Scholarships
At Path Unbound, we are proud to provide scholarships to prospective students with demonstrated creative promise as part of our mission to nurture excellence in the design industry.
Income-Based Scholarships
Eligibility
Annual income less than $30,000 USD or equivalent (if you are unemployed, please provide your unemployment benefits documentation or equivalent)
You are enrolling in either School of Design or Portfolio School (short courses are not eligible for scholarships)
You are able to commit to our recommended program completion timeline. Students who do not finish their program within our recommended timeline will need to repay a portion of the scholarship based on the amount of time exceeded, except for approved extenuating circumstances.
Application Checklist
Please prepare the following before beginning your application. You may choose to redact any sensitive information such as social security numbers. We do not sell your data to any third party and handles student data with strict measurements of privacy. However, you may not redact or alter any financial number that is important for our scholarship review process.
If you are earning income of any kind
- Your paystubs for the past 12 months (for traditionally-employed individuals), or
- Your income transaction records for the past 12 months (for self-employed, freelance individuals). This can include bank deposit screenshots, Venmo/PayPal/Zelle or any other money transfer records.
- Your bank statements for the past 3 months
If you started earning income less than 12 months ago, please provide all months of income and tell us how many months you have been earning income.
If you are not earning any income (students without any part-time jobs or unemployed)
- Unemployment benefits approval and unemployment income for the past 6 months or all months if you have been unemployed for less than 6 months. If you have applied for unemployment and have not yet received approval, please provide a copy of your application. If you have been approved for unemployment benefits but still waiting to receive your first payment, please provide the approval letter.
- If your country does not have unemployment benefits, or you do not qualify for one, please provide proof of unemployment in the form of bank statements for the past 12 months.
- If you are a student not earning any income, please provide your latest transcript or enrollment confirmation at your current institution.
Scholarships Amount
| Annual Income | Scholarship Amount |
|---|---|
| $0 USD or equivalent | 20% off of tuition |
| $0-$10,000 USD or equivalent | 15% off of tuition |
| $10,000 - $20,000 USD or equivalent | 10% off of tuition |
| $20,000 - $30,000 USD or equivalent | 5% off of tuition |
| $30,000 USD or above | $0 (student pays full tuition) |
Scholarship Decisions
We notify students of the status of their income-based scholarship application within 5 business days of receiving the application. In the decision email, you will find the amount of scholarship you have been awarded, deadline to complete their program, terms and conditions and other relevant information to proceed with enrollment.
In the case that we receive unqualified applications, we will also notify students with an email explaining the decision.
Merit-Based Scholarships
Eligibility
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for income-based scholarships, you may apply for a merit-based scholarship and complete a creative challenge to demonstrate your aptitude for the industry. Please note that you cannot combine income-based scholarship with merit-based scholarship.
Every prospective student can apply to our merit-based scholarship. In order to qualify, you must adhere to the following:
You are able to complete our application form and complete a submission to our Creative Challenge.
This challenge is open ended and can take any creative form you wish to express yourself in. We will judge each submission for creativity and overall thoughtfulness.
Put your best foot forward and impress!
You are enrolling in either School of Design or Portfolio School.
Our scholarships are for those who are actively ready to participate and dedicate themselves to one of our courses.
You must also apply directly with us and not enroll in our courses through a third party.
You are able to commit to our recommended program completion timeline.
Students who do not finish their program within our recommended timeline will need to repay a portion of the scholarship based on the amount of time exceeded, except for approved extenuating circumstances.
Application Process
To begin your application process, please fill out the application form linked below. In the form you will find the Creative Challenge prompt.
For the Creative Challenge you are free to use any medium in any way to complete the prompt. You do not need to have any prior design knowledge to complete this challenge. Our goal is to assess the creative aptitude and overall motivations of prospective students. Write and perform a song, make a short-form video, make a visual depiction of your answer—anything goes!
Scholarships Amount
Merit-based scholarships are determined solely by your creative aptitude and expression of your motivations for studying design, as demonstrated through your submission. We will chose 3 winners per cohort, with first place receiving 30% of tuition covered, second place receiving 20% of tuition covered, and third place receiving 10% of tuition covered.
Scholarship Decisions
We begin collecting scholarship submissions 3 months from the start date of the next cohort. You can submit anytime during the three month window to be considered for the upcoming cohort.
We will announce and notify merit-based scholarship winners 14 business days before the new cohort begins. In the decision email, you will find the amount of scholarship you have been awarded, terms and conditions, and other relevant information to proceed with enrollment. We will also notify those who did not win a merit-based scholarship via email at the same time winners are announced.
Application Deadlines
Our application periods for each merit-based scholarship open 3 months prior to the beginning of the upcoming cohort, and close three weeks prior to the cohort beginning.
Fall 2023
Apply before August 18th to be considered for our Fall 2023 merit-based scholarship.
Winners will be notified on August 28th ahead of the cohort start date of September 11th.
Winter 2023
Apply beginning September 11th through November 17th to be considered for our Winter 2023 merit-based scholarship.
Winners will be notified on November 27th ahead of the cohort start date of December 11th.
Spring 2024
Apply beginning December 11th through February 16th to be considered for our Spring 2024 merit-based scholarship.
Winners will be notified on February 26th ahead of the cohort start date of March 11th.
Summer 2024
Apply beginning March 11th through May 17th to be considered for our Summer 2024 merit-based scholarship.
Winners will be notified on May 27th ahead of the cohort start date of June 10th.
FAQs
How long will I have to wait to hear back from my application?
For merit-based scholarship applications, you will hear back within 14 business days after submitting your application.
If you do not hear back within 2 weeks, please feel free to follow up with us.
What do you look for in scholarship applications?
For merit-based scholarships, you will be assessed based on the quality of your submitted creative challenge.
Can I earn additional scholarships if I produce great work during the course?
We currently do not have additional scholarships for students who are already enrolled.
Can I still apply for a scholarship if I already enrolled?
We only accept scholarship applications before enrollment at this time.
Can I still qualify for the scholarship if I am applying for deferred tuition agreement or monthly payment plan?
If you are financing your education through deferred tuition agreement, you will not qualify for a scholarship due to the risk we will take on for this type of financing.
If you plan to make monthly payments, you will be qualified to apply for scholarships.
