General Information
Scholarship application materials are to be submitted to the TAF Scholarship Coordinator on or before March 22, 2024. Please contact the TAF scholarship coordinator with any questions. If additional time is needed to submit an applicant for a Designated scholarship, inform the TAF coordinator. The Texas Architectural Foundation’s scholarship committee will meet in April to review applicant materials.

The announced scholarships are for the upcoming academic year that begins with the fall 2024 semester. Scholarship criteria varies, so look closely at each scholarship’s criteria to verify what the enrollment requirements are. Note: all enrollment requirements refer to the student’s expected status upon enrollment in the upcoming fall semester. Eligible students are those currently enrolled in the school and who will return to same school for the fall semester.

Students must apply for TAF scholarships through their school’s architecture department. Each school provides information on available TAF scholarships to students at that university and sets their own application deadline.

Application Materials
Student portfolios and other requested proposals are to be in PDF format and submitted as separate documents. Portfolios should include the student’s name (last name first) and type of document, and the school abbreviation. Please save all portfolios in the following formats:
Johnson.Jennifer.portfolio.TTU.pdf

Designated Scholarships
Designated scholarships are those which have been designated only for the specified school. Some designated scholarships may be rotating scholarships (rotating between different universities each year).

Portfolios are not required for designated scholarships, unless otherwise stated in the criteria.
Students must complete and submit an application form.
Schools shall submit no more than two qualified students who meet the stated criteria for a designated scholarship.
The TAF scholarship review committee will vet all applicants, even those applying for designated scholarships.

Competitive Scholarships
While a majority of the competitive scholarships are open to all participating universities, a few are open to select schools only as designated by the donor. Please read the requirements for each competitive scholarship carefully, as requirements do vary among scholarships.

Portfolios are required for competitive scholarships (unless otherwise noted in the criteria) and should be submitted as a PDF. The portfolio PDF must be reduced in size.
A competitive scholarship may also request a project or program proposal and a follow up report from the selected recipient.
Students must complete and submit an application form.
The TAF selection committee will vet all applicants, even those applying for designated scholarships.

Portfolios
Portfolios should include 3-6 examples of student design projects that fully demonstrate the applicant’s skill, ability, progression, and potential. If a group project is included, the student identifies his/her portion of the work. Each portfolio must be saved in PDF format (10 mb or less is preferred/maximum 20 mb).

Applicants should format their PDF submissions for viewing on a computer screen. For optimal viewing, they should compress images to 95-105 dpi, flatten layers, and reduce file size. Do not include live links in the portfolio.

Hints for Submissions
Students should submit a separate PDF for any additional materials requested. Encourage students to use correct grammar and spelling. Remind them they are presenting themselves to practicing architects.

Submitting Materials
Each school must provide a cover letter containing a master list of all nominations. This master list will be used to clarify nominations as students may indicate a scholarship on their application form that may not match the school’s official nomination list. Students may be nominated for up to two (2) scholarships. PDF files for all application materials should be uploaded to a file-sharing program such as Box or Dropbox.

When sending materials via a file-sharing program, applicants should be arranged by folders indicating scholarship type (designated or competitive).
Official transcripts are not required, but we do rely on each school to confirm that applicants are in good academic standing or has the required GPA (if stated in the criteria).
Please do not send a generic recommendation letter for each student.
Hometown – several scholarships specify applicant must be from a specific Texas county within an AIA chapter area or within the State of Texas. Generally, hometown refers to where the student graduated from high school and where their family resides (permanent residence).