Students interested in Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office of Hunter College (Room 241 Hunter North, 212-650-3666). The Music Department itself offers only limited scholarship opportunities and does not offer any assistantships; nor, unfortunately, can the Music Department promise a scholarship as a condition for a student entering our program. Scholarships and assistance opportunities offered by the Music Department (as well as some other possibilities for assistance) are described below.

Tuition Waivers for Private Lessons. Students who pay outside teachers or supervisors for lessons or other instruction deemed necessary to the students' course of study are eligible for a tuition waiver granted by the Music Department. This waiver entitles the student to register for such instruction for credit toward the M.A. degree without having to pay tuition charges to Hunter College. Tuition may not be waived by the Music Department for more than 50% of a student's in-residence credits. This ratio must be observed as the student's course of study progresses, so that least 50% of the total number of credits earned at the end of any semester will have been paid for.

Funding for Private Lessons with Hunter Faculty. Students who study with members of the Hunter College performance faculty, or with Performance Associates assigned to them for basic piano instruction, may receive private instruction at the same tuition rates as regular courses. In order to be considered for these special rates, students must submit a Teacher Assignment Form to the Department every semester. Renewal of these assignments is normally routine, particularly for Performance concentrators, but failure to file a Teacher Assignment Form may be grounds for terminating them.

Graduate Tuition Waivers. Limited tuition waivers are available to students with demonstrated financial need. They are normally in the amount of $200 for six credits and $400 for twelve credits. Applications must be filed with the Office of Financial Aid, Room N 241 (212-772-4820). For further information, contact that office.

Part-time Employment. The Music Department sometimes employs one or two graduate students on an hourly basis to assist with various types of clerical, library, and technical work. Hours and wages depend on the Department's needs and on the nature of the work and the skills of the student. For further information, contact the Annie Schiller.

Scholarships for Graduating Seniors. Students graduating from Hunter College may apply for scholarships for their first year of graduate study. Awards are usually $1,000 or $1,500. Applicants must have a G.P.A. of at least 3.5 for their last 36 credits of undergraduate work. They must be matriculated and taking at least six credits per semester in graduate school in order to use the award. Applications must be filed in January or February of the calendar year in which the student graduates, and awards must be used no later than the fall semester of the year following graduation (e.g., no later than fall 2001 for students graduating in the calendar year 2000). For further information and application forms, contact the Office of the Dean of Students, Room E 1103 (212-772-4878).

Scholarships through the Music Department. The Music Department does offer some scholarships to deserving students who are already in our program. There is no need to apply for these scholarships; we assume that all of our students would want one. Unfortunately, we cannot promise any of these scholarships to any students before they enter. The scholarships include the Castle Memorial Graduate Fellowships (two awards of $1,000 each are normally granted each year); the Daniel and Ida Lang Fellowship (normally $1,500 or $2,000; music students compete with students in other Humanities departments for this award); and the Esther Hoffman Prize (available to graduates of Hunter College who continue in the Hunter M.A. program in music, preference is given to students concentrating in instrumental performance; awards, normally of $1,000 per year, are granted on a one-year basis, but may be renewed for a second year).