# Scholarships and Funding How money works at UNLV Percussion, for every level of study. **This page covers:** 1. [[#^how-scholarships-work|The general principles of how scholarships work]] 2. [[#Undergraduate "Percussion" Scholarships|The good and bad news of "percussion scholarships"]] 3. [[#So how do I get considered for scholarships?|How to get considered for scholarships]] 4. [[#What if I don't get a scholarship right away?|What happens if you don't get a scholarship immediately]] 5. [[#FAFSA and University Financial Aid Information]] 6. [[#Graduate Funding]] ## How Scholarships Actually Work Here's an overview of the fundamental principles of scholarships (in music) and how they work. 1. Music-related scholarships of any kind are nearly all **service-based.** - What does that mean? It means that any money that you are receiving from a named scholarship or grant-in-aid is contingent on **your service** to something at UNLV. (i.e., you actually have to work for your money)1 2. Scholarships come in multiple "shapes and sizes." - What does that mean? It means some scholarships are "named" (e.g., after a benefactor or the entity the money originates from), while others come directly from the State of Nevada — called "Grant-in-Aid." 3. Service-based scholarships generally mean **ensemble participation.** - What does that mean? It means that in order to fulfill the requirements to receive your money, you **must enroll and perform in some type of ensemble.** These ensembles are typically the large, public-facing ensembles such as bands or orchestras. 4. Virtually all scholarships require GPA and enrollment minimums. - What does that mean? It means that you must earn good enough grades **and** enroll in a set minimum of credits (generally 12 credits per semester) in order to receive your funding. **The bottom line about scholarships:** Most funding does not come "free" — it requires extra effort. You _will_ have to work (sometimes quite hard) on top of standard obligations in order to earn the funding being offered to you. > [!tip]- A healthy perspective > View scholarships as **opportunities** and not financial contracts. Some students are not even given the opportunity to work for their funding. If you are offered a scholarship that requires a lot of work, view it as an opportunity to "show your stuff" and to prove your worth. ^how-scholarships-work ## Undergraduate "Percussion" Scholarships **THE BAD NEWS:** The Percussion Area has no dedicated scholarship fund. Thus, a "full-ride percussion scholarship" or even a general "percussion scholarship" at UNLV does not exist. **THE GOOD NEWS:** Plenty of money is available. The Percussion Area solicits *ample* internal funding sources to award scholarships to incoming students. We generally work with the bands and orchestras to award students **with considerable financial support** for contributions to those ensembles. So while a "Percussion Scholarship" does not exist, you *will* (after auditioning) have access to scholarships. ### So how do I get considered for scholarships? **You audition!** Reach out *early* and get on the [[2.1 Audition Requirements (all levels)|Scholarship Audition]] roster. Auditioning is the **only** way to be considered — first come, first served. **Scholarship consideration requires auditioning on one of the posted Scholarship [[2.1 Audition Requirements (all levels)#^246236|Audition Dates]]** — individually scheduled auditions later in the year are for entrance only. Dates and details are posted in [[2.1 Audition Requirements (all levels)|Audition Requirements]]. In rare cases, UNLV faculty may see you perform publicly and contact you directly to encourage you to audition. However, **no percussion faculty can or will ever offer you a scholarship directly.** >[!Warning] If anyone claims to offer you a scholarship to our program, please email us immediately. ### What if I don't get a scholarship right away? This happens *all* the time — it is more common than most would think. Many students apply late, switch majors, or sometimes just don't start off very strong in their first semester and earn little to no scholarships. **The good news:** scholarship rosters are reviewed every semester and students can receive scholarships (or increases in scholarships) after their initial semester. ## FAFSA and University Financial Aid Information Visit https://www.unlv.edu/finaid/ for the University's official Financial Aid page covering Grants, Scholarships, Waivers, Loans, Work Study, and other programs. ## Graduate Funding Graduate funding works differently — it comes through Graduate Assistantships and Part-Time Instructor appointments, not scholarships. - **Pay, benefits, and how appointments work:** [[2.4.1 Assistantships and Funding]] - **How and when to apply:** [[2.4.0 Help for Prospective Grad Students]] - **Application Deadline:** applications completed by **March 1** to receive consideration. - See: [UNLV's Graduate Application Deadlines Page](https://www.unlv.edu/admissions/graduate/application-deadlines) [^1]: *Some* rare scholarships do exist without any service requirement, but they're likely not music-based. If they are, they are likely contingent on some type of past performance, written statement, or other means that awarded you the scholarship.