Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowships
Scholarship Sponsored by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Fellowship period and category selection
The 2027–28 Fellowship runs from May 2027 through May 2028. Applicants must select the category that matches their student status during the Fellowship period, not their status at the time of application. Art History is only eligible as a discipline within the Graduate category. Review your enrollment plans for the Fellowship year before choosing a category to ensure proper eligibility.
Fellowship period: May 2027 through May 2028.
- Choose category based on status during the Fellowship period, not application date.
- Art History is eligible only in the Graduate category.
- The Fellowship spans a full 12-month period: May to May.
Professional (Individual)
The Professional Individual Fellowship is intended for practicing artists who will not be enrolled in a full-time, degree-seeking program during the May 2027–May 2028 Fellowship year. Eligibility requires sustained Virginia residency and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, with specific residency duration requirements. Professional applicants who graduate in May 2027 but do not plan to enroll full-time afterward must apply in this category.
Award Value: $8,000.
Description: Open to artists who will not be full-time degree-seeking students during the Fellowship period. Applicants must meet Virginia residency and U.S. citizenship/permanent residency requirements and provide verification upon request.
- $8,000 award for an individual professional artist.
- Applicants cannot be full-time degree-seeking students during May 2027–May 2028.
- Residency and citizenship/permanent residency requirements apply.
Professional (Collaborative)
The Professional Collaborative Fellowship supports ongoing artistic collaborations among professional artists. Collaborating applicants apply individually but indicate the group members; only the first applicant in the group submits the shared work samples. Winners split a single $8,000 fellowship among the collaborating artists.
Award Value: One $8,000 fellowship to be divided among collaborators.
Description: Each collaborator must submit an application and list other group members. Only the first applicant from a collaborative group submits the group’s work samples; collaborators must demonstrate an established history of collaboration.
- One $8,000 award divided among collaborating artists.
- Each collaborator files an individual application; the first applicant submits work samples.
- Collaboration must be demonstrable and ongoing.
Graduate (Individual only)
The Graduate Fellowship is reserved for artists enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking graduate program for the entire Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 semesters. Applicants must attend an accredited institution and satisfy Virginia residency and U.S. citizenship/permanent residency requirements as specified for student applicants. Graduates who finish in May 2027 but do not enroll full-time afterward must apply as Professionals.
Award Value: $6,000.
Eligibility: Full-time enrollment in a graduate degree program for Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts. Art History is eligible only within this Graduate category.
- $6,000 award for individual graduate students.
- Full-time graduate enrollment required for Fall 2027 and Spring 2028.
- Art History is included only in this category.
Undergraduate (Individual only)
The Undergraduate Fellowship supports full-time undergraduate students enrolled in degree-seeking programs for the Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 semesters. High school seniors graduating in May/June 2027 who will be enrolled full-time for Fall 2027/Spring 2028 are eligible to apply in this category. Applicants who graduate in May 2027 and do not plan full-time enrollment afterward must apply as Professionals.
Award Value: $4,000.
Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate enrollment for the entire Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 academic year at an accredited institution; incoming first-year students (high school seniors) who will be enrolled full-time are eligible.
- $4,000 award for individual undergraduate students.
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment required for Fall 2027 and Spring 2028.
- Qualified high school seniors entering full-time undergraduate programs may apply.
Eligibility
Eligibility requirements vary by category and cover U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, Virginia residency duration, and enrollment status during the Fellowship year. Professional applicants face a longer continuous Virginia residency requirement than student applicants and must not be full-time students during the Fellowship period. All applicants must be prepared to provide residency verification when requested.
Professional Artists:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a legal resident of Virginia for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
- Must remain a legal Virginia resident for the Fellowship period (May 2027–May 2028); legal residency may be demonstrated by a Virginia driver’s license, Virginia income tax filings, and/or voter registration.
- Cannot be a full-time degree-seeking student during the Fellowship period.
Artists who are not eligible for the Professional category:
- Recipients of a VMFA Professional Fellowship in the last five cycles (2026–27 through 2022–23).
- Recipients of three or more Fellowships.
- Full-time VMFA employees.
- Undergraduate and Graduate students who will be enrolled full-time during Fall 2027/Spring 2028.
Students (Graduate and Undergraduate):
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a legal resident of Virginia for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
- Must remain a legal Virginia resident for the Fellowship period; legal residency may be demonstrated by a Virginia driver’s license, Virginia income tax filings, and/or voter registration.
- Students paying in-state tuition to an accredited Virginia institution qualify as legal residents; those who do not qualify for in-state tuition must establish Virginia residency before applying.
- Must be planning full-time enrollment for the entire Fall 2027/Spring 2028 academic year at an accredited institution.
Artists who are not eligible for student categories:
- Recipients of three or more Fellowships.
- Full-time VMFA employees.
- Undergraduate and graduate students who will not be enrolled full-time during Fall 2027/Spring 2028.
- Residency requirements differ: 24 months for Professionals, 12 months for Students prior to the application deadline.
- All applicants must remain Virginia legal residents for the Fellowship period and be able to verify residency.
- Certain prior Fellowship recipients and VMFA staff are ineligible per category-specific rules.