Denison Magazine
Arts Scholarship Applicants
Students who have a passion for cinema, creative writing, dance, music, music theatre, visual arts, or theatre are encouraged to submit supplementary materials for scholarship consideration.
Arts Scholarships
Denison’s merit-based arts scholarships, awarded to talented first-year and transfer students, range from $5,000 to $15,000 and are renewable for all four years. (Recipients are encouraged but not required to major or minor in the arts.)
Who should submit an arts supplement?
The optional arts supplement is for students who have devoted a significant amount of time and energy to one or more art forms (cinema, creative writing, dance, music, music theatre, visual arts, or theatre) and who wish to document their special talent(s) as part of their application.
How do I apply for an arts scholarship?
All applicants who submit an arts supplement will automatically be considered for a merit-based arts scholarships. Interested students should submit their materials by their corresponding November 15 or January 15 application deadline.
- Submit your application for admission to Denison through the Common Application or Coalition Application.
- After you have submitted your application to Denison, you will be sent a link via email providing you access to the Denison applicant portal.
- Once you have access to the Denison applicant portal, look for the arts supplement section below the applicant and financial aid checklists.
- Select “submit arts supplement” and follow the instructions provided to upload your arts supplement materials.
- Review the deadlines and specific requirements for each discipline listed below.
Musicians are encouraged to audition in person (on campus). If you are from outside the region and can’t come to campus, you may audition virtually and/or submit a video recording as an arts supplement instead. Please visit the music department page to sign up for an in-person or virtual audition and to see the specific audition guidelines for your instrument
Please review the specific requirements for each discipline in the drop-downs below. Although no more than one scholarship will be awarded, you may submit materials in as many areas as you wish. Candidates with talents in music theatre, in particular, are encouraged to submit both music and theatre supplements.
Contact the Office of Admission and Financial Aid with any questions.
Deadlines
Arts supplement materials must be submitted by the following deadlines:
First-Year Applicants
- Early Decision 1: November 15
- Early Decision 2: January 15
- Regular Decision: January 15
Transfer Applicants
- November 15 (January start)
- April 15 (August start)
Arts Supplement Requirements
Cinema
Requirements: Applicants should submit the following:
- A video file of work that they have shot, edited, written, or directed.
- The video may contain footage from more than one film.
- The video file should be no longer than 5 minutes in length.
In addition, students must include two supplemental text documents:
- A description of the specific role(s) the student played in the production (e.g., director, cinematographer) as well as the context in which it was created (e.g., class assignment, independent production, etc.). (200 words max).
- A short essay articulating the student’s ideas about why they are interested in film studies and production, particularly in a liberal arts environment. (250 words max).
We accept files up to 5GB (larger files will take longer to load). Accepted file formats include:
- Document: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf
- Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
Questions should be directed to:
Creative Writing
Requirements: Applicants should submit the following:
- Up to 10 pages total of any combination of poetry, short stories, screenplays, plays, creative nonfiction and/or excerpts from novels.
- Note: Please do not submit journalism samples or submissions that are longer than 10 pages; these materials will not be read.
- Format: 12 point font, Times New Roman or similar, 1” margins, double spaced for prose, single-spaced (or as desired) for poetry
- Students should also submit a short explanation of their creative writing experience thus far and how they might see this continuing at Denison (200 words max). This explanation does not count toward the page limit and may be included in the same document.
Accepted file formats include: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf
Questions should be directed to:
Margot Singer
Professor (English/Creative Writing)
Director of Creative Writing
Director of Strategy for the Arts
Dance
Requirements: Applicants should submit the following:
- A short essay describing how, when, and where the student has danced (250 words max).
- A short video portraying their craft.
- This can be in a class, at a social gathering, or in an informal or formal performance and may be composites of several examples.
- Videos should be 5-10 minutes in length, total.
We accept files up to 5GB (larger files will take longer to load). Accepted file formats include:
- Document: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf
- Slide: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff
- Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
Questions should be directed to:
Music
Requirements: Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an on-campus audition with faculty members. During auditions, students will have the opportunity to connect with faculty and current students, tour our facilities, and learn more about Denison’s music program.
Students who live outside the region and cannot travel to campus may submit a recorded video audition as an arts supplement (15 minutes max)
Please visit the music department page to sign up for an audition and to see the specific audition requirements for your instrument/area.
Candidates with talents in music theatre are encouraged to submit a music theatre supplement (see drop down) and/or to attend an on-campus vocal audition.
Accepted file formats include:
- Audio: aif, .aiff, m4a, wav
- Document: .pdf, .jpg, .png
- Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
Questions should be directed to:
Music Theatre
Applicants submitting an Arts Supplement for Music Theatre should upload a short video of themselves performing either:
- one full song from a musical,
- two 1-minute cuts of contrasting songs (ie. one musical and one pop OR one contemporary and one classical), or
- a 1-minute cut of a song and a 1-minute monologue.
Applicants whose experience in music theatre is not centered in performance should upload a visual portfolio, composition, or any other documentation of experience in music theatre.
Accepted file formats include:
- Document: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf
- Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
Questions should be directed to:
Visual Arts
Requirements: Applicants should submit the following:
- 10–20 images of their artwork
- (Note: Please do not send original artwork, these materials will not be accepted.)
- A short explanation of their artmaking thus far, and how they might see this continuing at Denison (250 words max).
We accept files in .jpeg format (not to exceed 1MB / per image) and .pdf documents.
Questions should be directed to:
Theatre
Applicants submitting an Arts Supplement for Theatre should upload a visual portfolio, script, or a short video portraying themselves acting either in a performance or for the camera.
- Video recordings should be no more than 3 minutes.
- Visual portfolios or scripts may be up to 10 pages of material.
- Candidates with talents in music theatre are encouraged to submit both music and theatre supplements.
We accept files up to 5GB (larger files will take longer to load). Accepted file formats include:
- Audio: aif, .aiff, m4a, mp3, wav
- Document: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf
- Slide: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff
- Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
Questions should be directed to:
