FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FINANCIAL
SUPPORT
We pay the tuition for all of our students as well as University health insurance, and a gym membership.
Affording your MFA training is something you’ve most likely been thinking about for a while, and in your research you’ve no doubt found that different schools describe their financial support differently. That’s because we’re all part of larger institutions each with their own idiosyncratic way of doing things. In general, though, financial support could be broken down as follows: Tuition, TAships, and Housing.
TEACHING
ASSISTANTSHIPS
We see teaching as essential to training, and that’s described more fully here. In the context of financial support, TAships are an important source of income for our second and third year MFAs. In addition to teaching, some assistantships involve administrative tasks such as assisting in scheduling auditions with outside companies or working in our Music Theatre library.
HOUSING
MFA students are guaranteed a place in Graduate Housing. These apartments are usually much more affordable than off campus housing. You can learn more about Graduate Housing here: https://housing.uci.edu/grad/index.html
WHY UCI
UCI's Drama Department has an extraordinarily distinguished faculty, a well-planned and effective curriculum, and excellent production facilities. But the most important single element of your experience in any graduate training program is your colleagues. The graduate acting program at UCI is supportive of our actors and their individual growth.Our standards are high: strong work is the minimum expectation. You will be in the company of some of the very best young actors in the country. As actors you will work closely together to encourage the highest level of ability as a cohort and greater graduate community.