School of Cinematic Arts MFA Thesis Grant*
MFA Thesis Grants are intended for students pursuing an MFA in the School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at CDM. These grants are used to offset costs related to completing student thesis films. The grants are restricted to projects that have already begun or have finished production, and are to be used primarily for post, sound mix, score and music, color correction, or festival entry fees.
Qualifying Criteria
Only degree-seeking students who meet the following criteria may apply:
- MFA student at CDM in the Thesis Phase of the program
- Minimum 3.5 GPA
- Currently enrolled
- In post-production phase of thesis
- Students who hold a full time or part time university faculty or staff position are not eligible for an MFA Thesis Grant.
Application Process
To be considered for an MFA Thesis Grant, the following must be submitted by 11:59pm on the due date for each application period:
- Submit a PDF of the following materials at
MyCDM > MFA Grants:
- Synopsis
- Cast and crew list
- Work completed to date
- Work still to be completed
- Budget top sheet and budget narrative: the budget narrative explains how you arrived at the sum of each line item, justifying the expense.
- Specific dollar amount requested: a maximum of $5,000 or 50% of the budget if budget is under $10,000.
- Online link (such as Vimeo) to a rough cut or finished film.
Please submit the requested materials as a single document.
Applications Periods and Deadlines
There are three annual application periods. To be considered for a thesis grant, the application materials must be submitted by the dates specified below.
- Fall:
Sept. 15th through
Oct. 15th
- Winter:
Jan. 15th through
Feb. 15th
- Spring:
Apr. 15th through May 15th
Application Review and Notification
After submission of the application, students may be contacted and invited to interview with a faculty committee to discuss the request. The interview may be necessary to clarify issues regarding the application.
The MFA production grants are extremely competitive. The review committee rejects many excellent student proposals due to the high volume and quality of applicants. The selection process includes assessing a student’s vision, creativity, ingenuity, technical and narrative execution, and overall promise of the project as a representation of our program. The decisions are based on the merits of each application and the quality of the filmmaking.
Students will be notified via email of the result of their grant application prior to the start of each quarter.
Questions or Concerns
For more information about the MFA Thesis Grant, please contact
MFAAdmins@cdm.depaul.edu.
If you are having technical issues regarding your application, contact
development@cdm.depaul.edu.
NOTE: You will generally receive an answer within two (2) business days during regular business hours.