Visual Arts Scholarships Quick Information
Incoming Freshman Scholarships DUE March 15 | Current Student Scholarships DUE March 31
Artwork PDF Instructions | FAQ’s | Review Rubric
The Visual Arts Program in the School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University is pleased to offer art scholarship opportunities for our incoming freshman students. Students who are majoring in Visual Arts and have officially applied at NKU may compete for this scholarship support. Two Visual Arts Freshman Scholarships will be awarded, each for one semester of in-state tuition. Several alternates will also be chosen.
To apply for one of these portfolio-based freshman scholarships, please fill out the NKU Visual Arts Incoming Freshman Scholarship Application through the link provided below. As part of the application, the student must upload a PDF document containing digital images of 7 pieces of artwork. Each image must be labeled as directed in the ‘Scholarship Art PDF Formatting’ document (see below). Applicants will be judged on the quality and originality of their artwork, as well as their grade point average, SAT/ACT scores, letter of intent, letter of recommendation (preferably from their high school art teacher), and high school transcripts.
Once the deadline passes, the Visual Arts scholarship committee, consisting of 4 full-time and/or tenured faculty, will review each qualifying application (see Review Rubric above). Immediate notification will be sent from the chair of the scholarship committee to those that did not meet all the qualifications, along with an explanation of why. After the committee determines the scholarship recipient(s), the Program Head of the Visual Arts Program will send a letter of notification to all qualifying applicants.
Applications must be submitted by March 15 each year. Late (and/or late) submissions will not be considered.
CLICK HERE for the Visual Arts Incoming Freshman Scholarship Application
For questions regarding the scholarship application process,
Paige Wideman
Office: FA 413
widemanp@nku.edu | (859) 572-6061
Kentucky Governor's Scholars Award Scholarships
If you have participated in the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts you may be eligible to apply for full in-state tuition at Northern Kentucky University. Eligibility for this scholarship includes a 3.0 GPA or higher, a class rank in the top 20%, an ACT composite score of 24 or higher or an SAT score of 1090 or higher and must be a degree-seeking student.
Contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance for more information.
Toll-Free 1.888.225.4499
The Visual Arts Program in the School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University is pleased to offer scholarships for students majoring in Visual Arts. Students may compete yearly for scholarship support.
Applicants will be judged on the merits of their artwork, as well as their overall grade point average, participation in visual arts courses, and overall artistic development. All scholarships in the Visual Arts Program are awarded on a competitive basis.
Once the deadline passes, the Visual Arts faculty, representing all areas of our program, will review each qualifying application (see Review Rubric above). Immediate notification will be sent from the chair of the scholarship committee to those that did not meet all of the qualifications, along with an explanation of why. After the faculty determines the scholarship recipients and award amounts, along with alternates, the Program Head of Visual Arts will send a letter of notification to all qualifying applicants. Those awarded scholarships will have to sign and return their letter of acceptance by the predetermined deadline.
Applications must be submitted by March 31 each year.
Each applicant must submit an online application through the link provided below. As part of the application, each student must upload their unofficial NKU transcript and properly labeled artwork in separate PDF documents (see specifics below). Documents submitted incorrectly labeled and/or are in the wrong format or not openable will lead to disqualification.
Unofficial Transcript PDF Submission
Rename the pdf document:
Artwork PDF Submission
Save the PDF document:
Each student must submit their artwork in a single PDF document. There are many great online tutorials that will help you make the best reproductions possible.
Seven (7) individual artworks must be submitted for scholarship consideration with a total of 14 images permitted, allowing for detail shots as needed. Work may be in a single discipline or a combination of work from 2D, 3D, and 4D areas. If a student is working in a series, each work of art he/she submits counts as one individual work of art. For more clarification, refer to the FAQ’s and/or contact Paige Wideman for assistance.
For 2-D and 3-D work, please provide
For Time-Based work, please provide
Labeling of Artwork
Please review the "Scholarship Art PDF Formatting' document above for proper layout. Any embellishment on this layout will result in disqualification. Each image must be labeled as follows:
Your Full Name Ex: Joe Smith
Title of the Artwork Conversations
Medium Steel, fabric, and wood
Dimensions *(see specifics below) 31” x 24” x 12”
Completed for **(see specifics below) Completed for Art 317
Labels for “Detail” views of your artwork (or alternate views of a 3-D/Installation) should be as follows:
Your Full Name Ex: Joe Smith
Title of the Artwork Conversations
DETAIL DETAIL
* Dimensions are required for all artworks submitted, whether photographs, digital art, drawings, etc. The committee understands that photographs and digital art can be printed or exist in multiple sizes/dimensions. In these cases, please submit the image dimensions in which the work was originally created.
Dimensions should follow this format:
Scholarship Application Checklist
Your online scholarship application submission includes:
___ Completed application (all requested student information)
___ Unofficial NKU transcript in PDF format (properly labeled and uploaded)
(for Incoming Freshman - high school transcript and letter of recommendation each in PDF format)
___ Required artwork in PDF format (properly labeled and uploaded)
Scholarship Details
Please be aware that having received a scholarship of any amount in the past does not guarantee that a student will receive one the next time he/she applies. Nor does it guarantee that if a student did receive a scholarship again that it will be for the same amount. Scholarship support includes: SOTA, Visual Arts Program, Friends of Fine Arts, and the Schiff Family Photography Scholarship. The number and the kind of scholarships are determined by funds available. Several alternates will also be chosen.
As a Visual Arts student who has achieved scholarship success, you should be available to participate in service opportunities to the Visual Arts Program, School of the Arts, and/or the University, as needed during the scholarship award semester/year. These service opportunities include, but are not limited to:
For questions regarding the scholarship application process, please contact:
Paige Wideman
Office: FA 413
widemanp@nku.edu | (859) 572-6061
