Financial Aid for CUA Composers
NOTE: All applicants at any level who desire to apply for federal financial aid of any kind must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on time. The FAFSA is also used in some cases to evaluate internal (CUA) need-based aid. Follow the link for more details.
All undergraduate applicants in Composition are required to audition in a principal performance area (instrument or voice). These auditions will be used to evaluate admission to the School of Music and considered in determining potential scholarship eligibility. In addition to successfully completing an audition, undergraduate applicants in Composition must submit a portfolio of representative compositions for review by the Composition faculty entrance committee. Please click here to see guidelines for assembling and submitting an effective portfolio.
Scholarships for undergraduate study
Awards based on musical ability, academic record, and financial need are available each year to students in the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. Among these awards are:
The John Paul Music Scholarship
The David Burchuk Memorial Scholarship
The Clifford E. Brown Scholarship
The William Masselos Scholarship
The Benjamin T. Rome Endowment Scholarship
Applicants for these scholarships should contact the Assistant Dean of the School of Music, Dr. Amy Antonelli.
Need-Based aid for undergraduate study
The need-based aid process for entering undergraduate students can be somewhat involved, but CUA has an office and a detailed website ready to assist you. Click here for more information.
A limited amount of consideration for financial need is also made when determining the recipients of some School of Music scholarships (cf. above). Be certain to file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on time: contact the CUA Office of Financial Aid for more details.
Scholarships and fellowships for graduate study
University Fellowships
A limited number of fellowships has, in the past, been available to qualified graduate applicants on a highly competitive basis through the university, based solely on GRE scores.
Please click here to read about GRE-based university-wide graduate fellowships. Please note that applicants must be nominated by their schools, and the fellowships are very competitive. At present, the fellowships listed under A, B, and C under section VI on the linked page, "University Programs," are open to composition graduate students. Please note that the St. Vincent Pallotti Fellowships (letter C) require a two-year committment of service to the Roman Catholic church following graduation.
The future availability of fellowships to Composition majors is currently under consideration by the School of Music. More information (as of February 2008) is forthcoming.
Applicants to the Institute of Sacred Music may also be eligible for Magi Scholarships (letter D). Students should contact Dr. Leo Nestor, Director of the Institute, with inquiries.
Awards based on musical ability, academic record, and financial need are available each year to students in the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. Among these awards are:
The John Paul Music Scholarship
The David Burchuk Memorial Scholarship
The Clifford E. Brown Scholarship
The William Masselos Scholarship
The Benjamin T. Rome Endowment Scholarship
Applicants for these scholarships should contact the Assistant Dean of the School of Music, Dr. Amy Antonelli.
School of Music
Graduate applicants in Composition are not required to audition in a principal performance area (instrument or voice) for admission, but are required to submit a representative portfolio of compositions for consideration by the Composition faculty entrance committee. (Please click here to see guidelines for assembling and submitting an effective portfolio. Also, please note that, although the page is headed "Undergraduate," the information applies equally to all students).
Need-based aid for graduate study
Graduate students are eligible for certain CUA research assistantships and federal loan programs. More information about both of these opportunities may be found here.
Teaching opportunities during graduate study
Theory teaching positions are available to continuing (i.e., non-entering) Music graduate students on a competitive basis, pending need and available budget. TA's are paid a stipend in return for teaching duties.
An audition takes place at least once each academic year during which all Music graduate students may audition for consideration as a Theory TA. The audition, in two parts, tests the student's skills in ear training (dictation and performance skills) and written theory and analysis. Students who successfully pass part I are invited to teach a 15-minute lesson during an undergraduate class and take a short interview with the Music Theory faculty.
Courses typically taught by Theory TA's may include 1-2 sections of Ear Training and Sight-Singing I and II (MUS 121 and 122), or Fundamentals of Music (MUS 23 and 24). Students who teach in the School of Music are regularly mentored by an assigned senior faculty member, who meets with the student instructors to discuss pedagogical strategies and procedures. Students who wish to further develop their pedagogical skills may take MUS 713, Pedagogy of Theory, as part of their curricula.
Click here to return to the Composition home page.
Click here to go to the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music home page.
