Juilliard is delighted to announce that, starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, the Drama Division’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in acting will become a tuition-free degree. This exciting development is made possible through a combination of existing scholarships and generous new contributions.
Stephanie McClelland, a dedicated Juilliard trustee and accomplished theater producer, along with her husband, Carter McClelland, have played a pivotal role in supporting the existing scholarships for this program through a matching challenge grant. The challenge was successfully met thanks to the generous matching gift from John Gore, Chairman and CEO of the John Gore Organization, along with additional contributions from the Jacques and Margot W. Kohn Foundation and various estates.
Starting in the fall of 2024, first-year MFA students will be recognized as John Gore/Broadway.com fellows, while third-year students will be honored as McClelland Fellows.
Juilliard’s President, Damian Woetzel, expressed gratitude for the vision and generosity of Stephanie and Carter, as well as John Gore and all those who have contributed to this significant milestone in graduate education within the drama field at Juilliard.
This tuition-free MFA in acting program adds to Juilliard’s growing list of degrees that are fully funded by scholarships or offered tuition-free, including jazz, music performance, opera studies, playwriting, string quartet studies, historical performance, and the Doctor of Musical Arts program. The Music Advancement Program, catering to young talents from the tristate area in the preparatory division, also operates tuition-free.
John Gore emphasized the importance of ensuring that access to education never limits one’s potential, reflecting on his own personal experience of being unable to complete his drama school training due to financial constraints after his father’s passing. He expressed his joy in partnering with Broadway.com to provide a pathway for future generations of promising talent to receive the training they need to thrive and make a meaningful impact in the theater world.
Juilliard’s MFA program in acting was established in 2012 by the then-Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division, James Houghton. Since its inception, the final year of the program has been tuition-free, with fourth-year students also receiving a living stipend. It’s worth noting that the illustrious Juilliard School was founded in 1905, with Juilliard Drama launching in 1968.
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