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Film Scholarships

Whether you picture yourself as the person shouting “Lights, camera, action!” or one of the many professionals involved in providing those elements, a degree in film can help you achieve your career goals. Contrary to popular opinion, film can be a versatile and lucrative college major. Beyond actors and directors, countless other people are involved in film and the term “film” extends far past Hollywood blockbusters. A film degree can prepare you for a variety of roles within this dynamic field and can also help you hone your skills and make your mark on the world with your art.

However practical and fulfilling it may be, a film degree is still expensive. While federal aid and student loans can help you shoulder the burden of your film school bills, taking on too much debt can limit your post-graduation prospects and make it hard to get your film career off the ground. Luckily, there are a number of film scholarships to help you pay for school.

You can read through the examples on this page to get an idea of some of the film scholarships available to film students. Some are academic scholarships specifically for film majors, while others are video contests open to everyone. Your college may offer some film scholarships specifically for majors and a variety of local and national awards like those given by AFI and the Screen Actors Guild. There are numerous other film scholarship opportunities out there, too, both based on your major and on other award criteria. To find a full list of scholarships you may qualify for based on your unique characteristics, conduct a free scholarship search on Scholarships.com.

Austin Alliance for Women in Media Scholarship

Application Deadline: 3/1/2020
Amount: $5,000
Applicants must complete 75+ hours of college course work by December of the year of the award, but must not graduate before December. Must have a inimum 3.25 GPA out of 4.0 and must be enrolled as a full-time student (carrying a minimum of 12 hours per semester) at an Austin or San Marcos area university, with a declared major in radio, television, film, digital media, public relations, [...] More

CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship

Application Deadline: 3/31/2020
Amount: $3,000
The CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship was established in 2006 to provide financial assistance to African-American or Black students who are pursuing a degree in the visual arts. Visual arts include architecture, ceramics, drawing, fashion, graphic design, illustration, interior design, painting, photography, sketching, video production, etc.

Selected applicants will be constituents of a CBC [...] More

Francis D. Lyon Scholarship

Application Deadline: 3/15/2020
Amount: $3,000
The Francis D. Lyon Scholarships are available to students of film making. Mr. Lyon had a distinguished motion picture and television career as a film editor, director and producer. He received an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best film editor in 1948 for the movie "Body and Soul."

Both undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. To be considered [...] More

The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation

Application Deadline: 3/15/2020
Amount: $7,000
The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation awards scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students studying television and film production. Awards are given to juniors and seniors who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and professional potential. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

Upper Midwest Emmy Chapter/Foundation Scholarships

Application Deadline: 2/5/2020
Amount: $3,000
The NATAS-Upper Midwest Chapter/Foundation offers $2,500 student scholarship grants to be used for tuition & books. Scholarships are open to high school and college/university students living in the five-state area served by the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa & western Wisconsin).

Applicants must [...] More

Latest College & Financial Aid News

Harvard Revokes Parkland Shooting Suvivor's Admissions Offer

June 18, 2019

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

Harvard revoked more admissions offers - this time involving 10 students who participated in a Facebook group called "Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens." Jokes about abusing children and the Holocaust and insulting comments about different racial and ethnic groups were found in the group, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Earlier this month, Harvard also rescinded an admission offer to Kyle Kashuv who, when he was 16 years old, used inflammatory and racist language, including the N-word, right before the Parkland shooting at his school, Stoneman Douglas High School. The shootings have since "changed him and made him more mature," he claims. Kashuv became famous for his conservatism, pro-gun and pro-Trump activism which he believes, represent a different view on how to prevent future, like tragedies.

In a recent Twitter post, he apologized for his past comments and stated that, "We were 16-year-olds making idiotic comments, using callous and inflammatory language in an effort to be as extreme and shocking as possible...I'm embarrassed by it, but I want to be clear that the comments I made are not indicative of who I am or who I've become in the years since." Shortly thereafter, Harvard looked into his case and eventually revoked his admissions offer. Though university personnel appreciate his "candor and expressions of regret," Harvard "takes seriously" the "qualities of maturity" and of "character" of the students it admits. Despite appealing the revocation, Kashuv was turned down. In his defense, Kashuv argues that, "throughout its history, Harvard's faculty has included slave owners, segregationists, bigots and anti-Semites. If Harvard is suggesting that growth isn't possible and that our past defines our future, then Harvard is an inherently racist institution. But I don't believe that. I believe that institutions and people can grow. I've said that repeatedly." In your opinion, should Kashuv have had his admissions offer revoked based on something he did when he was 16? Why or why not? [...]

Wiccan Prof Sues Catholic University Over Alleged Discrimination

June 11, 2019

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

A Wiccan Professor at St. Bonaventure sued the university and her alma mater for discrimination, alleging that she was not allowed to advance in her career because she is a woman and a witch. The reported discrimination began around Halloween in 2011, after she was asked to conduct an interview about her Wiccan beliefs with the university's student TV station, SBU-TV. [...]

LGBTQ Scholarships for Pride Month

June 6, 2019

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month this June, Scholarships.com is recognizing the success of, and providing financial aid resources to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer community and its allies through featured LGBTQ scholarships. These colorful LGBTQ scholarships are not only intended for those who identify as LBTQ or are questioning, but are available to LGBTQ parents and allies, as well. Below is a preview of LGBTQ scholarships that were created to provide economic mobility and equality for LGBTQ students and allies who may face unique challenges on their educational journeys. For even more LGBTQ scholarships, Parent LGBTQ scholarships or LGBTQ Ally scholarships, visit here. [...]