KU Theatre - Financial Aid

Cost of Attendance

Cost of Attendance

You can find information about the cost of attending the University of Kansas here.

Application Process

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 awards over 30 different scholarships, awards, and traineeships each spring. The Departmental scholarships and awards are listed below.

Applications for most Department of Theatre 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.

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 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 academic 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.
Mail to the following address:

Scholarship Committee
Department of Theatre
356 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Drive
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045-3140

Email to Charla Jenkins at cjenkins@ku.edu. This method is not recommended due to privacy concerns. If you do submit your application via email, please send your student ID number in a separate email rather than on your application form.

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

Questions: Please contact Charla Jenkins at cjenkins@ku.edu or 785-864-2684.

Application Forms

Application Forms

Scholarships for INCOMING freshmen and transfer students: Patricia Loyce Ellis Scholarship
Scholarships for CURRENT students are available only from February 1 - March 1 of each year.

Scholarships and Awards

Film & Media Studis Scholarships and Awards

David E. Blackwell Scholarship
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
Open to undergraduate students in technical theatre. May be based on financial need and/or academic promise, or on exceptional merit.

Allen Crafton Memorial Scholarship
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
Open to a Junior major. Based on scholastic excellence combined with activities and service in the Department of Theatre and/or the community.

Brian Ten Eyck Davis Award
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who are studying in the Department of Theatre.

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

FRiends of the THeatre (FROTH) Scholarship
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student with academic merit who is either a theatre major 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 Theatre Students (Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Open to undergraduate and graduate students. Candidates must show evidence of excellence in both the academic and performance areas of Theatre.

Sally Six Hersh Memorial Scholarship
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.

Richard Kelton Memorial Scholarship
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
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
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates and Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to a full-time undergraduate and graduate students in good standing. Candidates must show evidence of likelihood of success in their chosen theatrical field.

The New Theatre Guild Don Knotts Scholarship
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to a full-time undergraduate and graduate students in good standing. Candidates must show evidence of likelihood of success in their chosen theatrical field.

Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship
(Only Graduating Seniors are eligible)
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
(Only Undergraduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to outstanding undergraduate and graduate drama students. Candidates must be majoring in Theatre/Voice, or in Theatre.

Charles "Buddy" Rogers Scholarship
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to Undergraduate and Graduate Theatre 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. Applicants must file a need analysis form by March 1.

Russian Theatre Fellowship
(Only Graduates are eligible)
Awarded to Gradute Students who have been admitted to the doctoral programs of either Slavic Languages and Literatures or Theatre 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.

Ambrose Saricks Family Scholarship
(Only Graduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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.

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

Andrew and Lilly Tsubaki Award
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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
(Undergraduates & Graduates are eligible)
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.

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

GTAs

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).