Do you offer scholarships for UX Academy?

The goal of Designlab’s Diversify Design scholarship program is to build 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. 

 

Selection Process and Rubric

We strongly encourage all applicants to view our rubric before submitting their application. 

Applications are reviewed by a panel of committee members and evaluated based on the applicant’s commitment to shaping equitable, inclusive, and diverse spaces, as well as need. 

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 application is comprised of three parts:

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

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

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. 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.

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

 

Scholarship Amounts and Details 

Each month, we offer:

  • 1–2 scholarships worth 50% of UX Academy tuition
  • 3 scholarships worth $1,000 

Please note that scholarship amounts are calculated after all discounts, course credits, and deposits have been applied. If you have taken UX Academy Foundations and received 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 limited in number, and subject to availability. Our scholarship program is highly competitive, with only 10–15% of applicants becoming recipients per month. Even if an applicant meets scholarship criteria, a scholarship may not be awarded. 

For more information on payment plans and financing option for UX Academy, please check out this article on our Help Center. 

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

**Please note: Effective May 2023, scholarship applications are limited to a maximum of two rounds of submissions.

 

Scholarship Application Timeline

We accept applications for the Diversify Design scholarship program on a monthly basis.
Recipients can use 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 3 2025" selection, you can use your scholarship for the March, '25 April '25, and May '25 cohorts of UX Academy. 

Please note that scholarships cannot be retroactively applied to UX Academy tuition. 

 

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Application deadline: Sunday, March 9th

Decision date: Friday, March 14th

Applicable cohorts: March 2025, April 2025, May 2025

Interested in a future cohort? Check back on Monday, March 10th, for information on our next scholarship round. 

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

 

Terms and Conditions

Scholarships are limited in number, and subject to availability. Our scholarship program is highly competitive, with only 10–15% of applicants becoming recipients per month. 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. Scholarships are not combinable with other discount offers. 

All interested applicants, both US-based and international, are welcome to apply. While you do not have to be a student in order to be eligible, we encourage you to email us at "admissions@designlab.com" to learn more. 

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