Shillington scholarships.

Supporting diversity in design.

Opening 6 October 2025.

GBP £4,975

Other Currencies

Shillington Scholarships add to our evolving efforts to support and strengthen equity by cultivating diverse and inclusive representation in the design industry—within our studios and beyond.

The program is a half scholarship open to budding graphic designers from underrepresented backgrounds. This may include, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes.

Successful applicants receive a 50% reduction on course fees on the Shillington Graphic Design course.

Success
Stories

Sam Fraser

"Separate from the practical skills I’ve learnt, the course prepared me for the industry by improving my confidence as a designer through working in an empowering learning environment with super supportive teachers and creative people."

Url Grant

"As a Black, queer, non-binary designer, Diversity in Design means representation. I should not be selected for a project with the intent to create diversity. I should be one of multiple different identities that make up a team."

Georgina Charles

"Before finding out I won the scholarship—I had already made my peace with being passed over, but when they said that they all loved my janky little comic I nearly cried. Things like this don’t happen to me."

Val Miranda

"Accessibility to design education is crucial as it provides equal opportunities to acquire the skills needed to create impactful designs. It helps give a voice to underrepresented communities in the design industry, bringing in new perspectives, leading to better design outcomes and a more inclusive society."

Dyonna Potter

"Stop overthinking and don’t put a price on your future!!! Just apply and the rest will sort itself out after, IF it’s meant to be! If you are ready to put your creative skills to use in a practical career, apply! You can learn ANY skill these days on YouTube but the one-on-one mentoring and critique you’ll get, the classroom camaraderie, the experience of being pushed to your creative limits, etc. is priceless."

Uzma Padia

"Shillington has a studio atmosphere close to how a design agency would operate and the valuable knowledge I gained has helped prepare me for life as a designer."

Jia-Yi Liu

"Design has been such a mystery to me even though I worked next door to the industry as an illustrator, and Shillington has given me the tools to understand it. I would also say to be prepared to care about font serifs. Don’t say graphic design isn’t wild."

Arnold Omanyo

"The scholarship was God’s/the universe’s way of saying 'this is the direction you should be heading'. Not only that but it was an opportunity to prove to myself, my friends and family, and to Shillington that this is what I was born to do!"

Mason El Hage

"The reason I decided to study at Shillington was in an effort to curb these bad habits and instill a reliable creative process—something I was sorely lacking—that I could use to tackle any design challenge with full confidence."

Ella Caseley

"As someone who has always wanted to study design but never getting the opportunity, winning the scholarship was such an honour. I was unhappy in my current job and was determined to do something I loved and with a lot of hard work, it finally happened."

Cindy Cheng

"Take your time to really reflect on the questions before fleshing out your answers or diving into the brief and do this first and foremost for yourself. Crystallizing your ‘reasons why’ will help fuel your creative submission and it will also help to communicate your one-of-a-kind point of view. Most importantly, treat the creative submission as an opportunity to go on an adventure and learn something new."

Darsh Seneviratne

"So originally I was going to make a board game called Cluedarsh where you race to the end of the map by correctly answering questions about my life and design interests. I scrapped that idea because I only had one weekend to make it and instead decided to shoot a short video about who I am, what I do, and why I wanted to study at Shillington."

Molly Webster

"Scholarship or not, it’s a big financial investment, so I reached out to lots of Shillumni who had a background in creative studies to gain some perspective. Along with all the great feedback, the main thing that drew me to the course was how high the standard of the work produced was just from 3 months."

Niamh Tulley

"Winning was literally the best feeling (I don’t think I have ever really won anything in my life). Also, at the point of applying, I had felt really trapped and lost in the situation I was in so it was a massive relief and I was so proud of myself. I think I read the congratulations email about 10 times before I told anyone."

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Why?

As design educators, we have a unique opportunity to shape and foster a more inclusive and diverse creative industry. Our scholarship program is a step towards creating more opportunities for underrepresented groups to enter and excel in the creative field.

We believe that a curriculum that reflects diverse perspectives and voices is crucial in creating an inclusive environment where every student feels valued and welcomed and promotes collaboration, innovation and creativity.

Our goal is to inspire our graduates with these values and to become leaders in championing a more diverse and inclusive industry.

Application Process

1) Scholarships open on Monday 6 October 2025.

2) Simply apply before the deadline of EOD Monday 20 October 2025. You can find the questions we ask in the FAQs below so you can prepare.

View the terms and conditions for Shillington Scholarships here.

3) Applications are reviewed by Shillington Ambassadors, including several previous scholarship students.

4) Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 24 October with details on how to enrol.

5) Scholarship students must enrol by Friday 7 November 2025.

FAQs

Need a helping hand? Speak to a member of the team.

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