Work-Study Scholarhships
Work-study scholarships help make Penland available to a wider range of students. Work-study students receive room, board, and discounted tuition. We do not have scholarships for fall and spring one-week workshops.
Full work-study students work approximately 18 hours per week on a variety of tasks—principally in food service and dishwashing. (No full work-study in glass.) Partial work-study students work approximately 10 hours per week. Most work-study jobs are labor intensive. If you have physical limitations and you are selected for work-study, please let us know before you get here what kinds of work you can do, and we’ll do our best to make an appropriate work assignment. In addition to regular duties, work-study students are required to work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the day before and the day after their session. If you cannot meet this requirement, do not apply.
In addition to regular duties, work-study students are required to work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the day before and the day after their session. If you cannot meet this requirement, do not apply.
Scholarship applicants must submit two letters of reference that address their work ethic and commitment to learning, a résumé, a $50 application fee, and a letter of interest and need. The letter should be no longer than two pages and should address the following:
Financial need: why attending Penland would be a financial hardship for you.
Seriousness of intent: your background and experience in craft, if any (prior experience in craft is not a requirement), and the individual artistic goals that you hope to pursue in each of the workshops for which you are applying.
Work ethic: work-study students have an experience that is different from that of regular students, yet equally valuable. Do you feel you will benefit from balancing studio work with working for the school?
Please do not apply for work-study if you are applying as a full-paying student. If you are not selected for work-study, you will have the opportunity to re-apply as a full-paying student (some workshops may be full at that time).Scholarship applications must be made online, using Slideroom, by midnight on August 1, 2016, for fall or November 28, 2016, for spring and must include your letters of reference. After the deadline, applicants will be considered only in the event of cancellations. Work-study students will be notified by August 18 for fall and December 15 for spring, and once accepted will be asked to pay their invoiced balance. Apply at:
Special Work-Study Scholarships
Work-Study Merit Scholarship Awards
These awards provide $2000 toward the work-study scholarship fees for students with financial need and exceptional talent. There are five scholarships for fall and five scholarships for spring.
Samuel A. Almon Scholarship
Established in honor of Samuel Almon, who was a friend of the school, this fund provides a fully-funded work-study scholarship covering room, board, and tuition for a textiles Concentration. This scholarship requires the student to contribute a piece made during the session to the scholarship auction.
Christy Wright Scholarship for Glass Art
Established by the family and friends of Christy Wright, this fund provides a fully-funded work-study scholarship covering room, board, and tuition for a glass Concentration for a student making a career transition into glass.
Texas Star Scholarship
Funded anonymously, this scholarship supports the experience of a Concentration work-study student in clay. The award provides $2,950 toward the work-study scholarship fee for a student with financial need who is ready to engage fully in concentrated, creative exploration.
Along with other scholarship materials, applicants for Merit Work-Study, Almon, Wright, and Texas Star scholarships should submit five images of their work and a letter explaining their qualifications. The deadline for the Almon, Wright, and Texas Star scholarships is August 1, 2016 whether you are applying for fall or spring. If you are selected for the Almon or Wright scholarship, you will be asked to make a $475 deposit that will be returned when your work commitment is fullfilled.
Development Work-Study
There is one work-study position in the fall and one in the spring in the development office. For the specific skill requirements for this position, please see the following page:
Information about the development work-study
Glass Studio Work-Study
There is one work-study position in the fall and one in the spring for a glass student who will work 30 hours per week in the glass studio. Your application should include five images of your work. For more details, contact the glass studio coordinator at 828-765-2359, ext. 1322.
Movement Work-Study
There is one work-study position in the fall and one in the spring for a student who will teach movement classes. Your application and résumé should address your qualifications to teach movement.
Studio Assistantships
For information about fall studio assistantships, click here:
International students note: because the U.S. government considers our work-study scholarship and studio assistantship programs to be work for hire, students who are not U.S. citizens may not receive work-study scholarships or studio assistantships unless they have a work permit.
For more information click here.
