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Financial Aid

Cost of attendance

You can find information about the cost of attending the University of Kansas at http://www.financialaid.ku.edu/publications/07ay/07AYcoa.shtml.

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Application process

In addition to the the various forms of financial aid available throughout the University (information for which is available on the Office of Student Financial Aid web site at http://www.ku.edu/~osfa/), the Department of Theatre and Film awards over 30 different scholarships, awards, and traineeships each spring. The Departmental scholarships and awards are listed below.

Applications for most Department of Theatre and Film scholarships and awards are available only from February 1 to March 1 of each year. Only applications for the Patricia Joyce Ellis Scholarship for incoming freshmen and transfer students are available at all times. Please click here for application forms.

Need-based scholarships: To be considered for a scholarship with a financial need component, students must complete the annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so financial need can be determined. International students usually must complete KU’s International Student Need Analysis Worksheet (ISNAW) instead of the FAFSA. Generally domestic students submit the FAFSA and international students submit the ISNAW. Please contact the KU Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) if you have questions about which form to fill out. The Department of Theatre and Film requires students applying for departmental need-based scholarships to have filed a FAFSA or ISNAW by March 1st proceeding the academic year for which the award is made (e.g., March 1, 2008 for the 2008-09 acadeic year). Students may access the FAFSA application at the U.S. Department of Education website at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The ISNAW is available through the OSFA website at http://www.financialaid.ku.edu/~osfa/forms/08ay.shtml.

Applications may be submitted in one of the following ways:
- Hand deliver to 356 Murphy Hall or the reception area of Oldfather Studios.
- Email to Lene Brooke at lbrooke@ku.edu.
- Mail to the following address:

Scholarship Committee
Department of Theatre and Film
356 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Drive
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045

Notification: Returning students being awarded Department financial aid will be notified at the annual student recognition ceremonies held at the end of the spring semester. Incoming freshment and transfer students being awarded Department financial aid will be notified by U.S. mail after allocations have been made.

Questions: Please contact Lene Brooke at lbrooke@ku.edu or 785-864-7156.

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Application forms

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Department of Theatre and Film Scholarships and Awards

Please click below if there is a particular category of scholarships and awards in which you are interested:

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All Department of Theatre and Film Scholarships and Awards are listed below:

- Indicates undergraduate students are eligible.
 - Indicates graduate students are eligible.

Please note: The Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship and Patricia Joyce Ellis Scholarship are the only departmental scholarships available to incoming students (freshmen and/or undergraduate transfers). These applications will be continuously available on this web site. Please see details regarding these scholarships below.

Mark Amin Scholarship
Awarded to Undergraduate and Graduate students with academic merit and financial need.  Preference will be given to students of Iranian descent and then to students of Arabian descent.  Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Berg Family Film Studies Award
Awarded to undergraduate and/or gradute Film Studies majors with a demonstrated interest in either an academic or professional film career.

David E. Blackwell Scholarship
Open to an undergraduate and graduate student in technical theatre. May be based on financial need and/or academic promise, or on exceptional merit.

Allen Crafton Memorial Scholarship
Open to a Junior major. Based on scholastic excellence combined with activities and service in the Department of Theatre and Film and/or the community.

Brian Ten Eyck Davis Award
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated innnovative and creative work in the area of theatrical hairstyling and makeup for one or more University Theatre productions.

Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship
Awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who are studying in the Department of Theatre and Film.

Patricia Joyce Ellis Scholarship
Awarded to undergraduate and graduate students for scholarship support in drama. A portion of this fund is awarded to incoming film (click here for film application) and theatre (click here for theatre application) students.

FRiends of the THeatre (FROTH) Scholarship
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student. This scholarship is selected by the theatre faculty and goes to a major who has made a significant contribution to the theatre program.

Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Theatre Scholarship
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student with academic merit who is either a theatre major or a student in the School of Fine Arts who has been, or anticipates being, in a KU University Theatre production. Preference shall be given to a student who participates in musical theatre and in the case of a tie shall be given to the student with financial need.

Adah Clark Hagan Scholarship for Film and Theatre Students
Open to undergraduate and graduate students. Candidates must show evidence of excellence in both the academic and performance areas of Theatre and film.

Sally Six Hersh Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student with a special interest in children's drama/theatre. Candidates must show evidence of financial need and maintain a 3.5 GPA for coursework within the Department of Theatre and Film. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Richard Kelton Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to students of at least sophomore standing who show promise in the area of professional acting. Two years of experience is necessary to determine qualifications.

Loren Kennedy Traineeship
Awarded to undergraduate and graduate students on the basis of the students' overall achievements in the University Theatre program, and on the student's interest in serving the University Theatre.

John David Lentz Memorial Scholarship
Open to undergraduate students with an emphasis in acting who desire a professional acting career. Candidates must show evidence of academic excellence and financial need. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Harley S. Nelson Scholarship
Awarded in the spring of the junior year with the money to be disbursed during the senior year. Awarded for excellence without regard to need. Recipients should have an outstanding academic record both in general studies and in the major. A 3.0 overall grade point average is required with at least a 3.5 in the major. (Awarded by the Department; Disbursed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.)

The New Theatre Guild Dodie Brown Scholarship
Awarded to a full-time undergraduate and graduate student in good standing. Candidates must show evidence of likelihood of success in their chosen theatrical field.

The New Theatre Guild Don Knotts Scholarship
Awarded to a full-time undergraduate and graduate student in good standing. Candidates must show evidence of likelihood of success in their chosen theatrical field.

Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship
Awarded to an outstanding woman who is a graduating senior intending to pursue graduate work in theatre at the University of Kansas. Interested individuals should contact Professor Henry Bial, Director of Graduate Studies.

Shirley and Tom P. Rea Memorial Award
Awarded to a graduating senior in Theatre or Theatre and Voice who hopes to become successful in musical theatre or theatre. This award is designed to help a person graduating get started in her or his career.

Claire Reinhold Scholarship
Awarded to outstanding undergraduate and graduate drama students. Candidates must majoring in Theatre/Voice or in Theatre and Film.

Charles "Buddy" Rogers Scholarship
Awarded Undergraduate and Graduate Theatre/Film students who are U.S. citizens and are not on an athletic scholarship.  Candidates must show evidence of financial need and excellence in both the academic and performance areas of Theatre and/or Film.  Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Russian Theatre Fellowship
Awarded to Gradute Students who have been admitted to the doctoral programs of either Slavic Languages and Literatures or Theatre and Film and whose area of concentration is Russian theatre and drama. Interested individuals should submit a letter of application and current CV to the Scholarship Committee.

Sean Ryan Memorial Award
Awarded to undergraduate students who have shown particular promise in Film.  Preference is given to students who may have struggled academically and would benefit from encouragement.

Ambrose Saricks Family Scholarship
Open to Graduate students. Preference will be given to a graduate student who participates in community or educational theatre.

The Clarence Seaver Technical Theatre Scholarship
One undergraduate scholarship awarded to a junior or senior theatre major with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 who is planning a career in technical theatre. One graduate scholarship awarded to an MFA scenography student with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a record of outstanding artistic achievement.

Stephanie Smith Memorial Scholarship
Awarded by the School of Fine Arts upon the recommendation of Department of Theatre and Film Faculty to an undergraduate student pursuing a BFA degree in Theatre Design who is focusing on scene design.

Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship
Awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who are studying the performing arts in the Department of Theatre and Film, Candidates must show evidence of financial need. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Peter and Ann Thompson Undergraduate Film Scholarship
Awarded to a declared undergraduate film major. A 3.0 overall grade point average is required. Candidates must have Kansas residency and must show evidence of financial need. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Andrew and Lilly Tsubaki Award
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate theatre student who plans to participate in a study abroad program devoted to Theatre and/or language and culture of a foreign country. No student can receive this award more than twice while s/he is in the same degree program (undergraduate, M.A., or Ph.D.). First Priority: Japanese students from Japan majoring in Theatre who have completed a minimum of one year on campus. Second Priority: Students who have been admitted to a study the following order: Students (1) participating in the KU Greek Summer Theatre Program; (2) going to study in Japan; (3) participating in any overseas program hosted by KU; (4) participating in any overseas program hosted by an accredited institution. Candidates must also maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.5 GPA in the Theatre major. (Students demonstrating outstanding talent in acting or scenography and maintaining a 2.8 cumulative GPA and a 3.3 GPA in the Theatre major can also be considered.)

Kari Wahlgren Theatre Scholarship
Open to undergraduate or graduate theatre majors. A 3.2 grade point average is required. Candidates can be interested in onstage or backstage career and must have shown a good attitude in the Department.

Mallory Yund Undergraduate Film Scholarship For Women
Awarded to a female declared undergraduate film major. A minimum GPA of 3.7 for coursework within the Department and 3.5 overall is required. Must show interest in pursuing a career in film production. Must be from out-of-state and must show evidence of financial need. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.*

Gerhard Zuther Memorial Award for Dramatic Scriptwriting
Open to undergraduate—Junior level or above—and to graduate students. Demonstrated affiliation with the Department of Theatre and Film and/or University Theatre. In the current academic year, student must have demonstrated exceptional ability in dramatic scriptwriting.

*In order to be considered departmental need-based scholarships, the Department of Theatre and Film deadline is March 1 for domestic students to have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or International students to have submitted a KU International Student Need Analysis Worksheet.  Both forms are available on the KU Office of Student Aid website at www.ku.edu/~osfa. Click here for more information.

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Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Qualified students may receive graduate teaching assistantships (GTA) for up to five academic years. A typical GTA appointment involves teaching discussion sections of large lecture classes under the supervision of a faculty member; appointments may also include service as primary instructor for undergraduate courses such as acting or makeup or other duties assigned by the graduate faculty. Regular assistantships provide a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and an annual stipend of around $12,000 for master’s and doctoral students and over $13,000 for M.F.A. students. Base salaries and merit increases for GTAs are set via collective bargaining between the University and the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition (GTAC), the campus representative of the Kansas Association of Public Employees (KAPE).

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