GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Today’s students become the global leaders of tomorrow, helping to solve the world’s most pressing issues. Financial challenges should not be a barrier to education. Scholarship support—regardless of the amount—changes lives and enables the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS) to attract a talented and diverse student body.

At CCAS, students can explore and pursue academic interests across a broad spectrum of fields including the arts, politics, policy, natural science, social science, quantitative analysis, and the humanities. Our liberal arts education encourages innovation, imagination, and learning that is grounded in fairness, reason, and reflection. We guide our students to think, to ask questions, and to use their knowledge in meaningful ways.

CCAS student aid ensures that qualified students, regardless of financial resources, can take full advantage of a GW education. Donor support helps CCAS meet a higher proportion of financial need and makes a GW education accessible to a more diverse group of qualified students. Philanthropy from our community can also maximize experiential learning, career development, and student well-being.

“It is extremely important and validating as an emerging artist to feel supported not only by this scholarship but also by the faculty who have guided me over the years. My passions are meaningful to me, and so the investment in them and my education has shaped me into the artist I am today and hope to become.” Hannah Sturgis, Corcoran ’21 

Priorities

CCAS Student Aid

GW has significantly increased the amount of financial aid offered to undergraduate and graduate students to more than $297 million this academic year. Approximately 70 percent of undergraduates receive financial assistance from the university. With your support, we will meet a higher proportion of financial need and make a GW education accessible to a more diverse group of qualified students. 

Corcoran School of the Arts and Design 

Gifts to the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design help support students, faculty, exhibitions, scholarships, fellowships, and academic enrichment activities, including guest speakers, visiting artists, and symposia. Each gift makes a positive impact on our educational mission and furthers our standing as one of the nation’s preeminent arts schools at one of the world’s most respected universities.

Newcomer Scholarship for Social Equity

For more than 35 years, Dr. Kathryn Newcomer was the linchpin of public affairs education, research, and public service at GW. This scholarship will be awarded to a student who embodies Dr. Newcomer’s and the school’s values and dedication to equity and public service and/or to recruiting and retaining students from diverse, historically underrepresented populations. 

School of Media & Public Affairs (SMPA) Scholarship Fund

Gifts to this fund support SMPA students through merit and need-based aid. Support for student scholarships ensures that qualified students, regardless of financial resources, can take full advantage of a GW education.  

Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute

The Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute’s work focuses on four intersecting priority areas that impact the advancement of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States: higher education, access, economic equity, and well-being. Each gift makes a positive impact on the lives of students and goes to support the Hispanic community on and off-campus in the form of scholarships, paid internships, summer programs, executive coaching, and more.

Planet Forward Fund

Planet Forward’s mission is to teach and empower the next generation of sustainability storytellers to inform, inspire, and generate positive social and environmental impact. Students produce stories for PlanetForward.org, attend the annual Planet Forward Summit in Washington, D.C., and experience life-changing expeditions. Financial support provides travel stipends for students to get on-the-ground experience to create compelling narratives that prompt change.