Scholarships

Internal scholarships

CIA offers extensive merit recognition to students at all levels. New students are considered automatically when they're accepted. 

CIA merit scholarships

CIA’s Office of Admissions offers first-time freshmen and transfer students an opportunity to compete to renewable merit awards based on the strength of their portfolio and academic achievements.

First-year and transfer students are automatically considered for CIA merit scholarships when they are accepted for admission to CIA. New students who do not receive a merit scholarship can be considered for a need-based CIA grant by submitting the FAFSA.

CIA Say Yes! Cleveland Scholarship

The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) is a proud partner with the Say Yes to Education Chapter Alliance Higher Education Compact (Say Yes! Cleveland). Say Yes! Cleveland’s purpose is to make postsecondary education accessible, affordable and attainable for graduates of public high schools. CIA along with Say Yes! Cleveland are committed to easing financial obstacles to quality postsecondary education for students from underrepresented and low-income families. 

CIA has committed to offering three (3) Say Yes! Cleveland scholarships in the form of grant aid that is equivalent to the cost of full tuition and mandatory fees for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

To be considered for CIA’s Say Yes! Cleveland scholarship: 

• Complete a Say Yes! Cleveland application. The application typically opens in October. Indicate CIA as your choice of colleges to attend and Say Yes! will confirm your eligibility. CIA must receive your Say Yes! Cleveland approval by March 1
• Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Add CIA to your list of colleges to receive your FAFSA information.  Our school code is 003982.
• Apply to the Cleveland Institute of Art by March 1. This includes submitting all required documentation – transcripts, portfolio etc.

Say Yes! Cleveland will forward their list of eligible candidates who indicated CIA as their college choice. CIA Admissions will select the three recipients and you will be notified by the Financial Aid office with your financial aid package. 

Full information about the Say Yes! Cleveland scholarship can be found in their Scholarship Guidebook and Say Yes! Cleveland FAQ page.

Students not selected for the CIA Say Yes! scholarship will have eligibility for other aid. 

Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information about your CIA financial aid: financialaid@cia.edu or 216.421.7425

External scholarships

External scholarships are a great way to supplement any CIA-based aid you receive. To be considered for external scholarship support, contact funding organizations and follow their application procedures.

Some external scholarship sources are listed below. 

American Indian College Fund
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship
Cleveland Foundation
College Board
College Now Greater Cleveland
CollegeScholarships.com
FastWeb
GoCollege.com
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Point Foundation - The National LGBTQ Scholarship Fund
Sallie Mae's Scholarship Search
Scholarships on Chegg
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Scholly
Student Scholarships
United Negro Fund