Scholarships for Acting Colleges

The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

• The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) holds an annual National Scholarship Audition Tour through which two scholarships are available to acting students. The first of these scholarships is the Sanford Meisner Merit Award, which is awarded solely on the basis of talent. The second award, The Mary Doyle Memorial Scholarship, is awarded based on a combination of merit and need, and is given in amounts between $500 and $10,000. Students must fill out a FAFSA form in order to apply for the scholarships, which are available solely to future or current NYCDA acting students.
  The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts
  39 West 19th Street
  New York, NY 10011
  646-216-1575
  sft.edu

Purdue University

• Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana offers a handful of scholarships to students of acting at the school. All three scholarships can applied for with a single application available for download on the theater department's website. Applicants are expected to list theater experience, include a resume if available, and write a short statement of purpose. The Theatre Merit Award and Joe Stockdale/Ross Smith Scholarship are both available for incoming freshman in the theater program. The R.B. Stewart Scholarship is available to current students of the theater department and incoming freshman.
  Department of Theatre
  Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts
  552 W. Wood Street
  West Lafayette, IN 47907
  765-494-3074
  cla.purdue.edu

University of Southern California

• The University of Southern California has a total of twelve awards and scholarships available for students in the School of Theatre, including students of acting. The scholarships are offered to both graduate and undergraduate students who have been with the program for at least one year. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of talent and merit, as decided by the dean and faculty of the School of Theatre. Scholarships and awards are given to the student with the best comedic performance within the program, the most outstanding creative performance, and the most dedication to the craft of acting, among other things.
  USC School of Theatre
  1029 Childs Way
  Los Angeles, CA 90089
  213-821-2744
  theatre.usc.edu