Do you offer scholarships for UX Academy?

Emma Shimmens

March 27, 2023 15:45

Yes, we do! Read on for more info about our Diversify Design scholarship.

Goals of the Scholarship

Designlab’s Diversify Design scholarship program has run since March 2020 with the intention of building equity across diverse and inclusive representation in the design industry. We aim to do so by providing design education and professional support to aspiring designers from groups underrepresented in the design industry; this includes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), AAPI, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and members of other historically disadvantaged groups.

We also understand that diversity in and of itself encompasses broad and varying experiences for different members of our community. We want all potential applicants to feel seen and heard, so if you feel that you meet the criteria to apply in some other way not listed above, please do so! We'd be happy to review your application.

We started Designlab in part to build, from the ground-up, an institution that would address some of the structural inequalities that exist in the world around access to education—and we committed to doing this with core values centered around empowerment, accessibility, and empathy.

Building empathy and enriching design requires a wide range of perspectives, which is why we actively seek diversity in our community; we intentionally do this through our hiring for both internal team members and mentors, as well as through this scholarship. We believe that diversity of background and opinion strengthens us and allows us to consider different ideas and approaches and the people we design for.

Scholarship Amounts

Each month, we offer:

1 scholarship worth 50% of UX Academy tuition
3 scholarships worth $1,000
A limited number of full scholarships, based on availability and need

Please note that scholarship amounts will be calculated after all discounts, course credits, and deposits have been applied. If you have taken UX Academy Foundations and receive a scholarship towards UX Academy, your scholarship will be reflected in your tuition total after your UX Academy Foundations course credit has been applied.

*Scholarships are not applicable to the $399 UX Academy enrollment fee.*

Application Process

The application is comprised of three primary parts:

General information
Short written questions about why you want to participate in the scholarship program
A 1-minute video telling us a little bit about yourself and why you think you’re a good candidate*

*Videos will be assessed on content, not quality. If you have any additional concerns about this, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Admissions Team about this.

Scholarship Application Timeline

We accept applications for the Diversify Design scholarship program on a monthly basis — see below for our upcoming round.

If awarded, recipients can apply their scholarship toward their UX Academy tuition for any of the next 3 cohorts. For example, if you are a scholarship recipient within the "Round 4 2023" selection, you can apply your scholarship for the May '23, June '23, and July '23 cohorts of UX Academy.

Please note that scholarships awarded for the current available submission deadline will not be applicable to the April cohort of UX Academy, and scholarships cannot be retroactively applied to UX Academy tuition.

Here is our list of important upcoming dates for the scholarship:

Application deadline: Sunday, April 23rd

Decision date: Friday, April 28th

Applicable cohorts: May 2023, June 2023, and July 2023

Interested in a future cohort? Check back on Monday, April 24th, for information on our next scholarship round.

Questions? Feel free to reach to Admissions at admissions@designlab.com.

Selection Process and Rubric

Applications will be read anonymously by a panel of at least 3 different committee members and will be evaluated based on need, as well as commitment to shaping equitable, inclusive, and diverse spaces.

When evaluating scholarship applications, the scholarship committee’s goal is to get to know candidates on a personal level. We realize it’s impossible to capture everything that makes you YOU in the short space of a few paragraphs, but we recommend that you include new information about yourself in each section in order to give us the most well-rounded understanding of you as an individual as you can.

The rubric below provides a more detailed explanation of what we aim to learn about you through each section of the application and how your application will be evaluated:

Question 1: Why do you want to participate in UX Academy and what are your goals for pursuing a UX/UI design education? (200–400 words)

Poor (1)	Good (3)	Excellent (5)
Applicant doesn’t identify a clear goal or motivation for pursuing design Applicant doesn’t appear to have a clear understanding of the UX Academy program or the field of UX/UI design The response is extremely short or vague	Applicant mentions a goal or motivation for pursuing design, but doesn’t expand upon it The response is broad or general and could be true of many other applicants	Applicant clearly describes their goals and motivations for pursuing design The response is unique and specific to the applicant’s personal experiences and perspectives

Question 2: What do you expect from a community that is actively working to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment? (200–400 words)

Poor (1)	Good (3)	Excellent (5)
Applicant doesn’t identify any attributes of a what a DEI-focused community means to them The response is extremely short or vague	Applicant identifies attributes of a DEI-focused community that are important, but doesn’t explain why they’re personally significant The response is broad or general and could be true of many other applicants	Applicant identifies attributes of a DEI-focused community that are important to them and clearly explains why they’re personally significant The response is unique and specific to the applicant’s personal experiences and perspectives

Question 3: What excites you about being engaged in a diverse and inclusive community? (200–400 words)

Poor (1)	Good (3)	Excellent (5)
Applicant doesn’t demonstrate an interest in joining a DEI-focused community The response is extremely short or vague	Applicant indicates they’re eager to join a DEI-focused community, but doesn’t explain why The response is broad or general and could be true of many other applicants	Applicant clearly explains why they’re eager to join a DEI-focused community The response is unique and specific to the applicant’s personal experiences and perspectives

Video: Please record a 1-minute video to introduce yourself to us.

We want to get to know who you are beyond the information you've already shared in your written responses. Please feel free to include any information that you think is relevant to your application and candidacy for a Diversify Design scholarship in whatever format will allow you to represent yourself best. You’re welcome to submit an audio-only file, a live video of yourself, or a video you create using some other format you prefer—let your creativity run free! Please note: materials will be assessed based on the content you share about yourself, not the production value of the finished video file.

Poor (1)	Good (3)	Excellent (5)
Applicant restates the same information provided in their written responses or doesn’t share any new information that would help the committee get to know them better as a person The response is either extremely short or extremely long and also vague	Applicant shares additional information not found in their written responses about their interest in the scholarship, UX Academy, and/or UX/UI design The information provided is broad or general and doesn’t help the scholarship committee to get to know the candidate on a more personal level	Applicant shares additional information not found in their written responses about their interest in the scholarship, UX Academy, and/or UX/UI design The information provided is unique and specific to the applicant’s personal experiences and perspectives and also helps the scholarship committee get to know the candidate on a more personal level

Terms and Conditions

Please note that if you are already a UX Academy Foundations student or have emailed or spoken with an Admissions Rep previously expressing an interest in UX Academy and the UX Academy scholarship program, you have already met the below eligibility requirements.

Scholarships are limited in number, and subject to availability. Even if an applicant meets scholarship criteria, a scholarship may not be awarded. Scholarships are not transferable. Scholarship value will be applied directly to the course fee and is not redeemable for cash.

If you'd like to apply for a UX Academy scholarship, and are not already enrolled in a course with us, please ensure that you have contacted the Admissions team to indicate your interest and motivation for pursuing the UX Academy program as well as the scholarship program. If you would like to connect with Admissions in order to learn more about UX Academy and be eligible to apply for a scholarship, you can email us at admissions@designlab.com.

All students who meet this eligibility requirement, both US-based and international, are welcome to apply.

By applying for a scholarship, the applicant grants Designlab permission to post their name in marketing communications in the event they are awarded the scholarship.

Application

The Diversify Design Scholarship application is open! Please apply here.