa status allowing full-time study at the time of application and for the 2024/25 Regular Session.
• Temporary international visitors to the United States, regardless of membership status, are not eligible for the grant competition.
• 1,120 hours = approximately 16 months of full-time classes or more than 32 months of part-time classes
• 420 hours = approximately 6 months of full-time classes or the equivalent in multiple part-time classes(Note: For grant eligibility, it is not possible in a Regular Session to meet this quota prior to the application deadline through registration in a single part-time class.)

Grants eligibility and membership status (does not apply to scholarship eligibility)

Applicants for grants must be members of the Art Students League of New York in good standing at the time of the competition. Students are strongly advised to verify membership status before applying. Members whose status is Dropped or Lapsed are not eligible. Members whose status is “Lapsed” may simply renew by paying dues for the current year. Members whose status is “Dropped” must submit a written/signed “Request for Reinstatement” for consideration by the Board of Control, which meets monthly from September to June. The Annual Registration Fee (paid every 12 months by all registered students) is not equivalent to paying annual Membership dues and does not constitute ASL membership.

* Available awards are subject to change

Additional Information

Contact

Questions regarding eligibility and class-hour requirements may be directed to Thomas Tacik, tel: (646) 838-9138; e-mail: tom@artstudentsleague.org

Competition award limit policy

Students may apply to only one Merit Scholarship category(Realism; Abstract; Semi-Abstract/Semi-Figurative). Eligible students may apply for any number of grants but may receive only one award during the entire competition. Students who apply for more than one grant, and subsequently win an award, will be withdrawn from all other awards of lesser value. Students winning a scholarship and then a grant automatically cede the award of lesser value.

Non-discrimination

The League is committed to maintaining an atmosphere free from all forms of discrimination or harassing behavior in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and other school administered programs. All students have equal access to the rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available at the League. Both League policy and law prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, race, color, disability, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or sex. All students meeting the eligibility requirements who have submitted their work in accordance with the instructions above will be considered.

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