Deadlines for Admission and Assistantships PhD Applicants: Applications received by January 15 can be considered for all possible funding opportunities, and PhD applicants who complete their applications by this date receive first consideration for departmental assistantship awards. Applicants who complete their applications by February 20 may be considered during the second round of application reviews. In some rare cases we may consider applications that are completed by March 15 if we undertake a third level of application reviews. MFA Applicants: Deadlines are fluid for MFA applicants due to the nature of the audition/portfolio review/interview process, which can take place starting in fall and into the spring. Refer to each area's admission page for more information, as design and performance applications begin with portfolio reviews and auditions. The formal application process typically follows these initial reviews, taking place in March and April. In order for us to recommend acceptance to the graduate school, the ultimate deadline for applications to be complete online is June 15. All Applicants must apply online through the Graduate School. MFA Design and Acting candidates should NOT apply via the graduate school portal until instructed to do so by those areas. Please do not send paper application materials or transcripts to the department. Tuition and Fees for 2020-2021 Academic Year Tuition: $4,439 per semester for residents of the state of Georgia. $12,593 for non-residents. Students on assistantship pay only $25 per semester in tuition along with fees and health insurance payment. Fees: $1,145 per semester paid by all students. Covers activities, athletics, transportation and health services. Optional parking fees are available from approximately $180-360 per academic year. Assistantships For students pursuing the PhD, we anticipate that an assistantship will pay no less than: $15,023 per year, plus a tuition waiver. All graduate teaching assistants currently pay fees of $1,145 per semester. Fees are payable at the start of each semester or, for students on assistantsip, can be divided among and deducted from monthly paychecks. The total value per year of an assistantship for PhD students is $40,101 for out-of-state students, or $23,901 for in-state students. (Total value includes assistantship plus tuition waiver for one academic year. For 2020-2021, tuition is $25,078 for out-of-state graduate students and $8,878 for in-state graduate students.) For students pursuing the MFA, we anticipate that an assistantship will pay no less than: $14,138 per year, plus a tuition waiver. All graduate teaching assistants currently pay fees of $1,145 per semester. Fees are payable at the start of each semester or, for students on assistantsip, can be divided among and deducted from monthly paychecks. The total value per year of an assistantship for MFA students is $39,216 for out-of-state students, or $23,016 for in-state students. (Total value includes assistantship plus tuition waiver for one academic year. For 2020-2021, tuition is $25,078 for out-of-state graduate students and $8,878 for in-state graduate students.) Departmental Assistantships The Department of Theatre and Film Studies offers graduate assistantships that require an average of 13 hours per week in service to the department with a course workload of 12 semester hours. Assistantship assignments vary among teaching, assistant teaching, facilities management, publicity, scene shop, costume shop, and computer labs. Assistantships are awarded by the graduate faculty on the basis of the applicants’ competence and experience along with the needs of the department. University-Wide Assistantships The Graduate School may award a special Graduate School Research Assistantship (GSRA) to an incoming doctoral student. The GSRA provides support during the first and fourth year of study, and the student is guaranteed a departmental assistantship during the second and third years. GSRA recipients are assigned to non-teaching duties in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, but may serve as leaders of discussion sections. There is no special application process for the GSRA. Assistantships in Interdisciplinary Arts Research The University of Georgia is pleased to announce graduate assistantships in Interdisciplinary Arts Research available to students entering terminal degree programs in Theatre and Film Studies, Art, and Music. Recipients will develop creative research under the auspices of Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE), an interdisciplinary initiative for advanced research in the arts at UGA. Assistantship duties will include the student’s own collaborative work across disciplines and facilitating collaborative projects and proposals with faculty, students, and community members. The assistantships will provide a tuition waiver and competitive stipend for three years of study. To be considered for a graduate assistantship in Interdisciplinary Arts Research, applicants should send a one-page statement to be included with their application materials. The statement should describe the applicant’s current research interests and any previous experiences in interdisciplinary or collaborative environments. Early application to UGA and our program is strongly recommended. Student Loans The Office of Student Financial Aid assists students whose personal and family resources are not adequate to cover the expenses involved in attending the University of Georgia. This office can assist students in arranging for low-interest and payment-deferred loans, as well as for other types of on-campus employment. We strongly encourage incoming students not to depend on student loans for relocation funding. You will not be registering until you arrive the week before classes begin, and federal student loan funds are not released until then. Initial loan offers are often based on the total cost of a student’s education and will be reduced at the beginning of the semester once tuition waivers and assistantships are taken into consideration. The Graduate School website has additional information on costs and financial assistance. Cost of Living The University of Georgia is located in Athens, Georgia, a city of about 100,000 located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta. Reasonable housing may be found in University dormitories or married housing apartments, as well as in numerous apartments and rental houses located in the community. Cost of living expenses are lower than those found in most urban communities. Admissions The PhD Program requires the GRE for admission. Please contact the Graduate Record Examination Testing service to schedule the exam in time to complete the application process. GRE scores are optional for MFA applicants. For further information on admissions, visit the UGA Graduate School website.
