Top 10 Fashion Design College Scholarships And Grants

Everyone knows that you have a flair for design ever since you first raided your mother’s wardrobe as a six-year-old, matching her Armani suit, Vigotti heels and Nordstrom bangles just perfectly. You’ve had a subscription to Vogue since you were a tweenie and you loved Meryl Streep as the cold, but shrewd Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Now it is time for you to take your natural ability and turn it into a career as a fashion designer. New York, Paris, Rome and Hong Kong are beckoning, fashion destinations luring the talented with jobs, culture and beautiful people. But, the required education at top notch schools such as Pratt, Parsons or even the Academy of Art in San Francisco can cost a mint, an achievable effort if the required funding is in place. If not, you’ll have to hope that financial aid is forthcoming or at least college scholarships geared for fashion design majors including the following hot opportunities:

1. Passion For Fashion — You’ve got an eye for fashion, now it is time for you to demonstrate your passion. At stake are a pair of full scholarships to an Arts Institute school with tours of Seventeen magazine’s offices in New York, a shopping spree and attending the internationally acclaimed New York City Fashion Week event included for the winners.

2. The Fashion School, Kent State University — Deep in the heart of Ohio is The Fashion School, a part of Kent State University. While schools in New York, San Francisco and Paris may hold more prestige, the Kent program underscores what the public sector can do when it comes to fashion. At last count there were thirty design scholarships being offered through the school for Kent’s up and coming program.

3. YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) — FSF is a national, non-profit association established by members of the fashion community to help advance fashion education. A Geoffrey Beene $20,000 scholarship is at stake for applicants seeking assistance.

4. Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) — As part of the State University of New York (SUNY), FIT is one of the most recognized public schools offering a fashion design program. The Financo Scholarship Fund was established in 2008 to help FIT students who are pursuing a degree in fashion design.

5. 210 Footwear Foundation — Invent the perfect woman’s shoe that is both glamorous and amazingly comfortable and you’ll have billions of women singing your praises. If your concentration is footwear design, then this foundation may be able to help bring your fashion dreams to pass.

6. Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships — Established exclusively to assist minority and disadvantaged students, AIGA offers basic scholarships from $1-3000 as well as juried scholarships for up to $5000.

7. Chicago Fashion Foundation — As the name suggests, scholarship opportunities are open to Chicagoland residents who are majoring in fashion related studies. The top scholarship awarded annually is $5000 with second and third place awards also given.

8. DC Fashion Foundation — Project FUNDway is the name of this scholarship offering which offers DC residents a chance to obtain a $5000 scholarship. Area high school students can also participate in DC Camp Runway, an opportunity for 14-18 year old fashion divas to hone their skill in advance of attending college.

9. Embassy of Fashion Designers Student Scholarship Foundation — A full scholarship at a recognized fashion institution is available through the “embassy” as are runner up one-time scholarships ranging from $1-5000. Fashion and Footwear Design majors with a high school GPA of at least 3.0 are invited to apply.

10. The International Academy of Design & Technology — More than $250,000 in college scholarships are offered by this Florida school, which offers degreed programs in Fashion Design and more. Some scholarships are based on financial need while others are based on merit.

Apply for as many fashion design scholarships as possible to ensure that you receive the necessary funding to pay for your education. The next Diane von Furstenburg or Ralph Lauren could be waiting in the wings, looking for the right opportunity to demonstrate their fashion acumen.

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