20 Dance Scholarships for International Students

Enrolling in dance school helps you to learn a lot from dance history, choreography, community dance, ballet, hip-hop, and even the business side of dance and performing arts. However, it doesn’t come so cheap to participate in dance class, or to even major in Dance at a college or university.

It even gets worse as an international student, because you’ll most likely pay double or more of what citizens or domestic students pay. Fortunately, there are several dance scholarships for international students whether you intend to enroll in a simple few months of training or get a bachelor’s, master’s, or Postgraduate degree.

Meanwhile, you can choose to narrow your scholarship search by focusing on some awards provided by different countries like undergrad scholarships in France, and Germany, or even taking advantage of scholarships for international students in Europe.

In this blog, we will dive deep into different colleges that provide dance scholarships, different kinds of ballet scholarships, and finally dance scholarships for foreign students. Note that dance and band scholarships go hand in hand sometimes.

dance scholarships for international students 

9 Best Colleges for Dance Scholarships

1. UniMelb – Elaine Vallance Mentorship Award

Award: $5,000

Number of Recipients: 1

Eligibility: Candidates need to be completing the third year of study in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) at the University of Melbourne. You need to intend to undertake mentorship and/or travel opportunities in the year following graduation.

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2. Eastern Michigan University Dance Scholarships

EMU provides several dance scholarships for international students which have different eligibility and award amounts, they include;

  • Linda Crum Hemmelgarn Scholarship
  • Elisabeth J. Morgan & David O. Woike Endowed Scholarship
  • Jeannine Galetti Endowed Scholarship 
  • Jack & Nesa Wu Endowed Scholarship

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3. Florida State University – School of Dance Scholarships

FSU is another University that provides different kinds of scholarships for both citizens of the United States and international students, some of them include;

  • Aileen Booth Shaw Modern Dance Scholarship
  • Anthony Morgan Undergraduate Choreographic Award in Dance
  • Dance Alumni Scholarship 
  • Friends of Dance Scholarship

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4. University of Oregon Dance Scholarships

UOregon provides different kinds of scholarships to students enrolled in their Dance Department, these scholarships are awarded automatically to eligible incoming students.

Award: Varies

Number of Recipients: Varies

Eligibility: Applicants to the BFA Dance degree must audition, and you must complete the UO School of Music and Dance online application on time.

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5. QUT – Dance Professional Development Scholarship

Award: $5,000

Number of Recipients: Varies

Eligibility: Only current full-time undergraduate Australian or New Zealand citizens enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) are eligible for this scholarship. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 4.5 on a 5.0 scale.

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6. St. Olaf College Dance Scholarships

These dance scholarships for international students are merit-based and awarded to students with exceptional dance talent.

Award: $6,000 or $24,000 in four years

Number of Recipients: Varies

Eligibility: You must have enrolled at St. Olaf College to be considered, and both domestic and International Students are eligible.

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7. SUNY Brockport All Department of Dance Scholarships

SUNY Brockport provides several dance scholarships for both domestic and international students with varying eligibility and award amounts. Some of these scholarships include;

  • Brockport Dancers Against Racism Scholarship
  • Ernestine Ford Graduate Scholarship in Dance
  • Friends of Brockport Dance Scholarship
  • Rose L. Strasser Dance Award

And many more

8. The College of Wooster Theater and Dance Scholarship

Award: $2,000 to $8,000 per year

Number of Recipients: Varies

Eligibility: Only incoming students are eligible to apply, and you must not major or minor in Theatre and Dance at Wooster. Auditioning Dancers must perform 1-3 minutes of dance/movement in the style of their choice at the school.

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9. Loyola University Chicago Dance Scholarships

Award: Ranges from $1500 to $2000

Number of Recipients:

Eligibility: Recipients must be current full-time students at Loyola University Chicago as a Dance major and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants can either be domestic or international students.

4 Special Scholarships for Ballet Dancers

10. AG McMillen Arts Trust – Dance

Award: up to $2,000

Number of Recipients: 1

Eligibility: First of all, you don’t need to apply to be considered for this scholarship. Also, you need to be a freshman enrolling in the Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne who demonstrates the strongest balletic talent. The scholarship is for both Australian and International Students.

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11. Norma De Gruchy Award – Most Talented in Classical Ballet

Award: up to $1,000

Number of Recipients: 1

Eligibility: This scholarship is awarded to students enrolled as an undergraduate student in Dance second year; classical dance) in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne.

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12. Royal Ballet School – International Scholars Programme

This scholarship is awarded by selection to international students.

Benefits: Free training and accommodation, scholars’ content will be shared on social media where appropriate/relevant by Royal Ballet School and will have access to the school’s training program.

Number of Recipients: Multiple

Eligibility: Applicants must be between 11 to 15 years old, must have an outstanding potential for classical ballet, and must not be training at a major international vocational school.

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13. The Australian Ballet School Scholarships

The Australian Ballet School awards several dance scholarships for international students each year on the basis of merit and achievement. Some of them include;

  • Australian Institute of Classical Dance (AICD) International Awards
  • Ballarat Dance Awards (BDA)
  • Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge (BPAC)
  • Robert and Elizabeth Albert Junior Classical Ballet Scholarship

Etc.

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7 Leading Dance Scholarships for International Students

14. Auditions Scholarships Indance International Performance

Award: €2,500

Deadline: 11th December

Eligibility: Preference is given to applicants who understand Spanish, English, and Catalan.

15. Dance College London Scholarships

This is among the dance scholarships for international students from the EU and EEA who may struggle to fund their commercial dance courses. Unlike some other Dance programs that increase fees for international students, this one doesn’t do that, you pay the same fee as domestic students.

Award: 50% of your course fee

Number of Recipients: three (3)

Eligibility: To be eligible for this scholarship you need to have a passion for dance and must have taken dancing classes prior to applying, and you need to create and send a dance audition video.

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16. Orloff Family Charitable Trust Award

Award: up to $3,500

Number of Recipients: At least 8 

Eligibility: This scholarship is awarded to students enrolled in Dance, Music Theatre, Film and Television, Production, Theatre, Visual Art program or a Music student specializing in Jazz and Improv or Interactive Composition.

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17. CBC Spouses Performing and Visual Arts Scholarships

Award: $5,000

Number of Recipients: 10

Eligibility: This scholarship is eligible to African American and Black graduating high school seniors; and scholars pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree in performing or visual arts. Performing arts include theater, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, marching bands, etc.

Even though the scholarship is not renewable, you can apply again each year.

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18. PGFUSA The Grace Kelly Scholarship

Award: $1,000 per recipient each year

Number of Recipients: 10

Eligibility: To be eligible for these dance scholarships for international students and U.S. citizens you must be part of the International Thespian Society.

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19. Princess Grace Award

Award: $15,000

Number of Recipients: 1 winner

Eligibility: This award is not just for dancers but also for theater directors, designers,  choreographers, film directors, actors, etc. For International Students to be eligible for this award they must have permanent work authorization from USCIS. Also, applicants must be nominated.

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20. GREAT Scholarships at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Trinity Laban trains about 1,200 higher education students from 57 countries in professional music and dance.

Award: £10,000 each

Number of Recipients: 4

Eligibility: Applicants must either be from China, India, Malaysia, or Nigeria. One scholarship for individuals from each of these four countries.

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Conclusion

You can see there are several dance scholarships for foreign students, and these scholarships can help reduce your worry about financial burden and focus more on your studies

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