Columbia University School of the Arts: Scholarships, Fellowships and Opportunities
- Dec 14, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Columbia University’s School of the Arts is widely recognized as one of the most well-funded graduate programs in the creative arts, offering scholarships, fellowships, and service positions that provide both financial support and professional development for students across writing, film, theatre, and visual arts. At a time when the cost of an MFA can easily exceed $30,000 a year, Columbia distinguishes itself by creating structured opportunities that reward artistic achievement, leadership, and community engagement, while also preparing students for careers in the broader literary and arts industries.
Each year, thirteen second-year students are appointed as Chair’s Fellows, receiving between $7,500 and $18,000 for assisting with the administration of the Writing Program. Another nine positions are available for students working within the CA/T program, which includes projects such as the Incarcerated Artists Project and the Veterans Workshop, reflecting a growing emphasis on socially engaged writing within MFA programs. Several additional service roles exist within the Dean’s Office, providing students with direct experience in program administration. Leadership positions within student organizations are also compensated: the two elected co-presidents of Our Word, Columbia’s diversity-focused student group, receive $7,500 each, while the four senior editorial positions at the Columbia Journal—an influential national literary publication—each carry a $10,000 salary.
Columbia also awards highly competitive fellowships to recognize exceptional creative work. The Felipe De Alba Fellowships, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, are given annually to four to six second-year Fiction students based on the strength of their first-year submissions. In Poetry, one second-year student is selected each year to receive the Linda Corrente Fellowship, which provides $3,500 to $5,000 in additional support. Among the most prestigious awards offered, the Henfield Prize grants $15,000 to one second-year Fiction student at the end of the spring semester. These fellowships not only offset tuition costs but also serve as markers of distinction that help emerging writers establish credibility within the publishing world.
Combining substantial tuition support with service-based compensation and merit fellowships, Columbia provides its graduate students with a level of funding that is both practical and career-enhancing. The model reflects a wider trend in graduate creative writing education toward integrating financial assistance with professional training, ensuring that students leave the program not only with advanced degrees but also with valuable experience and recognition that position them strongly for future opportunities.
Merit-Based Fellowships
Felipe P. De Alba Fund for Writers
The Felipe P. De Alba Fund for Writers is one of the most prestigious merit-based fellowships available to MFA students in Fiction at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Designed to recognize and reward exceptional literary talent, the fellowship provides awards of up to $15,000, which are applied directly to tuition and fees in the student’s second year of study.
Unlike many awards, students cannot apply directly for a De Alba Fellowship. Instead, candidates are nominated by the Chair of the Writing Program and the Dean of the School of the Arts in consultation with Writing Program faculty. From this group of nominees, a selection panel—comprising two Columbia faculty members and one established writer from outside the university—evaluates the student work and determines the recipients. Nominees may be asked to submit writing samples during the process, and fellowship awards are announced each April of a student’s first year. Funds are then disbursed in the fall of the following academic year.
Because the fellowship is tied to an endowment, the number and size of awards vary annually, but they remain among the most competitive and sought-after funding opportunities in Columbia’s MFA program. By honoring students who demonstrate outstanding promise in fiction writing, the Felipe P. De Alba Fund provides both meaningful financial support and an important mark of distinction within the literary community.
Award Amount: Up to $15,000 for MFA students in Fiction.
Eligibility: Nominated by the Writing Program Chair and Dean in consultation with faculty.
Selection Process: Evaluated by Writing Program faculty and an external writer.
Total Funds Available: Variable (Depends on annual endowment).
Eligibility Requirements: Open to MFA Fiction students nominated by faculty.
Apply Here: Felipe P. De Alba Fund Application
Henfield Prize
The Henfield Prize, established through the generosity of the Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, is one of the most prestigious awards available to young fiction writers. The Prize, which recognizes the best work in fiction by a second-year graduate student in the Writing Program, is given annually at the end of the academic year and carries an award of $15,000. The Prize is judged by the Writing Program’s full-time fiction faculty. There is no formal application process for the Prize; however, nominees may be asked to submit writing samples. The recipient of the Prize is notified in May and receives a check for $15,000. Columbia is one of five universities nationally whose creative writing programs have been selected to award an annual Henfield Prize.
Award Amount: $15,000
Eligibility: Second-year fiction graduate students in the Writing Program.
Selection Process: Judged by full-time fiction faculty.
Total Funds Available: $15,000 annually.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA Fiction students in their second year.
Apply Here: Henfield Prize Application
Linda Corrente Fellowship
Award Amount: $3,500 - $5,000
Eligibility: Awarded to a second-year Poetry student based on faculty selection.
Total Funds Available: $5,000 annually.
Eligibility Requirements: Open to second-year MFA Poetry students.
Apply Here: Linda Corrente Fellowship Application
Service-Based Fellowships
Chair’s Fellowships
Students assist with Writing Program administration.
Award Amount: $7,500 - $18,000
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: Open to second-year MFA students.
Apply Here: Chair's Fellowships Application
Columbia Artist/Teachers (CA/T) Program Positions
Nine second-year students support the CA/T program, including projects like the Incarcerated Artists Project.
Award Amount: $7,500 - $18,000
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students in their second year.
Apply Here: CA/T Program Application
Service Positions in the Dean’s Office
Graduate students manage administrative tasks in the Dean’s Office.
Award Amount: $7,500 - $18,000
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students with administrative experience.
Apply Here: Dean's Office Application
Columbia Journal Senior Staff Positions
Award Amount: $10,000
Description: Four senior staff members manage editorial operations for the Columbia Journal.
Total Funds Available: $40,000 annually.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students with editorial experience.
Apply Here: Columbia Journal Application
Our Word Student Group Co-Presidents
Two students lead the Our Word student group, advocating for diversity and inclusion in the arts.
Award Amount: $7,500 each
Total Funds Available: $15,000 annually.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students committed to diversity initiatives.
Apply Here: Our Word Application
Veteran-Specific Fellowships
Yellow Ribbon Program
Award Amount: Up to $5,000 per academic year
Eligibility: Post-9/11 veterans (first-come, first-served basis).
Total Funds Available: $25,000 annually.
Eligibility Requirements: U.S. veterans with qualifying military service.
Apply Here: Yellow Ribbon Application
Clive Foundation Fellowship for Student Veteran Artists
Eligibility: U.S. military veterans pursuing an MFA in Film, Theatre, Visual Arts, or Writing.
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: Veterans pursuing an MFA in designated fields.
Apply Here: Clive Foundation Application
William Talbott Hillman Foundation Scholarship for Veteran Visual Arts Students
Eligibility: One U.S. military veteran pursuing an MFA in Visual Arts.
Total Funds Available: One full scholarship annually.
Eligibility Requirements: U.S. veterans pursuing Visual Arts MFAs.
Apply Here: Hillman Scholarship Application
Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Solomon B. Hayden Fellowships
Description: Supports students from underrepresented backgrounds in the Visual Arts program.
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Apply Here: Solomon B. Hayden Fellowship Application
Support the Next Generation of Artists Fellowship Initiative
Goal: Provides 50 new full scholarships over five years to ensure equitable access to graduate arts education.
Total Funds Available: Variable.
Eligibility Requirements: Demonstrated financial need and artistic potential.
Apply Here: Next Generation Application
Matching Program for Fellowship Endowments
Match Rate: 1:1 match for gifts starting at $125,000, up to $1 million, to create more fellowships.
Total Funds Available: Based on donor contributions.
Eligibility Requirements: MFA students demonstrating financial need.
Apply Here: Endowment Matching Program
Professional Development and Career Resources
Artists’ Resource Center (ARC)
The Artists’ Resource Center (ARC) serves as a comprehensive career services hub, dedicated to supporting current students and alumni in their pursuit of employment and funding opportunities, as well as in advancing their professional aspirations. Available exclusively to School of the Arts students and alumni, the ARC is home to a database of more than 1,100 grants, scholarships, residencies, and other funding opportunities for artists. The ARC also contains resources for working artists, including up-to-date job postings in the arts sector and professional development opportunities.
Workshops and Events: The ARC hosts a number of professional development workshops and events throughout the year. Past events include:
How to Research Scholarships, Grants, Fellowships, and Project Funds
Basic Grant Writing
Resume Development for Arts-related, Academic, and “Day” Job Searches
Interviewing Skills
Life Skills 101: Medical Insurance, Rental Insurance, and Legal Services
Media Networking Night
Alumni Artist Panels
A Newsletter You Don't Want to Miss: The ARC distributes a weekly e-newsletter (bi-weekly during the summer months) that lists jobs, internships, professional opportunities, and upcoming funding deadlines that may be of interest to students and alumni. To be added to the ARC newsletter distribution list, please send your preferred email address to arc@columbia.edu. Enrolled students are automatically subscribed.
Explore Teaching Opportunities
First- and second-year students can enroll in teacher training through the "Writer as Teacher" seminar, and are offered a wide variety of teaching opportunities on and off campus through our Columbia Artist/Teachers program (CA/T) and the Incarcerated Writers Initiative (IWI) directed by Alan Ziegler, Professor of Professional Practice in Writing in the Faculty of the Arts. In their second year, students are eligible to serve as Teaching Assistants in the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program. No prior teaching experience is required. Additional opportunities for all students are announced on a rolling basis throughout the year.
In addition, during the summer, Columbia offers writing workshops and seminars for high school students, taught by Writing Program students and alumni. Between ten and twenty rising second-year students are hired to teach each summer, and are generally invited back to teach again the following summer.
For all 3-week courses, the salary is $7,334 (before taxes) for teachers with MFA degrees in progress, with an additional $1,250 bonus (before taxes) for developing their courses.
Courses available to current MFA students generally consist of a morning seminar and afternoon workshop. Class time will be spent completing writing exercises, reading and discussing published literature, exploring issues of method and craft, and workshopping student writing. In addition to class time, teachers must be available for individual conferences with students, though the timing of these is flexible. The number of positions varies, and is dependent upon student enrollment. To be eligible, graduate students must be in good academic standing.
Professional Resources for Artists
NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) (Best for visual art jobs)
Playbill (Best resource for theatre jobs)
Poets & Writers (Great resource for writing jobs)
Publishers Lunch Job Board (Jobs in book publishing)
Video Collective (Great resources for film and TV jobs)
Media Match (Great resources for film and TV jobs)
TV Jobs (Great resources for TV jobs)
Backstage (Great resource for small gigs and casting calls)
Disney (Many jobs in film, but some in writing and theatre. Disney owns many companies so you will find a variety of networks on these listings)
Media Bistro (Great resource for media and creative jobs)
Educaloxy (for job openings in Schools of Arts, Education, and Languages across the globe)
Chronicle for Higher Education (For teaching jobs / jobs in schools)
Other Resources
The Listings Project (housing and workspace for artists)
New York Foundation for the Arts Classifieds
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
Women in the Arts and Media Coalition (funding, residency, and other opportunities)
Res Artis: Worldwide Network of Arts Residencies
Independent Television Service (ITVS) (incubator and presenter of independent film)
Movies that Matter (screening human rights related films)
Sundance Collab (professional development)
Careers in the Arts Toolkit (resources for artists with disabilities)
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