Scholarships, Awards, Financial Aid

The MFA in TVFT program has allocated funds for students to use towards reimbursement of expenses from their culminating project.  Students interested in this funding must apply.

Students who are awarded funding can either:

• submit lists of items for the department to purchase directly (which would be easier not only for the student but for the department)
• and/or they can submit receipts for existing expenses that they can be reimbursed for

There is a maximum amount of $500.00 per student.  The money will be allocated until it is expended.

CLICK HERE for further information and for the application for culminating project funds

Since 2011, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has supported Cal State LA students with fellowship funds to help them complete their studies and support their academic and artistic success.

Fellowships have ranged from $1000 - $3,000 each, and have supported:

• academically outstanding MFA students, particularly MFA students entering the thesis completion portion of their studies
• TVF MA students
• upper-standing TVFM majors who show exceptional promise

All applications will be reviewed by a faculty committee.

CLICK HERE FOR THE HFPA FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION.

Deadline for application is Nov. 12, 2024.

You MUST fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to be considered for financial aid.  If you have not done that, and you are seeking aid, fill it out NOW!  The FAFSA can be found by clicking here.

First-year graduate students do not have as many financial opportunities as second and third-year graduate students.  Work Study and Student Loans are the primary form of assistance available in your first year.

On-campus scholarships are only available to students who are current CSULA students.

Incoming MFA students will not be able to apply until the Spring semester of their first year here. 

But it is a good idea to get a little familiar with the requirements in order to be prepared when the campus-wide scholarship application period opens to students (usually March).

CLICK HERE for information and the application for all on-campus scholarships

CLICK HERE for the Off Campus Scholarship page.

The link above takes you to a collection of multiple links to several specific regional/national scholarship programs, as well as a couple of searchable databases for the dozens and dozens and dozens of scholarships in the US.  Using the databases to search for scholarships takes time and patience but reducing the cost of higher education is generally worth it.

ALSO!  Some of these have rotating or later deadlines that may still be open after the CSU scholarship deadlines have passed.  So, there may be monies waiting out there for you if you just do a little digging!

Other Off-Campus Scholarship Resources:

• College Board has a great search engine for opportunities. 
• Scholarships.com also has a TON of opportunities to search through, but it is not as user-friendly as the College Board, and it may be a little less vetted than College Board

PLEASE NOTE:

You are required to notify the Financial Aid Office of any scholarship award(s) you receive, even those awarded directly to you. The Financial Aid Office must include all funding with your other financial aid award(s). If necessary, we may adjust other awards.

Awards from high schools, community groups, local and national organizations should be sent to the attention of the Disbursement Office at 5151 State University Drive, Adm. 131, Los Angeles, CA 90032. To ensure prompt application of the funds to the students account please provide instructions regarding unit requirements/quarter or term, and grade point average. Most importantly and for security purposes, please provide the student's Identification Number, not their social security number.

CAVEAT EMPTOR—Off Campus Scholarship Sites: Please be aware that there are many scholarship scams in circulation. You should not have to pay a fee for a scholarship. Be cautious when you see words the word "guarantee" and "are offered 100% assurance."

There are lots of student assistant and work-study student assistant positions available each semester on campus—and the Career Center’s Golden Eagle Handshake is the site to search for open positions, fill out applications, and find more information about the Career Development Center. 

Positions are posted throughout the year, and are often filled quickly—so it’s good to check Handshake regularly for new jobs, and to get your applications in ASAP when a job opens up that you are interested in. 

We also often have grad assistant positions in Theatre and TV/Film that can be applied for—if you are interested in that, it is good to let your option head know.

CLICK HERE to create an account and/or login to Handshake

MFA in TVFT students who complete the Teacher Training Program have the opportunity to apply as a Teaching Associate (TA) for the Departments of Theatre & Dance and Television, Film, and Media Studies. 

Teaching Associates are salaried positions. 

Graduate students can also apply to TA positions open in other departments, as well as Graduate Assistant (GA) positions open in our departments or other departments on campus.

CLICK HERE for current TA & GA employment opportunities in the College of Arts & Letters

Click here for the Career Center Online.

The Career Center has a number of offerings to help students who are looking for employment, including

• Career Workshops
• Drop-in Advising
• Career Coaching
• Job Searching

On-Campus Jobs – click here for a list and links of all the necessary steps for applying to student jobs on-campus. 

• This link walks you through eligibility, getting on Handshake, searching jobs, the application process, and the hiring process. 
• There is also a useful list of links for job application prep, including writing a cover letter, writing a resume, interview skills, and additional support.

Handshake is the campus’s career-services site.

It is where you can apply for jobs and internships, register for career workshops, and do some professional networking.

You also must register through Handshake to apply for most on-campus jobs, including student assistant jobs offered by the Department of Theatre & Dance, or by the Department of Television, Film, and Media Studies. 

Click here for Handshake.