Location: 26 Gibbs Street, Miller Center
Phone: 585-274-1070
Fax: 585-232-8601
E-mail: financialaid@esm.rochester.edu
Website: https://www.esm.rochester.edu/financialaid/
Sheri deNormand, Director
sdenormand@esm.rochester.edu
Tina Berds, Assistant Director
tberds@esm.rochester.edu
Gladys Torres, Sr. Financial Aid Counselor
gtorres@esm.rochester.edu
Irina Yurovsky, Administrative Assistant
iyurovsky@esm.rochester.edu
The office provides counseling and information regarding Eastman scholarships, State and Federal grants, loans and Federal Work-Study programs. All applications for undergraduate financial assistance are processed by this office. The Graduate Studies Offices processes and determines all Graduate Awards. All loans are processed by this office for either undergraduate or graduate student. Federal Subsidized (undergraduates only), Unsubsidized, Parent and Graduate (PLUS) loans are all offered through the Direct Loan Program. You may apply for any of these loans directly through the Financial Aid Office. The office staff is available to counsel all students attending Eastman regarding all aspects of financial aid.
Undergraduate students who are accepted for full-time degree studies at Eastman and apply for financial aid are eligible for a merit scholarship. The amount of merit scholarship continues to be renewed annually for eight semesters. (ten semesters if you are a Dual Degree student). Our admission process is need-blind for the first round of decisions and can be need-aware when admitting from the wait-list. Merit scholarships are need-informed and determined by the strength of the admission file and the audition relative to the entire incoming talent pool and then may be slightly increased based on need. Our fundamental philosophy is to make the Eastman School of Music as affordable as possible to as many people as possible. Domestic students should complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and international students should complete the CSS Profile. State grants are also available to students whose legal residence is in a state offering such a program (for example; NY – TAP; MI – Michigan Merit; VT – VSAC). Students who wish to appeal a financial aid decision should contact the Eastman Financial Aid Office to discuss the grounds of your appeal and the guidelines that are in place to facilitate this process.
Graduate awards may consist of a combination of the following: a tuition fellowship, a stipend for a job performed, federal student loans and/or alternative loans, and Federal Work Study. Graduate students audition or interview for graduate assistantships on audition day. The supervisor or department chair submits a ranked list of names to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, who makes the final graduate award assignment. The Financial Aid Office evaluates the graduate student’s FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to determine eligibility for federal student loans and Federal Work Study. Appeals of graduate award decisions should go to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for tuition fellowships and stipends and to the Financial Aid Office for loans and Federal Work Study.