The University of North Texas is a comprehensive university that offers many scholarships to help you finance your education, and academic awards can be a very important part of your financial plan. Many of our prospective and current students compete for academic scholarships, which are awarded on merit and on a first-come, first-served basis to students enrolling in the fall term. We recommend you apply to UNT and the College of Music as early as possible and that you review the information about university funded scholarships and the other types of aid provided by UNT Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, especially those awards available through the Eagle Scholarship Portal.

Competitive Scholarship Waiver

If you are an out-of-state student and you are awarded a competitive scholarship of $1,000 or more during the fall (or fall plus spring), you are able to attend UNT at the resident tuition rate for that academic year, including the summer term. This is true for both music and academic scholarships. The value of an undergraduate and graduate competitive scholarship waiver for most out-of-state students is estimated between $8,244 and $10,992 annually. The value of an undergraduate competitive scholarship waiver for Oklahoma residents qualified for the Oklahoma Tuition Rate is estimated at $2,400 annually.  Explore the UNT Tuition Estimator to learn more about tuition costs.

Cost of Attendance

Knowing what to expect financially is an important part of planning for college. There are several resources that can help you understand the different costs associated with pursuing an education at UNT. We believe in making a high quality education accessible to all. UNT has been named one of America's Best College Buys® for 24 consecutive years and offers many ways to afford your education.

Cost of attendance is the estimated cost for a typical student to attend UNT and includes tuition and fees as well as basic living expenses. For an overview of the estimated cost of attendance for our students, visit the UNT Cost of Attendance page. For detailed tuition rates and an explanation of fees, visit these helpful pages

Tuition and fees
Explanation of fees

Academic Scholarships

The College of Music encourages every music student and applicant to create a profile in the Eagle Scholarship Portal annually by March 1. After the profile is created, you are automatically matched to scholarship opportunities for which you immediately qualify. No further action is required for these auto-matched scholarships. However, you may be prompted to answer additional questions and/or may be eligible to compete for additional scholarship opportunities if you provide additional information. To maximize your scholarship eligibility, please review each scholarship opportunity and submit the additional requirements. Please be mindful of the applicable deadlines on each scholarship opportunity.

Financial Aid

The College of Music also encourages every music student and applicant to complete the following applications for federal and/or state aid as applicable to each student's circumstances. You are under no obligation to accept loans offered through these programs, but completion of the application may allow you to be considered for other types of need-based aid from the college and university.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Before each year of college, eligible students should apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. UNT uses your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility, and also uses FAFSA data to award other need-based aid.
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)

If you are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid, then you may be able to receive aid from the state. Use the chart on the page linked below to determine if you are able to fill out the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) to be considered for state and institutional financial aid.
https://financialaid.unt.edu/texas-application-state-financial-aid

Texas Public Education Grant for International Students (TPEG-I)

The purpose of the TPEG is to provide limited financial assistance to eligible non-immigrant international students on F and J visas. Students must demonstrate financial need to pay the estimated minimum tuition, fees, and other expenses for enrollment in UNT credit-bearing coursework.
https://international.unt.edu/funding-awards/scholarships-grants-and-waivers/txpublic-education-grant.html

External Scholarships and Resources

UNT students receiving an external scholarship from an outside agency must notify Financial Aid and Scholarships (FAS) to have the scholarship posted to the student's account. Visit the FAS External Scholarships and Resources webpage for details.

Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

Each year, the College of Music employs 200 salaried graduate employees in a range of positions.  These appointments may vary from 10-20 hours of work per week and may be for an entire academic year or a single semester.  For prospective graduate students, your application for admission will also serve as your application for fellowships and assistantships (additional materials may be required). 

Types of Appointments

• Teaching Assistants are graduate students who do not have primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit; they perform under the instructor's direct supervision and provide general assistance to the instructional process, such as grading, tutoring, etc. Teaching assistants may not be listed as instructor of record.
• Teaching Fellows have direct student contact in a formal instructional setting and are charged with primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit under the direct supervision of a faculty member or chair, receiving regular in-service training and planned and periodic evaluations. Teaching fellows are listed as the instructor of record.
• Research Assistants are graduate students who are engaged in research activities under the direction and supervision of a principal investigator or faculty member working on research.
• Graduate Services Assistants are graduate students whose responsibilities may be administrative in nature or consist of other activities that do not generally fit within the TF, TA or RA job responsibilities. Teaching Assistant awards may vary from 10-20 hours of work per week.

Learn more about Salaried Graduate Appointments.

Tuition Benefit Program

Graduate students appointed to positions at 20 hours per week (50% FTE) in benefits-eligible, state-funded lines may be eligible to participate in the university's Tuition Benefit Program (TBP).  For doctoral students and students in graduate artist certificate programs with eligible appointments, the typical tuition benefit covers the cost of 6 graduate credit hours.  For master's students with eligible appointments, the typical tuition benefit covers the cost of 3 graduate credit hours.

Learn more about the Tuition Benefit Program.

Employment Waiver

Non-resident graduate students appointed to positions at 20 hours per week (50% FTE) may be eligible to have non-resident/out-of-state tuition waived and pay tuition at the resident/in-state rate through an employment waiver. This waiver is submitted each semester to the Toulouse Graduate School and applies to each semester in which the student is employed at 50% FTE.

College of Music Scholarships

The College of Music awards competitive music scholarships based on talent and professional promise. When you apply for admission to the College, your application and audition also serves as the application for music scholarships.

Music scholarship recipients and the amount of awards are determined by faculty committees established from within the appropriate areas. Program needs are also considered in determining scholarship awards. Assuming all scholarship obligations are met each year, scholarships may be held for up to a total of four years for undergraduate study, two years for master's level study, two years for the completion of a graduate artist certificate, or three years for doctoral study. Of course, award renewal is subject to the availability of funding.  The college currently distributes over $1,000,000 in music scholarships to students each year.

If you receive a performance scholarship, you are required to participate in appropriate performing ensembles each long semester and must agree to accept assignment by the College of Music in no more than two performance laboratory ensembles each semester. If you receive a non-performance music scholarship, you are required to enroll in appropriate courses as determined by your area. All scholarship recipients must enroll full-time and meet minimum grade point average requirements. Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in music courses, 2.5 overall. Graduate students must a minimum 3.5 GPA.

Music Awards for Current Students

Current music students can apply or renew their awards annually.  Please visit Awards for Continuing Students for additional information.

Music Award Opportunities

There are over 200 separate scholarship opportunities administered by the College of Music that provide funding to music students.  With the exception of fourteen awards*, application materials beyond the admission/renewal application are not required. In accordance with university policy and state law, a complete listing of those awards follows.

*Chamber Music Competition, Concerto Competition, Presser Graduate Music Award, Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award, Anna Harriet Heyer Scholarship, Pi Kappa Lambda Scholarship, Rainbow-Froehlich Outreach, Rise8 Studio, Strauss "Make a Difference," Margot Winspear Opera Scholarship, Andy and Julie Hong Scholarship in Jazz Studies.  Awards announced each spring. Requires faculty nomination, application packet and/or separate audition. Becky Stanly McCollum Music Success and Study Abroad Scholarships require undergraduate advising nomination. The Need-based Recording and Travel Fund provides support annually to music students with demonstrated financial need for their recording projects and travel. Applications accepted October 1-December 31, January 1-March 31 and April 1-August 31 annually.