How Much Will it Cost?
The answer is different for each student who asks it. That’s because a thoughtful and tailored approach to affordability includes family savings and various forms of financial assistance.
Financial Aid & ScholarshipsFinancial Aid Options
Music Scholarships
School of Music scholarships are awarded to incoming students, based on the quality of the audition, interview, and/or other criteria. New and current students are encouraged to seek out all eligible funds through the KU Academic Works Scholarship website. This is the main page for funding opportunities across the university. Inquiries about Music scholarships may be directed to the Scholarships Coordinator, Dr. Matthew Smith.
School of Music Diversity Fellows Program
The School of Music (SoM) Diversity Fellows Program seeks students to provide leadership and develop opportunities for the school, with a focus on diversity. Fellows work with faculty and staff in the DEIB Committee at the school level to identify and support academic and professional development needs and provide resources, mentorship opportunities, and specialized programming for students across the school. Additional efforts will be made to sustain leadership funding awards and build a strong and supportive student community. The application for the Fellows Program will open in late July for the following academic year. For questions about the Diversity Fellows Program, please contact Anna Paradis.
Multicultural Scholars Program
The KU School of Music Multicultural Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for undergraduate music majors from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including students of color, first-generation college students, and students with high financial need. MSP Scholars in the School of Music receive a renewable scholarship, faculty mentorship, academic support, and a welcoming community.
Other Opportunities
The School of Music employs many students annually to work as accompanists, stage managers, ensemble librarians, classroom assistants, laboratory monitors, office assistants, librarians, recital monitors, recording assistants, and stage crew. You must be a current student to be eligible. Search for student hourly positions on the KU Employment website. The University of Kansas is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution committed to a policy of equal opportunity in student admissions, student financial assistance, and faculty/ staff employment.
Domestic students are also eligible for Federal Work Study, which promotes part-time, hourly employment for financially eligible students, who “earn while they learn” on campus. Many departments are eager to hire student employees and can provide positions relevant to their degrees and hours that fit their academic schedules. Current students interested in this program should contact their financial aid counselor or submit a Federal Work-Study Request.
KU Scholarships
Incoming First-Year and Transfer Students: KU offers four-year renewable scholarships to incoming first-time freshmen, and three-year renewable scholarships to incoming transfer students. Eligibility is based upon a combination of ACT/SAT scores and high school GPA for freshmen, and cumulative college GPA for transfer students. Detailed information can be found here.
New and Continuing Students: The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships maintains an extensive list of Private, State, and external scholarships, including a searchable index arranged by the application due date as well as a University-wide Scholarship Opportunities Portal.
Remember, many funding opportunities require a current FAFSA on file. Submit your FAFSA by December 1st!
When is your Financial Aid deadline?
- March 1st: For Federal Student Aid priority deadline, apply online. KU's Federal School Code is 001948.
- May 1st: For State of Kansas Student Aid Application priority deadline, apply online.
| Types of Awards | Financial Need (based on FASFA or ISNAW) |
|---|---|
| Scholarships | Both Need-Based and Non-Need Based |
| Grants | Generally Need-Based |
| Federal Work-Study | Need-Based |
| Kansas Career Work-Study | Non-Need Based |
| Federal Perkins Student Loan | Need-Based |
| Federal Loan for Disadvantaged Students (LDS) | Need-Based |
| Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan | Need-Based |
| Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | Non-Need Based |
| Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) | Non-Need Based |
| KU Endowment Association (KUEA) Loan | Non-Need Based |
| Alternative Loans | Non-Need Based |
For complete information, visit KU Office of Student Financial Aid
National Search Engines
Finding the resources for college may feel daunting, but these search engines can help.
Fastweb is a free scholarship matching website that will do the searching for you. Create a profile (your parents can too!) and Fastweb will find matches for you to apply for.
MyScholly will find matching scholarships based upon the profile you create. It also gives each match a relevance score to help you optimize your application process. MyScholly also provides the Scholly Editor to help edit your scholarship essays. MyScholly is a subscription service, costing $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Subscribers can cancel at any time.
CollegeBoard offers a number of resources, including a scholarship finder. You can create an account to save the information you find, but this site does not deliver matches for you.
Remember to check the School of Music Career Services Newsletter, emailed monthly to all Music students. Scholarship opportunities are listed right at the top.