MFA programs with full/partial funding

[ElizaMFA]

Some one posted this information from a 2012 posting and I thought it was too important to have buried.  I have made changes reflecting my own understanding but it would be to crowdsourcing an update this.

West

 

- UCSD (full ride + teaching stipend)

- UC Irvine (I believe there is good funding here, but unsure of details)

- UCLA (both DMA and the regular arts program give up to 100+% funding with teaching)

- USC (many admits get full tuition funding)

- UCSB (full finding + excellent stipend and teaching)

- Stanford (full ride + excellent stipend and teaching)

- UC Berkeley (full ride tuition for instate peeps, out of staters pay difference)

- Mills (not always, but I have heard of 50+% funding here)

- UC Davis (50-70% funding)

- UOregon (full ride + teaching stipend)

- UW (full ride)

- ASU (Arizona State) (full ride) + (50% tuition + Merit Scholarsihps: for International Students)

 

Midwest

 

- UIowa (I believe there is full funding avail here)

- Indiana (full ride, I believe)

- UChicago (75% tuition funding + teaching stipend) - KEEP an eye on this program. They are dumping a TON of money into the arts here (esp. with their fabulous Logan Arts Center. A "hidden gem" of a program)

- UI-C (I have heard of good funding here)

- Northwestern (full ride + excellent stipend and teaching)

- SAIC (I hear of one full ride and one half ride per department)

- SIUC (Southern Illinois) (full ride + stipend)

- UMichigan (full ride, first year travel funding, free computer, + stipend)

- Ohio (both state and university) (full rides + stipend to both universities)

 

(I'm sure there are others in the M-W…)

 

South

 

- UGA (Georgia) (excellent funding)

- LSU (Louisiana) (excellent funding)

- UF (Florida) (full funding)

- UTex-Austin (50% or more funding, I have heard of)

- Georgia Tech (MS in Digital Media is a full ride)

 

East

 

- Alfred (full ride + stipend)

- RPI / iEAR (half the admits get full finding)

- Carnegie-Mellon (70+% funding)

- RISD (Pres. Scholarships range 40K, 20K and 10K, but most pay)

- Rutgers (heard of full funding)

- SUNY Buffalo (heard of good-to-full funding here)

- Tyler/Temple (sometimes they do offer full funding + stipend to some first year MFAs, but 2nd yr seems to get best funding)

- SFMA (has been known to dish out some decent money, but not all the time)

- Yale (if you are low income, along with your parents (regardless of your age, they ask for your parent's financials), you can qualify for excellent funding. If not, you will pay)

- MIT / ACT (I have heard of around 50% funding)

- Univ of Maryland (full ride + teaching stipend)

- VCU (70+% funding)

- Cornell (full ride + teaching stipend)

- MICA (25-50% tuition for some)

- Bard (heard of there being up to 50% funding)

- Montclair State (heard of excellent funding here)

-SUNY Purchase (everyone gets some funding, a few get nearly complete funding)

 

- Keep an eye out for Dartmouth doing a production orientated "Digital Studies" Masters in the future, and if it is anything like their outstanding "Digital Musics", it'll be a full ride +)

[va. woolf]

This is an awesome list! I was doing some research for a friend on programs with funding so this is totes helpful one stop shopping. AND while I see one of my alma maters on here (go big red!) I don't see the the other :[ so I will add a shout out for PennDesign. I completed my MFA there in 2013. They for sure have some full fellowships (number varies and I was lucky enough to get one) and they also do partial merit funding. Plus there are paid TA positions for those who want to teach, and later the opportunity to teach your own courses and now I believe they have research assistantships too. That's not even accounting for the all the other travel opportunities and general awesomeness! Yeah, so updated East: PennDesign at the University of Pennsylvania.

Edited November 1, 2015 by va. woolf

[ElizaMFA]

VA.woof, Penn is a great addition.  I would edit the original post.  Hopefully other people will chime in with additions/edits and I'll do a new updated list later as deadlines draw near.  Thanks, Eliza

[nongfuspring1]

All schools mentioned so far are US based but I think it's certainly worth looking abroad as well.

All German MFA equivalent programs are tuition free and students can apply for government sponsored DAAD studentships that cover cost of living (something like 750 euro per month) regardless of wether the student is foreign or local. Quite a few German schools have excellent reputations. 

RMIT (Melbourne) offers stipend and tuition to Australasian MFA students, and have a number of studentships for internationals. 

TNUA (Taipei) has a joint studentship program with the government for international students which covers fees and stipend. Last I heard they were also running a joint program with Aalto (Helsinki), though not sure if the studentship would cover the exchange semesters in Finland. 

CAFA (Beijing) I believe has a similar govt. scholarship arrangement. 

[ElizaMFA]

Update on Rutgers: full scholarship for all first year students. In state tuition for all second year students.  

[cpw0021]

When I visited UI-Chicago in September they said their funding is now 75%. 

[ElizaMFA]

Copied from another post: 

I just started my first year in the MFA (painting) program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. I was accepted into a number of other recognized schools, some with decent funding and had a really hard time deciding, but in the end I couldn't justify the large debt load. Thus far, GSU has been great. The professors are smart, engaged and Craig Drennan, the new director of the Art department at GSU, was the head of Skowhegan for a number of years and seems to have connections all over the art world. He is a successful artist, while also a fantastic professor. The visiting artists are also really good. They have a large endowment so every grad receives a full tuition waiver and stipends. I am effectively being paid to study art!

I would definitely recommend the Georgia State Welch School of Art MFA -http://artdesign.gsu.edu/graduate/admissions/masters-of-fine-arts-in-studio/

I think more people should know about this MFA program, so feel free to ask me any questions.

[darkerthanblack]

Rutgers is full funding for both years. The first year full funding will cover out of state tuition and the second year funding will cover in-state tuition. Students should apply for New Jersey residency the first year granting them in-state tuition rates the second year making the total cost zero for the student. An option of paid teaching positions may help international students with the second year tuition.

[asdonovan]

To add to list for next year, University of Delaware offers full tuition for both years, $18,000 stipend for 2nd years in good standing and most first years get a half stipend...there are also extra fellowships available and for the next few years donors have committed to funding the 2nd years having an exhibition and traveling in Berlin, Germany. Deadline is February 15th. 

[AllArt]

Just Wondering what is the stipend amount per month or year for Stanford, UC Irvine, UC Sand Diego, and UC Santa Barbara if you get free tuition and are a TA?

[langley]

UCSD does not cover third year tuition FYI. 

UC Riverside gives a full ride plus stipend and TA ships. 

[tincanevening]

UCSB gives a 1000 stipend with a TAship, plus free tuition and healthcare. Other grants for travel, interdisciplinary research, etc. are available.

[cpw0021]

UC Irvine covers full tuition and fees, and about $800-$1000 per month for TA ships (which you have only two quarters out of the year). Fellowships are available through the graduate division though (diversity and recruitment fellowships), as well as travel grants, etc.

Edited April 13, 2016 by cpw0021

[NeoRauch]

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fantastic program with amazing funding!! Small, interdisciplinary, with extraordinary faculty.

Summer trip abroad to Venice, Berlin, or Mexico City fully funded in-between the two years...with Graduate Teaching Assistantships (first year) and teaching opportunities (second year).

I was hunting on this forum two years ago to find the right MFA program and I am so thrilled that I decided to attend UNCG. So if you are still researching options, go check out their instagram @uncgmfa