Financial Information

All Students
Work-Study
Work-studyÌýis need-based financial aid that allows students to earn money for college expenses by working a part-time job.
- Work-study jobs are funded by the federal and state government
- Includes on and off-campus positions
- Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply for work-study
- In order to determine eligibility for work-study, students must first submit theÌýFree Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- For more information visit theÌýStudent Employment Work-StudyÌýpage
Ìý
International Students
Please visitÌýtheÌýInternational Financial AidÌýwebsite for information.ÌýInternational students admitted to Theatre & Dance graduate programs are eligible for graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships, detailed below.
Graduate Students
Scholarships
No applications are necessary for department scholarships; recipients are chosen by the graduate faculty of each program.
- The Patricia Elliott Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student every year (approximately $3,500)
- The Theatre Endowed Graduate Student Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student every year (approximately $500-$800)
- The Charlotte York Irey Scholarship is awarded to an MFA student in their third year (approximatelyÌý$6,000)
- The Gail Pokoik Scholarship is awarded to a promising incoming student every three years (approximately $5,000)
- This scholarship is currently committed and will be available again in the 2024-2025 academic year
Fellowships
The Theatre & Dance graduate admissions committees nominateÌýapplicantsÌýfor recruiting fellowships each year.ÌýSelection isÌýbased on the admissions application. Because these fellowships are very competitive, only students with a combination of accomplishment andÌýhighÌýgrade point average are selected.
- Sponsored by the Graduate School, the Chancellor’s Fellowship recognizes the most outstanding incoming graduate students across campus. Theatre nominates one top PhDÌýapplicant for this prestigious award.ÌýChancellor's FellowsÌýreceive:
- Years 1-4: aÌýPhD graduate teaching assistantship from the Theatre Program (covers tuition, $26,000 salary stipend and insurance stipend - see below for full description)
- Year 1: an additional $30,000 stipend from the Graduate School
- Year 5: theÌýGraduate School will provide a $36,000 stipend plus tuition, fees, and full insurance coverage
- Success rate: in the past 5 years the Theatre Program has received one Chancellor's Fellowship
- Dance nominates one top MFA applicant for theÌýCenter for Humanities and the Arts-sponsoredÌýCHA Arts & Sciences Fellowship
- Covers all tuition, fees, and insurance plus a stipend of $26,000 for the first year of study
- Success rate: in the past 5 years the Dance Program has received three CHA Arts & Sciences Fellowships
GraduateÌýAssistantships
Graduate assistantships in teaching, administration andÌýproductionÌýare the mainÌýform of departmental support for graduate students. We do our best to offer our students a variety of teaching and professional experiences. Our budget is prioritized for teaching assistantships, butÌýother assistantships are awarded in theÌýinstances when the instructional needs of the department have been met.ÌýAll applicants are encouraged to submit aÌýCurriculum Vitae/Resume which shows theirÌýadministration and/or production experience.
Each graduate program offers different levels of support.Ìý
The Graduate Program in Dance can currently provide partial support with graduate assistantships. In an effort to move towards full funding for all MFA graduate students we are reducing our cohort size to 2 or 3 students.
The majority of our graduate assistantships are teaching appointments in the undergraduate non-majors dance program. However there may also be research, production and administrative assistantships available.
The workload for assistantships is 10 hours/week. Recipients may expectÌýthe following compensation package:
- A $6,800 salary each semester
- Salary isÌýpaid by direct deposit on the last working day of each month from August through May
- A tuition waiver of 5 credits per semester
- Tuition waivers appear as credits on the student bill
- Student fees are waived.
- For further information please visitÌýGraduate Student Appointment Information
- A stipend that covers approximately 90% of the cost of the University’s CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan
For more information onÌýassistantships and application instructions, please seeÌýtheÌýGraduate Student AssistantshipsÌýand Teaching Application.
Graduate assistantships in the Department of Theatre & Dance are generally reserved for PhD students. When our budget permits, however, MA and MA/MBA students are eligible for partial support in the form of graduate assistantships in teaching (teaching assistant), administration, production or research. It is our hope that everyÌýMA andÌýMA/MBA student will have at least one semesterÌýof support by the time they graduate.Ìý
MA graduate assistantships receive the following compensation package the semester of their assistantshipÌýfor an 8 hour/week appointment:
- A salary of $4,700 per semester
- Salary isÌýpaid by direct deposit on the last working day of each month from August through May
- A tuition waiver of 4ÌýcreditÌýhours
- Tuition waivers appear as credits on the student bill
- Student fees are waived
- For further information please visitÌýGraduate Student Appointment Information
- A stipend that covers approximately 90% of the cost of the University’s CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan
When our budget permits us to fund MA graduate assistantships, we invite allÌýinterested Theatre & Performance Studies MA students to apply. Calls for applications usually occur in August or December, before the beginning of each semester.
MA/MBA: Because of the conflict with MBA coursework, most MA/MBA students do not hold assistantships during the year in which they take classes solely in the Leeds School of Business. This is usually year two of the three-year MA/MBA program.
Admitted PhD students receive teaching assistantships that consist of responsibility for two undergraduate classes each semester. This involves syllabus creation, lesson planning, class presentation, taking attendance, grading, and providing office hours. TheÌýworkload is scehduled forÌý20 hours/week.Ìý
PhD students will teach two classes per semester for their four years in the program and will enter the job market with extensive teaching experience. Our goal is to offer a variety of teaching experiences, fromÌýActing 1 (small class) to American Musical Theatre History (large lecture with TA). In return, PhD students receive the following compensation package:
- A salary of $27,000 paid by direct deposit on the last working day of each month from August through May
- A full tuition waiver
- A stipend that covers approximately 90% of the cost of the University’s Gold Comprehensive Insurance Plan
- Student fees are waived
PhD students are responsible for the following costs:
- The balance of the cost of health insurance (approximately $400/year)
Support is available for each of the four years of the PhD degree program, as long as students maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of the degree, remain full-time enrolled (5 credit hours/semester) and earn satisfactory instructional reviews.
No application is necessary to be considered for assistantships. Students are notified at the time of admission if they have been awarded anÌýassistantship and areÌýasked to accept or decline admission by the April 15 deadline.
Student Hourly Employment Within the Department
The Department of Theatre & Dance employs many students in production:
- House management
- Scene shop and set construction
- Lighting installations
- Costume shop
The compensationÌýfor these positions is $15/hour. Because they focus around productions, these jobs may not provide consistent employment.