Financial Assistance and Scholarships
The Design Lab will consider requests for financial assistance scholarships based on demonstrated need, student motivation and creative and academic merit.
Design Camp applicants will be able to register for financial assistance scholarships within our online Design Camp application, which will go live on January 29, 2025. The deadline to register for financial assistance is March 14, 2025.
Apply for Financial Assistance
Those requesting a financial assistance scholarship are required to submit these items no later than March 14, 2025:
- A statement of need from the parent/guardian, explaining the circumstances surrounding the student’s financial need (to be submitted within the Design Camp registration system, on the ‘Financial Assistance’ form)
- A statement of interest from the student, demonstrating their motivations for attending camp, and what they hope to gain from the experience (to be submitted within the Design Camp registration system, on the ‘Student Information’ form)
- A letter of recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, community member, or mentor (non-family members) attesting to the applicant’s creative potential and academic achievement and integrity (to be emailed from the recommender’s school or work email address to designlab_k12@ncsu.edu with the subject line reading “FA Recommendation for [Student’s First and Last Name]”).
Scholarship funds are provided by the Marvin and Cindy Malecha Dream Scholarship Fund and the Design Lab for K–12 Education Foundation Fund.
Deposit
All financial assistance/scholarship applicants are required to pay the $100 deposit. You will be instructed to submit your deposit upon registering to Design Camp. Financial Assistance applicants who cancel their registration by April 25, 2025 will receive a full refund, including the $100 deposit.
Application Deadline for Financial Assistance: March 14, 2025!
All financial assistance/scholarship applications and materials must be submitted by March 14, 2025. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Design Camp is funded solely by program fees, so the Design Lab has a limited amount of financial assistance and scholarship fee waivers to allocate each year. Therefore, we are not able to accommodate requests submitted after the deadline.
Financial Assistance Awards
Financial assistance scholarship awards come in the form of fee waivers, covering a portion of the applicant’s Design Camp fees. All financial assistance applicants will be required to pay the $100 deposit upon registering for camp, and all financial assistance recipients will be required to pay the remaining balance by April 25, 2025. If you will be in need of more than partial tuition fee support, we strongly encourage you to seek out additional scholarships that support students attending pre-college programs. Please keep in mind that we do not provide financial assistance to cover travel or day camp lodging.
Financial assistance/scholarship notifications will be sent out in early April. The remainder of the tuition fee owed must be paid by April 25, 2025. If payment needs to be made by check or money order, please contact the Design Lab at designlab_k12@ncsu.edu for details.
Special Thanks to Our Donors
Without the generosity of its donors, it would not be possible for the Design Lab to offer financial assistance and scholarships to so many aspiring design students in need each year. If you are interested in making a donation to help send a student in need to Design Camp, please visit our Support page.
Additional Resources
- Design Lab/K-12 Programs
- Digital Design Lab
- Design Camp
- Field Trips
- Teacher Professional Development
- Weekend Workshops
- Contact Us
- Sign up for our Newsletter
- Support the Design Lab for K-12 Education
- Current Employment Opportunities at the Design Lab
- Reach Out Initiative & Design Connections Residential Experience