USC Dance Scholarship Information and Criteria

General:

1) The Dance Scholarship account was established to provide support for university students who demonstrate a strong commitment to USC Dance.

2) All contributions to the University of South Carolina (excluding contributions to the USC Educational Foundation), which donors have designed for dance scholarships, will be deposited into the dance scholarship account. All funds in this account will be expended solely for dance scholarships, to be awarded based on the criteria below.

3) The number and dollar amount of dance scholarships to be awarded is dependent upon the number of qualified candidates and on the level of funds available. It is left to the discretion of the dance scholarship committee to determine the number and amount of dance scholarships to be awarded each semester.

4) All records regarding receipt and dispersal of funds for account will be kept by the Department of Theatre and Dance.

5) Students are expected to maintain a 2.5 grade point average to retain their awards.

6) Out-of-state scholarship recipients may be eligible for a tuition reduction benefit if their scholarships are valued at $500 per year or greater.

Criteria:

Dance scholarships will be awarded based on the following criteria:

1) Accepted to USC by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

2) Declared a Dance Major and enrolled as a full-time university student with a minimum of 12 credit hours. Freshmen are eligible to receive scholarships. All prospective dance majors, including transfer students, must audition in order to be accepted into the dance program, and must have been accepted as a student by the University of South Carolina through its separate application process.

3) To receive a tuition reduction, scholarship recipients must also meet eligibility requirements based on weighted core course GPA and standardized test scores as determined by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

4) Technical ability.

5) Performance participation with the USC Dance Company, not only in regularly scheduled concerts, but at the request of the Artistic Director for unscheduled, special invitation performances.

6) Classes and rehearsal attendance. This includes promptness and 100% attendance, unless an extenuating circumstance exists and the choreographer and/or Artistic Director have approved absences.

Award Process:

1) During the fall and spring semesters (click here for dates) individuals will be judged at the regularly scheduled auditions. The USC Dance Scholarship Committee and the Artistic Director will evaluate dancers. This will be a ballet class audition followed by a contemporary class and/or combinations.

2) Dance scholarship awards will be approved by the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance upon the recommendation of the Dance Scholarship Committee in consultation with the Artistic Director. The dance scholarship committee will consist of the full-time and part-time dance faculty. Dance scholarship awards will be announced sometime in late March or early April.

3) Upon notification of their award, recipients will be asked to sign a dance scholarship contract agreement that details the responsibilities and obligations of all parties.

4) Dance scholarship payment will be disbursed at the beginning of the semester for which the award was granted. If the recipient has unsatisfactorily fulfilled any of the criteria set forth above, scholarship funds will not be available to them in the future.

5) The USC Dance Program reserves the right to rescind the dance scholarship if the recipient fails to fulfill any of the criteria at any time during the academic semester, as determined by the Artistic Director.

Susan E. Anderson, Artistic Director
USC Dance Programs