As a dancer, do you know you can get scholarships that will help fund your college education? Some of the highest-reward dance scholarships for college are provided in this article with further details on their specific criteria and how you can get them.
There are various scholarship opportunities for dancers who are looking to carry on the light into college. Yes, you can study dancing as an academic discipline or as a practice in college or performing arts schools, and if this is your dream, you can apply for dance scholarships to offset the tuition load.
These dance scholarships are sponsored by various sources such as individuals, art foundations and charity organizations, performing art schools & colleges, businesses and corporations, etc. The aim of the scholarship is to encourage dancers to gain a greater understanding of this style of art with less of a financial burden and keep up with this age-old art form, whether it is in modern dance or ballet, for the younger generation.
If you are still putting together a list of dance schools to apply for, our previous articles on dance schools in Paris and dance schools in Lagos, Nigeria are great resources to look at so you can have wider options of dance schools to choose from. Another interesting thing is that, if you are not applying for a college-based dance scholarship, you can use your dance scholarship reward for any school of your choice whether in the US, UK, Canada, or any other country.
We also have other helpful scholarship-related articles that you could fit into the category for the award and win with this dance scholarship. For instance, if you are the first person in your family to attend college you can apply for first-gen scholarships and if you also happen to be a dancer, then you can also apply for dance scholarships for college.
What Is A Dance Scholarship?
A dance scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to artists and performers interested in dance. It is provided from various sources and will help offset the tuition load of dancers who want to continue their artistic journey either in college or art performance schools.
Are There Full Ride Dance Scholarship?
Yes, there are full-ride scholarships for dancers but it is offered to very few students and are highly competitive because it covers the entire cost of your tuition at any institution you decide to attend to pursue a dance career.
Tips To Help You Get A Dance Scholarship For College
Getting scholarships are difficult no matter the category but with these tips provided here, you should be able to get a dance scholarship for college easily.
- Possess excellent academic achievement and dancing ability
- When applying for a dance scholarship, be prepared to provide your school transcripts, recommendation letters, resume, and an audition video that shows off your dancing skills.
- Write a compelling scholarship essay, this guide here can help you.
10 Best Dance Scholarships For College
There are over a hundred dance scholarships for dancers but which ones are considered to be the best or the top ones? In this section, we will look at the scholarships for dancers with the highest rewards or funds and the criteria and requirements on how you can win them. Let’s get started.
- YoungArts Dance Scholarship
- George Mason University School of Dance Scholarship
- Olaf College Dance Scholarships
- Wake Forest University Presidential Scholarships for Distinguished Achievement
- Beverly Miller Dance Scholarship
- Western Washington University College of Fine and Performing Arts Dance Scholarships
- The University of Colorado Boulder Dance Scholarships
- The University of Alabama Dance Scholarships
- Weber State University Dance Scholarships
- The University of Houston Dance Program Scholarships
1. YoungArts Dance Scholarship
The YoungArts Dance Scholarship is one of the top scholarships for dancers eligible to citizens and permanent residents of the US who are in grades 10-12 or 15-18 years old. Applicants are required to provide a video/DVD showcasing their dancing abilities. If you are a dancer preparing for college, you can apply for this scholarship and win up to $10,000.
2. George Mason University School of Dance Scholarship
This is a college-specific dance scholarship, that is, you must have applied for a dance program at the George Mason University School of Dance and also auditioned in order to be considered. The School has 4 different scholarship opportunities to offer to dancers. Each of the scholarships has its separate and specific requirements and criteria that you must meet to satisfy.
The website offers more details on how to apply to the university, schedule an audition date, and apply for the scholarship. The scholarship amount ranges between $3,000 to $5,000 per applicant.
3. St. Olaf College Dance Scholarships
This is also another college-specific scholarship which you already know what it means. The scholarships for dancers at St. Olaf College are merit-based, that is, it is awarded to students based on their outstanding dancing abilities. Although, students may also qualify for additional need-based aid.
The scholarship award is $6,000 per year for dance majors and non-dance majors. And as a recipient, if you meet certain requirements, the scholarship is renewable for 4 years at $24,000.
4. Wake Forest University Presidential Scholarships for Distinguished Achievement
Looks like college-specific scholarships are the real deal since they offer a high amount in rewards. The Presidential Scholarships for Distinguished Achievement at Wake Forest University consist of 20 renewable scholarships of $16,000 each. It is awarded annually to students admitted into Wake Forest University who possess exceptional talents in art, dance, debate, music, and theater.
The interesting thing about this scholarship is that you do not have to pursue a major in any of the listed disciplines to win the scholarship, you simply need to possess one of the talents and participate actively in that specific activity on campus. So, you can be a mechanical engineering student who knows how to dance and apply for the scholarship.
Applicants are required to submit documentation of that talent, so, as a dancer, you will submit a video/DVD or your performance and recommendations.
5. Beverly Miller Dance Scholarship
This is one of the noncollege-specific scholarships for dancers with a high reward. The Beverly Miller Dance Scholarship is awarded annually to citizens of the United States and Canada between the ages of 12 and 21, and if you are old enough and applying for college to major in dance, you can use this scholarship fund can be used to support your tuition load.
The scholarship amount is $10,000. To apply for this scholarship, you are required to fill out an online application form, discuss your passion for dance, and how you will use the scholarship. It would help if you also had recommendation letters from your teachers.
6. Western Washington University College of Fine and Performing Arts Dance Scholarships
The College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Washington University offers a total of three different scholarships specifically for dancers. The first one is the Monica Gutchow Scholarship which is worth $10,000 and awarded to 2 or 3 upper-division dance students with outstanding academic performance, and financial needs, who have indicated an interest in teaching dance at the college level.
The other one is the Tabitha Fox Clark Memorial Dance Scholarship worth $1,250 awarded to students who show an interest in Dance Education. And finally, is the Freshman Dance Major Scholarships of $10,000 awarded to freshmen who major in Dance.
7. The University of Colorado Boulder Dance Scholarships
The dance scholarships at the University of Colorado Boulder are more than the ones on this list and pretty generous too. There is a dance scholarship fund specifically for freshmen, several others for other undergraduates, and a Graduate Research in Dance (GRID) scholarship.
Each of the scholarships has its specific eligibility and criteria to win them, follow the link below to learn more.
8. The University of Alabama Dance Scholarships
The dance scholarships at the University of Alabama are only available to current dance majors who wish to apply for a dance program scholarship for the following academic year. Incoming freshmen and transfer students are not eligible only those in their sophomore-senior years. The scholarship funds are minimal and can only cover little fees and pay for books.
If you want to renew the scholarship, you must maintain a GPA of 3.0 in your dance classes and a 2.5 GPA overall.
9. Weber State University Dance Scholarships
Weber State University has varieties of scholarships for students who want to major in dance at the institution. You must have applied and been accepted into the dance program to be eligible for any of the scholarships. Also, each of the scholarships comes with a different amount and requirements which you must meet to win.
Details for each of the scholarships are contained in the link below.
10. The University of Houston Dance Program Scholarships
If you are looking to major in dance, you may want to consider the University of Houston as a choice because of the generous dance scholarship provided by the School of Theatre & Dance. With the scholarship, you can greatly cut down on the expensive cost of tuition and complete your education with little to no student debt.
Each of the dance scholarship programs comes with different requirements and criteria that applicants must meet to qualify.
These are 10 dance scholarships for college I have listed and discussed here and a good way to round up this article. I made sure to give high-rewarding scholarships which are also offered annually and not once in a lifetime so that you can always have the opportunity to try again the following year just in case you didn’t win any the first time.
Dance scholarships for College – FAQs
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