ESM Faculty & Staff Handbook 2009-2010
FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
Location: 25 Gibbs Street, Miller Center
Phone: 585-274-1070
Fax: 585-232-8601
E-mail: financialaid@esm.rochester.edu
Mary Ellen Nugent, Director menugent@esm.rochester.edu
Tina Berds, Assistant Director
berds@esm.rochester.edu
Gladys Torres, Sr. Financial Aid Counselor
gtorres@esm.rochester.edu
Irina Yurovsky, Secretary 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 obtained from and processed by this office. The Graduate Studies Offices processes and determines all Graduate Awards. Federal Subsidized, 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 a student attending Eastman regarding all aspects of financial aid.
Students who are accepted for full-time degree studies at Eastman and apply for financial aid are eligible for a merit scholarship ranging from $5,000 - $12,000/year. The amount of merit scholarship continues to be awarded annually for eight semesters. We admit based on excellence alone and merit scholarships are determined by the strength of the admission file and the audition. Our fundamental philosophy is to make the Eastman School of Music as affordable as possible to as many people as possible. Students may also apply for need-based financial aid, including loan programs by completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). 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 may submit their appeal in writing to the Eastman Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Committee (members from the departments of Admission, Financial Aid, Student Affairs, Student and Residential Life) will evaluate and determine these appeals.
Graduate awards and financial aid may consist of a combination of the following: a tuition fellowship, a stipend for a job performed, federal student loans and/or alternative loans. 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. 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.