The Visitor Studies Association offers three scholarships for financial aid to attend our in-person conferences, which occur every other year. In virtual conference years, financial aid is offered to a limited number of attendees via a request form.
2026 VSA Scholarship Applications are open! Due date: March 2nd
We offer three distinct scholarships, with one awardee each for in-person conferences:
Please note: You are limited to one scholarship application per conference. Applicants that submit to multiple scholarship types will be disqualified. Please choose the scholarship that best fits your experience!
Student of Promise Scholarship
Supports a student or recent graduate (as of July 2024) of any college level, including Undergraduate, Master’s, or Doctoral, interested in learning more about visitor studies and connecting with the VSA community by attending the in-person conference for the first time.
Learn more about the Student of Promise Scholarship and apply here!
Institutional Capacity-Building Scholarship
Supports a “department of one” or sole evaluator within a small or under-resourced informal learning institution to attend the in-person conference. You do not need to have “evaluator” in your title - you just need to be doing the work (or trying to start with institutional support). You could be a newcomer to VSA, or someone who has attended previously but is now in a role where you have fewer resources to do this work.
Learn more about the Capacity-Building Scholarship and apply here!
New Voices Scholarship
Supports an attendee with an underrepresented background or lived experience, or a unique pathway into the museum or visitor studies sector. We especially encourage candidates in areas of study beyond museums and evaluation, those with diverse cultural or ethnic backgrounds and experiences, and other identities that have historically been minimized or excluded from the museum and/or visitor studies fields.