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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: 3/1/2021
  • Amount: $5,000
  • AWM Austin is proud to award scholarships to college Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors studying media or a related field at a university in the Austin area (within a 40-mile radius from Austin). Consideration will also be given to students attending other colleges who graduated from an Austin area high school and maintain an Austin area permanent address. Applicants must have completed 60+ hours [...] More

Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 2/1/2021
  • Amount: Varies
  • The Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship provides educational resources to students pursuing a degree in the visual arts. Applicant must be a graduating senior from a public or private high school who resides in Boone, Ogle, or Winnebago County,
    who plans to pursue a degree in visual arts, visual art education, or visual art history, has a minimum 2.75 GPA, and shows involvement in [...] More

CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 3/31/2021
  • 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: 3/29/2021
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The Francis D. Lyon Graduate Fellowship is awarded annually to a graduate student in the field of film making or a closely related field such as theatre/drama, writing or entertainment. Only graduate students are eligible to apply. Membership in Phi Delta Theta is not a requirement. The student is required to be enrolled in a college or university in the United States or Canada. Students of film [...] More

Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship Award

  • Application Deadline: 4/1/2021
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship was created to honor Arab American students who excel in media studies. Applicants must be: currently enrolled as a junior, senior, or graduate student; majoring in journalism, radio, television and/or film; have a 3.0 GPA; and, be a U.S. citizen of Arab heritage. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

Sandy Schenker Capell Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/6/2020
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The Sandy Schenker Capell scholarship was created to honor Sandy and her commitment to mentoring and developing young talent. The scholarship will be awarded each year to a Houston area high school senior interested in a career in media. The ideal candidate will represent the qualities that Sandy exuded in her daily life. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/1/2021
  • Amount: $3,500
  • The Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation undergraduate scholarships of up to $3,500 per academic year are awarded to
    juniors and seniors majoring in television and film at accredited four-year, degree-granting U.S. colleges, and universities. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation: Advancement of Women in Sports & Entertainment Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: $1,000
  • The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation Scholarship for the Advancement of Women in Sports & Entertainment is intended for eligible college and graduate school women who desire to work and contribute their efforts within the field. The scholarship is granted to four applicants annually who are matriculating full-time in their sophomore, junior, senior or first year of graduate school. A minimum GPA [...] More

The James Alan Cox Foundation for Student Photojournalists

  • Application Deadline: 11/15/2020
  • Amount: $2,500
  • Founded in memory of James Alan Cox, a television photojournalist, The James Alan Cox Foundation for Student Photojournalists aims to provide financial support to student photographers of high school and college age. The focus of work and entries is photojournalism. Various scholarships will be awarded to those students whose work "tells a story." This is a fairly broad topic and may include a [...] More

Upper Midwest Emmy Chapter/Foundation Scholarships

  • Application Deadline: 2/5/2021
  • 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 submit a [...] More

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Last Reviewed: April 2020

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