VCU Undergraduate Scholarships

All outstanding first-year applicants are automatically considered for the University’s Presidential, Provost, and Deans’ scholarships if they apply for the fall semester by November 1. Recipients are selected based on academic merit, but leadership, community service and artistic talent also may be considered. Additional scholarships are available to students who apply by January 15.

VCUarts Talent Scholarships

First-year students are automatically considered for VCUarts talent scholarships, which range from $5,000 to $12,000 per year and are renewable for up to four years. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on academic merit and artistic talent.

Scholarship Opportunities

The VCUarts scholarship application will reopen in late November for the 25/26 academic year.

Our scholarship awards are established by alumni, individuals and organizations, and recognize factors such as specific majors, financial need, academic achievement, creative excellence and leadership. These scholarships are a form of financial aid that does not need to be repaid.

The RAMS Scholarship HUB lists scholarships available for currently enrolled VCUarts students. The entire scholarship listing can be searched by keyword, or students can login and complete the general application which will generate a list of ‘Recommended Opportunities’ to consider that match GPA, major, etc. Watch this VIDEO for instructions on how to submit your application.

Any currently enrolled VCUarts student can apply.  We accept applications beginning late in the fall and in to early spring for the next academic year.  Be sure to check with your department regarding application open/close dates.

Please direct your inquiries to artsscholar@vcu.edu

1. Sign in to the portal
Visit the RAMS Scholarship HUB and login with your eID and password.  The ‘My Applications’ tab shows a listing of applications you are in the process of submitting or have already submitted.  From here, select ‘General Application’ to begin.

2. Complete the general application
Complete the general application from the ‘My Applications’ tab. If you are unable to complete your application at one time, make sure you save it so you can resume your application later.

If you need more time to gather information, click ‘Save and Keep Editing.’

To submit, click “Finish and Submit.”

The general application is linked to data from your official university record including your major(s), minor and GPA. Once submitted, the system will match you to scholarships for which you are eligible based on required major, GPA, number of completed courses, transfer student status, etc. Once submitted, you are able to update your application at any time before the submission deadline by choosing “Update Your Application” on the bottom right of the page.

A new general application must be completed for each scholarship application cycle.

3. Complete the conditional application
Once you have completed the general application, you must complete the ‘School of the Arts Application’.You can review imported applicant information by clicking the gray ‘Applicant Record.’ If you see an error on this page, contact VCU Records and Registration or your home department to have a correction made. The scholarship site refreshes imported applicant information nightly so if you have made a recent change to your major or had a grade updated, it may take up to 24 hours to appear.If your applicant information is blank or you are not routed to the ‘School of the Arts Application,’ contact artsscholar@vcu.edu for additional assistance.  NOTE: You can only access the School of the Arts Application if you are a CURRENT student.

4. Review your list of recommended opportunities
The ‘Opportunities’ tab displays scholarships for which you are eligible based on the answers you provide on the general & school of the arts applications and your imported University data. Review individual scholarship opportunities for respective criteria and deadlines and click ‘Apply’ to begin each application. There is no limit to how many scholarships you can apply to or receive.

5. Finish and submit
Click ‘Finish and Submit’ when each individual scholarship application is complete and ready for submission. You can log back in at any time during the application period to make changes to your application up until the deadline for submission.

Award and decline notifications are sent to all applicants via their VCU student email account typically 6-8 weeks after an application deadline has passed. Successful applicants receiving award notifications will be sent instructions and formal acceptance procedures via email. Award amounts are subject to the availability of funds, which may vary annually. Details on award disbursement are shared with recipients at the time of notification. Most scholarship funds are disbursed to your student account and credited to your tuition bill.

Award recipients must formally accept their scholarship offer and complete a questionnaire that acts as a ‘thank you’ to the donor of their scholarship. Additional expectations include that recipients must continue enrollment in the School of the Arts during the academic period for which the award is made available, maintain the academic performance set forth in the scholarship guidelines, attend recognition events when invited and participate in other stewardship activities when asked. Failure to meet expectations can affect award status.

Applications are currently closed

Scholarship FAQs

Scholarships are available to students from a variety of offices and units on campus. See the following links for additional details and deadlines. Also consider visiting VCU Student Financial Services for additional information on resources to make college affordable.

There are also external scholarships offered by organizations not affiliated with VCU or VCUarts.  This is not a comprehensive list but rather a few examples of opportunities that may be applicable to current undergraduate or graduate students.

Applications for donor-funded scholarships in the School of the Arts open in November and close in early February for the upcoming academic year. Application deadlines are noted for each advertised opportunity. Award notifications to successful applicants are sent by April.

Awards will be delivered via VCU Student Financial Services. As with all financial aid, scholarships are subject to federal and state rules. Receiving a scholarship could affect your financial aid package. If you have questions, please contact your adviser in VCU Student Financial Management Center and reference your award specifically.

While this is not needed for the Arts Conditional application, students can obtain a copy of their unofficial transcript by visiting eServices and selecting the ‘Student’ tab, the ‘Student Records’ option and ‘Academic Transcript’ option. To save a copy of your unofficial transcript, use a screen shot/capture or copy and paste into a PDF for upload.

VCU Career Services a great campus resource to build and help with edits to your résumé—use their online resources or visit them in person in the Student Commons to learn more. You might also consider asking an adviser, professor or mentor to look at a draft of your résumé.

To see a complete list of scholarship opportunities, visit the RAMS Scholarship HUB. You can search by keyword (‘design’ or ‘internship,’ for example) to narrow your search or students can login and complete the general application which will generate a list of ‘Recommended Opportunities’ to consider that match their GPA, major, etc. Application deadlines are noted for each advertised opportunity.

Once a student completes a general application in the RAMS Scholarship HUB, the application syncs with student information (major, GPA, etc.) recorded in Banner. To view how that information is recorded with your application, login to the RAMS Scholarship HUB and open your general application. At the lower left click on the gray button that reads ‘Applicant Record.’ If you see an error on this page, contact the Records and Registration office or your home department to have a correction made. The scholarship site refreshes this information nightly so if you have made a recent change to your major or had a grade updated, it may take up to 24 hours to appear.

If your applicant information is blank, contact artsscholar@vcu.edu for additional assistance.

Occasionally a recommended opportunity requires a reference. When you are prompted to enter the name and email address of your reference, the site will automatically email your professor with the request and share instructions with them on how to upload their letter. We recommend you also make this request with them in person or via email before submitting their name. You can check the status and date of their submission by logging back in to the site and visiting the ‘References’ tab, though you will not be able to view the contents of the reference.

The References tab allows the applicant to see the status of a reference. Applicants can send reminders to references by clicking the yellow ‘Resend Request’ button. Before sending a reminder, check to make sure the email address listed is correct. If it isn’t, select ‘Add a New Reference’ under the question and send the request to the correct email. You might also consider asking a new person to serve as a reference and send them a request. A new request can be sent by returning to the original request and clicking ‘Add a New Reference.’

Generally speaking, scholarships are available to currently enrolled continuing students. If you are submitting an application in spring and you will continue your courses in the fall semester, you are eligible. The School of the Arts does not currently offer scholarships in the RAMS Scholarship HUB to prospective or newly admitted students prior to their first semester.

Congratulations on receiving an award! Scholarships are disbursed to your student account and credited to your tuition bill. For other questions about award processing, contact artsscholar@vcu.edu.

The scholarships offered through the RAMS Scholarship HUB are for students who are currently enrolled in classes at VCUarts. In early August of your first semester, you can visit the RAMS Scholarship HUB and see what scholarships would be available to you by completing the general application and browsing a list of recommended opportunities.