LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship

Submission Period:

April 9 – May 21, 2025

The LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship addresses the historic lack of diversity in the design professions by providing financial and mentorship support to students from under-recognized or marginalized backgrounds. Applications are open to high school seniors in Texas and California who have been accepted into an accredited four- or five-year college or university and intend to pursue a career in architecture, engineering or a related field.

Students Receive:

  • $5,000, renewable annually
  • Mentorship from an LPA design professional in their area of study
  • Priority consideration for paid internships in an LPA studio
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Eligibility:

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Be a high school senior in states California or Texas
  • Have been accepted in a full-time undergraduate study at an accredited NAAB, LAAB, ABET, CIDA, NASAD, four-or five-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year.
  • Pursuing a degree in one of the following majors associated with the building and design industry: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture/Design, Architectural Engineering, Structural Engineering, Building Science, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related degree.
  • Be a student who has overcome significant challenges in their academic pursuit and/or belong to a group historically underrecognized or marginalized within the building and design industry.
  • Be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Details:

The LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship was established in 2020 by LPA for Change, our social impact initiative, to address the persistent lack of diversity in the design professions. To date, the program has distributed $220,000 to support 18 students in their pursuit of a degree in architecture, engineering or a related field.

Mentorship is critical to the program’s goal of creating a more equitable career pipeline. Each student is paired with a mentor who is a professional in their area of study. Since many recipients are the first in their family to attend college, the guidance and connections they receive are critical to their academic and early career success.

Internships are a signature part of becoming an accredited design professional. Scholarship recipients are given the opportunity to work as full-time, paid interns in LPA studios during their summers off from school. As LPA interns, the students work as part of an integrated design team and receive an education in sustainable design that goes far beyond university coursework.

The program is independently administered by Scholarship America, who ensures fairness in the selection process by using a team of trained evaluators to review applications based on pre-established criteria, verify all information, and uphold strict standards to avoid discrimination. This process aims to select the most deserving candidates based solely on merit and need as outlined in the scholarship criteria.

Meet Our Scholarship Recipients:

2024

2023

2022

2021