Tuition and Scholarships

Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $722 per credit hour (subject to change by Seattle University Board of Trustees). The MFA in Arts Leadership is a 48-credit program, so the total cost for tuition over the 22-months of the program is $34,656. Tuition rates for 2024-25 have not yet been determined. Additional student fees apply.

Criteria for Eligibility

All admitted Seattle University Arts Leadership applicants are automatically considered for Incoming Graduate Student Scholarships and Arts Leadership Program Scholarships based upon a holistic review of all information received in the application process and available funding, including the answer to the optional question asking you to state any special personal or family circumstances affecting your need for financial assistance. This question is embedded in the application itself. No separate materials or documents are required.

Incoming Graduate Student Scholarship

The Arts Leadership Program annually distributes a total of $40,000 in scholarship funds among selected scholarship recipients. These funds are divided between awardees via a tier system ranging from $1,200 to $12,000 in increments of $1,200. Scholarship amounts are dispersed as a credit toward tuition.

Carol Wolfe Clay Leadership Award

The Carol Wolfe Clay Leadership Award provides $5,000 over the full two years of the program to each recipient. The selected applicants will demonstrate a capacity to be exemplary role models while in the program and the potential for excellence as arts leaders upon graduation.

The Arts Leadership Program cannot render a scholarship decision nor an admission decision until your application is submitted, the application checklist is complete, and all necessary admission materials and documents are on file. You may connect with your Admission Counselor by email for assistance with finishing your application.

MFA Program Application Process

The Application Requirements for the Seattle University MFA in Arts Leadership Application are as follows:

• Completed application for Graduate Admission.
• The $55 application fee is automatically being waived through Fall Quarter 2022 to assist students during COVID-19.
• *Official transcripts from the last two years of the baccalaureate degree and any post-baccalaureate coursework. A completed undergraduate degree must be verified prior to enrollment. Doctoral students should only submit all graduate-level transcripts unless non-graded. Exceptions to the policy are noted with the degree requirements.
  • *We are temporarily accepting unofficial transcripts and other academic documents provisionally due to COVID-19. You may upload these yourself via the application or submit them as attachments by email to Graduate Admissions. Examples of unofficial transcripts include electronic PDFs personally downloaded from your online student account portal and electronic scans or pictures taken with your phone of original or opened copies.
• Students who have earned degrees from institutions issuing non-graded transcripts or the equivalent of an international, three-year degree must submit official results from GRE (Code 4695), GMAT (Code 5613), MAT (Code 2287), or other designated tests as determined by the Arts Leadership Program. Students in either of these situations should contact their Admission Counselor for guidance about next steps.
• A 1-page resume. 
• A statement that describes career objectives and discusses how participation in the program will help achieve your goals. This statement should be single spaced and should not exceed 2 pages.
• Two recommendation letters from people who can speak to your abilities as a potential graduate student. 
• The Arts Leadership program strongly encourages applicants to communicate with their recommenders before requesting the letters via the application portal to ensure that their contact information is up-to-date. Once the applicant submits the recommender’s information, the recommender will receive an email from Graduate Admissions containing the link to a unique URL where they can upload their letters.

Embedded Scholarship Question

This optional but encouraged embedded scholarship question can be found within the application under the Application Information tab below the Financial Assistance header. Please provide as much relevant contextual information and as many details as possible. If you decide to answer this optional question, it must be answered prior to submitting your application. Otherwise, you won’t be able to login and answer it later.

The FAFSA is not required to apply for scholarships. However, domestic and permanent resident students are strongly encouraged to submit a FAFSA to be eligible for any need-based endowed or external scholarships and/or graduate student loans. Visit our Student Financial Services website for instructions.

Incoming Graduate Student Scholarship recipients will be notified of their award amounts in their admission decision letter from Graduate Admissions. If awarded additional funds from the Carol Wolfe Clay Leadership Award, recipients will be notified via email from the Arts Leadership Program shortly after the admission decision has been released.

Funds are distributed after the student has accepted their offer of admission, confirmed their enrollment in the Arts Leadership Program, and has registered for their first quarter (Fall Quarter).

Scholarship amounts are divided equally between three academic terms in the student’s first year in the program (Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters) and four academic terms in the student’s second year in the program (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters). 

Scholarship amounts are based upon the full-time enrollment of minimally 6 credits per academic quarter. Students taking less than 6 credits per academic quarter will have their award amount pro-rated accordingly.

Ready to apply to the Arts Leadership MFA program? Start your application here.

Looking for other financial aid resources?

• Finding and Applying for Scholarships
• Fastweb Scholarship Search Tool
• Scholly- Scholarship Search Tool
• Information about Grants from the US Department of Education
• CareerOneStop Scholarship Search, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
• Your Ultimate 2022 Scholarship Guide With Tips & Resources