Scholarships

WRNS Studio Foundation Scholarships 2024

Accepting applications December 20, 2023 to March 15, 2024 (extended due to FAFSA delays)

  • WRNS Studio Foundation recognizes the barriers to higher education and the study of architecture. The WRNS Studio Foundation Scholarship Program was established in 2021, and makes monetary awards to full-time students in the continental United States and Hawaii. Students pursuing degrees in architecture or design at approved NAAB-accredited programs, including a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree, or a four-year pre-professional bachelor’s degree followed by a Master of Architecture degree are eligible to apply. The monetary award includes funding for costs of tuition, fees, room and board, along with an allotment for qualified educational expenses. In addition, recipients receive a personalized, one-on-one commitment by WRNS Studio staff members who provide advisory support until graduation.

    Scholarships will be awarded based on need, and may either supplement, or cover the full cost of the educational program. Transportation and parking are not eligible under this award. Students are required to apply for financial aid programs for which they are eligible.

  • WRNS Studio Foundation believes that broadening representation within the design field is integral to innovation and the successful delivery of projects that serve our communities. The WRNS Studio Foundation Advisory Program was established in 2021 to provide future Black architects and designers with a safe place for conversation and support while navigating their academic, licensure, and certification journeys. We seek to nurture and uplift students who wish to contribute to the growth and evolution of the built environment. The Foundation will match scholarship recipients with advisors based on personal and professional compatibility. Advisors will engage with recipients in a regular, one-on-one capacity until graduation. Advisors will work with advisees to establish expectations, needs, and meeting intervals: and they will coordinate specialized support from within their professional networks on the advisee’s behalf.

  • The WRNS Studio Foundation Scholarship Program is unique because it is responsive and customizable. Throughout the academic and licensure pathways, student needs vary greatly. Students who are able to work towards licensure without interruption are more likely to succeed and the earlier candidates start on this trajectory, the more likely they are to become licensed. Considering a static financial program left us concerned about a variety of well-established student pinch points that could easily derail the most talented of students. Recognizing that there is no one size fits all approach to seeking equity and transformational change, our program was designed to adapt to each student’s personalized needs.

Static Financial Awards vs Dynamic, Responsive, Customizable

REQUIREMENTS

Full-time students pursuing degrees in architecture or design at NAAB-accredited 5-year or 4+1 programs in the continental United States and Hawaii are eligible to apply. For example:

  • a high school student planning to enroll in a NAAB-accredited architecture degree program;

  • a second-year college student in a NAAB-accredited architecture degree program; or,

  • a technical school or community college student with 12+ studio credits who has completed high school or its equivalent and intends to transfer to a NAAB-accredited architecture program

NAAB-accredited degree programs may be a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree, or a 4-year pre-professional bachelor's degree followed by a Master of Architecture degree. The Foundation intends to renew scholarships annually, until graduation, for students who maintain a GPA required for program completion.

Students who identify as Black or African-American are eligible to apply. Eligibility must be confirmed by both self-certification and within letters of reference.

Auxiliary Support Advisory

Now accepting applications

The WRNS Studio Foundation Auxiliary Support Advisory Program was established in 2022 with the core purpose of invigorating the school-to-career pipeline. Auxiliary support requests can be made by students outside of the full scholarship program for support that will help mitigate the impact of career and academic pinch points. These ad hoc services will be assigned to Advisors within the available pool, based on discipline. Auxiliary support offerings may include, but are not limited to: portfolio assessment, resume review, seminar/workshop referral, licensure/test preparation or guidance, BIM or other technical training, and assistance with transfer from community college to 4-year institution.

REQUIREMENTS

The Foundation seeks to cultivate a thriving higher education program that will encourage Black students to pursue careers in architecture. Students pursuing or intending to pursue degrees in Architecture or Design at approved accredited 5-year or 4+1 programs are eligible to apply.

Students who identify as Black or African-American are eligible to apply. Eligibility must be confirmed by both self-certification and within letters of reference.