Merit-based scholarships

Scholarships

“NFI is the perfect place to start growing your craft in the never-ending film world.”

- Logan Wester, 0219 Cohort, Chattanooga, TN- Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)

Merit-based scholarship

Several generous alumni and industry professionals have donated money to set up scholarships for students who have met the criteria defined by the donor.

Nashville Film Institute’s Merit Based Scholarships provide financial assistance to domestic and international students who are accepted full-time to NFI’s Cinema Production Program. A Merit Based Scholarship pays up to 25% of the program tuition.

To apply, students must meet the following criteria:

18 years of age or older
A U.S. citizen, eligible non-citizen, or International Student Accepted full-time into a full time program at Nashville Film Institute

The scholarship application is considered complete and will be flagged for review once all items are received by NFI:

Completed Application (this form).
Completed and filed Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA)
A Letter of Recommendation sent directly to the college to ensure authenticity.
The Letter of Recommendation cannot be written by a member of the applicant’s family.
An original 1-2 minute video on any interpretation of the theme, “How I Would Make The Most Of This Scholarship”. The video can be published to any online video space and include the direct link with this application.

Submission Deadline: complete all of the above and deliver to the Financial Services Office no later than 14 business days before the start of the program cohort.

HOW TO APPLY:

DOWNLOAD THIS PDF FORM TO YOUR COMPUTER, complete all required content, and return everything as one package to NFI.

Please note: do not complete the form in your web browser (it will not save the information). Download the file to your computer, then open it using Adobe Acrobat Reader to complete the form fields. You can digitally sign the application by using the free Acrobat Reader software. When complete, please email the entire scholarship application package to [email protected], or send everything to NFI via mail or dropping it off during regular business hours.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Nashville Film Institute mission statement is to train students for a career in the film industry.

AWARD

The High School Scholarship program will award one (1) $5000 scholarship to an eligible student twice per year.

MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligible for consideration, those applying for a NFI Scholarship must:

Graduated (or in the process of graduating) high school with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA or equivalent
Have applied for admission as a high school senior to NFI’s Cinema Production Program.
Have met the entrance requirements for the Cinema Production Program.
Have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and reviewed their Federal Student Aid Report with the NFI Financial Aid Officer.
Have completed the Enrollment/Financial Aid process and demonstrated need, calculated by a need-based formula.
2 Letters of Recommendation from either: one (1) Teacher, one (1) Guidance Counselor, or one (1) Client (current or former) in the film industry.

SCHOLARSHIP MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS

Maintain 85% GPA and 95% attendance during their education at NFI (if GPA falls below 85% OR attendance rate falls below 95% during academic tenure, scholarship disbursement will pause).

HOW TO APPLY

Prospective students can apply for the scholarship online at www.NFI.edu/scholarships
Scholarship applications must be submitted a minimum of 4 weeks (28 days) prior to the intended start date at NFI.

AWARD NOTIFICATION

Recipients will be notified by the Financial Aid Officer prior to beginning their cinema program, provided eligibility requirements above are met.
Scholarship will be disbursed throughout students’ academic year, equally divided between payment periods as applicable.

PROVISIONS

Applicants must have applied as a new student to NFI.
An interruption of training, or withdrawal may result in a cancellation of scholarship award and disbursement(s). Students must understand that a change of student status may impact student eligibility.
The final award of the scholarship is contingent upon receipt of all required Admissions and Financial Aid documents by your start date.
Students who delay their start date may forfeit eligibility.
Funds from the High School Scholarship may be used only toward the tuition of the Cinema Production program.
The scholarship is nontransferable and has no redeemable cash value.
Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Nashville Film Institute mission statement is to train students for a career in the film industry. Women are highly underrepresented in film - In the 92 year history of the Academy Awards women have been grossly underrepresented. Best Director: Only 5 women have been nominated; and only one (Kathryn Bigelow) has ever won the award. This works out to be ~1% of nominations and wins. Best Cinematographer: Only one woman has ever been nominated. This works out to be ~0.2% of nominations. Best Sound Editing: Only 15 nominations (of which only 3 were standalone; others were shared with men) and 5 wins. Best Visual Effects: Only 3 nominations (all shared with men) and 2 wins. As we look into the future, NFI wants to play an active role in supporting the increased representation of women and it begins with education. NFI has created the Women in Film Scholarship program that will award one full-scholarship and five $3,000 partial-scholarships to eligible students.

AWARDS

The Mary Francis Rudy Scholarship for Women program will award up to

One (1) full scholarship of $21,800 per year
Five (5) partial scholarships of $3,000 per year (total scholarship pool of $15,000)

MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligible for consideration, those applying for a Mary Francis Rudy Scholarship for Women must:

Identify as a female
Have applied for admission as a new student to NFI’s Cinema Production program
Have met the entrance requirements for the Cinema Production program
Graduated (or in the process of graduating) high school with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA or equivalent
2 Letters of Recommendation from 2 different people unrelated to the applicant. One letter must come from a member of the Film Industry (i.e: mentor, client (current or former, coworker).

HOW TO APPLY

Prospective students can apply for the scholarship online at www.NFI.edu/scholarships
Scholarship applications must be submitted a minimum of 4 weeks (28 days) prior to the intended start date at NFI.

AWARD NOTIFICATION

Recipients will be notified by the Financial Aid Officer prior to beginning their program, provided eligibility requirements above are met.
Scholarship will be disbursed throughout students’ academic year, equally divided between payment periods as applicable.

PROVISIONS

Applicants must have applied as a new student to NFI.
An interruption of training, or withdrawal may result in a cancellation of scholarship award and disbursement(s). Students must understand that a change of student status may impact student eligibility.
Scholars will need to meet standards greater than what is required by Satisfactory Academic Progress upon the midpoint (2nd payment period). The requirement for scholars to maintain their scholarship is 95% attendance and 85% GPA before 2nd disbursement is applied. If the student is not meeting that requirement they will lose eligibility for the 2nd half of the scholarship and will need to speak with the Financial Aid Officer.
The final award of the scholarship is contingent upon receipt of all required Admissions and Financial Aid documents by your start date.
Students who delay their start date may forfeit eligibility.
Funds from the Women in FIlm Scholarship may be used only toward the tuition for the Cinema Production program.
The scholarship is nontransferable and has no redeemable cash value.
Financial aid is available for those who qualify.
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS ARE LIMITED AND WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE UNTIL DEPLETED.

WE ARE NASHVILLE'S FILM SCHOOL

OUR MISSION: "TO TRAIN STUDENTS FOR CAREERS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY"

call the NFI for more information: 877-627-3456

Contact us

191 Polk Avenue Nashville, TN 37210.