Types of Aid: Undergraduate

Financial Aid at CIM consists of grants, scholarships, loans and work study. Learn more about the details of each type of aid available to undergraduate students.

CIM Scholarship

The CIM Scholarship is a merit-based, need-informed award. CIM faculty recommendations of the applicant audition are the primary component for this award, in addition to grades, test scores, outside letters of recommendation and expectation of student potential. This award is renewed at the same dollar amount each subsequent year for the normal duration of the program of study, provided the student maintains satisfactory academic and artistic progress. For enrollment that exceeds the normal timeframe to complete a program, Dean approval is required to extend the scholarship, and requires a formal appeal by the student explaining the reason the program was not completed on time; scholarship renewals are not guaranteed for program extensions. The need-based consideration for this award would require the student to submit the FAFSA and/or CSS PROFILE.

cim endowed scholarships

These named awards are generally not applied for directly. Instead, CIM will consider all applicants and/or currently enrolled students, per the specific criteria set by the donor(s) of these awards at various times throughout the academic year. In most cases, they do not represent additional aid, instead are the funding source behind all or part of the student's existing CIM Scholarship award (may be for one year or multiple years). Award amounts may fluctuate annually. If you are selected as a recipient of any of these awards, you may be asked to write a letter of thanks to the donor and may be asked to participate in various CIM events recognizing the award(s).

Federal pell grants

The Pell Grant is a need-based Federal award that does not have to be repaid. Eligibility and award amount is determined by the U.S. Department of Education to eligible first time bachelor degree students. Eligibility is strictly based on the annual FAFSA results. The higher the FAFSA SAI (Student Aid Index), the lower the Pell Grant. Read more information about Federal Pell Grants.

federal supplemental educational opportunity grant

FSEOG does not have to be repaid and is a need-based Campus Based Federal grant administered by CIM. Priority is given to students eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. CIM FSEOG awards rarely exceed $1000, due to limited funding.

outside scholarships

CIM encourages students to seek private aid and other funding options on their own. The following are organizations and tools you may wish to contact in search for additional funding.

Please note: Always use caution when applying for private scholarship opportunities. Please visit Scholarship & Financial Aid Scams for warnings. Outside scholarships are sponsored, administered and awarded by various individual donors, organizations and private agencies not affiliated with CIM. Inclusion on this list does not constitute endorsement. These lists are provided for informational purposes only.

Advice for Outside Scholarships: The sites listed below are only a few of the resources available. You might also look into local scholarships.

Ethnic and cultural organizations
High school counseling office
Military associations
Parent's Employers
Political parties and politicians
Private foundations and charities
Professional or trade associations
Music organizations, orchestras, etc.
Religious organizations

Advice for Foreign Students: Some scholarships may be available only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents; however, some scholarship agencies are geared specifically toward supporting foreign students. Please consult International Education Financial Aid and EduPass for more information:

Music Scholarships:

General Scholarships:

Scholarship Search Engines:

SPHINX MUSIC assistance fund scholarship

Up to one student per year may be selected as the recipient of a full tuition scholarship to an eligible SPHINX competition participant.

state grant aid

Many states have established state grant and/or scholarship programs that may be available to eligible students. Students must apply for these state programs individually (generally via the FAFSA). These grants and/or award amounts are not always available at the time CIM prepares initial award packages and award amounts and disbursement timing is subject to the applicable state’s budget appropriations and approval.

veteran's benefits

Students, who are veterans of the armed services or dependents of veterans, should review their educational benefit options through the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

Veterans

Apply for educational benefits through the DVA.
Notify CIM's Financial Aid Office that you are eligible and applying for veteran’s educational benefits.

Dependent of a veteran:

Your parent transfers a portion (or all) of his/her benefit to you through Transfer of Entitlement.
After the transfer is approved, apply for the educational benefit through the DVA.
Notify CIM's Financial Aid Office that you are eligible and applying for veteran's educational benefits.

Documentation needed:

Veteran: a photocopy of your VA Certificate of Eligibility sent to you by the DVA.
Dependant of a veteran: a photocopy of approved Transfer of Educational Benefit (TEB) from your parent AND a photocopy of your VA Certificate of Eligibility sent to you by the DVA.

Work Study

Work study provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student's course of study. Work study consideration is generally limited to domestic students with documented financial need from the FAFSA. Eligibility is year-specific to the applicable year’s FAFSA. Work study funding and eligibility may fluctuate from year to year.

Most jobs are within CIM offices. We also participate in several local community service programs.

Students who receive a work study award must apply for jobs via our Human Resources office and go through the hiring process with the applicable office/department. Work study awards are not applied to the student tuition account. Instead, these funds are paid to students on a semi-monthly basis via payroll as they submit their hours worked for approval by their supervisor. Before a student may begin a work study job, all new hire tax forms must be on file with the Human Resources office.

This is taxable income and the student will receive a W-2 at year-end for tax return purposes.

yellow ribbon program

Up to 5 students annually may be awarded this CIM Yellow Ribbon Match support to accompany the VA GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon award as a veteran benefit. The annual combination of the CIM Yellow Ribbon Match and any other CIM funded scholarship / grant aid will be at least $10,000, renewable for the normal duration of the program, so long as the student remains an eligible recipient of the GI Bill, maintains a minimum 3.0 Cumulative GPA and meets CIM’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. The student or parent must qualify for 100% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill to be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon program. Applicants must disclose that status to the CIM Financial Aid Office by March 1 of the application year for consideration. If there are more than 5 eligible students, returning students get first priority. Any remaining openings are determined by the date the student's application for admission was submitted, and earliest completed application date gets first consideration. Find more eligibility details, here.

Loans

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan

Students’ parents can borrow a PLUS Loan to help pay students’ education expenses if the student is a dependent undergraduate student enrolled at least half-time.

For a Parent PLUS Loan, parents submit a Direct PLUS Loan application. If approved, the parent must also complete a PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) at that same site prior to the first disbursement. If the parent does not obtain credit approval, he/she may still be able to petition Direct Loans to have the loan reviewed again or receive a loan by adding a credit-worthy endorser. Or if denied credit, the student would become eligible for additional Unsubsidized Stafford ($4000 annually; $5000 if Jr or Sr.).

The yearly limit on a PLUS Loan is equal to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid received. For PLUS Loans, the interest rate is variable per year and is determined on July 1 of every year. Interest is charged on a PLUS Loan from the date of the first disbursement until the loan is paid in full.

Even if the Parent PLUS Loan is the only form of federal aid sought for a student, the FAFSA for that award year is required to verify eligibility. Students should always maximize the Stafford and/or Perkins Loans before taking PLUS, as the PLUS has the highest interest rate and fees of any of the federal loans.

Generally, the first payment is due within 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed. However, parents my apply for an in-school deferment similar to the student deferment, so no principal payments would be required while the student is enrolled at least half-time. There is no grace period for these loans.

Loan borrowers have the right to cancel or reduce the amount of their loans within 14 calendar days of the date the loan funds are credited (disbursed) to their student account and have any associated origination fees reversed. Borrowers who wish to cancel or reduce their loans must submit a written request within the 14-day period to the Financial Aid Office at CIM. After the
14-day period has expired, any cancellation or reduction of loans takes place directly between the borrower and the loan servicer and origination fees are not reversed.

More information on Direct PLUS Loans is online.

Federal Direct Stafford Loan

Subsidized Loans:

Are need-based (and only eligible to undergraduate students)
The Federal government pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half time

Unsubsidized Loans:

Are not need-based and are eligible to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Annual Loan limits vary based on year of enrollment.
Unsubsidized requires the borrower to be responsible for interest that accrues from the time the funds are disbursed. Interest rates and origination fees vary annually. Check online for the most updated rates, fees, requirements and repayment information.

CIM offers these loans to all eligible students. Applicants for these loans are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Direct Loan Entrance Counseling and a completed Master Promissory Note are required prior to disbursement the first year receiving this loan.

Direct Loan borrowers have the right to cancel or reduce the amount of their loans within 14 calendar days from the date the loan funds are credited (disbursed) to their student billing account and have any associated origination fees reversed. Once a Direct Loan has been disbursed (generally the 3rd or 4th week into a semester), the servicing of the loan(s) will be handled by official Federal Loan Servicers.

Private Educational Loans

Should you need to borrow additional funds beyond federal loan programs, you may wish to consider a private educational loan. It is your responsibility to research these options to find the one best suited to your needs. Be sure to review interest rate, fees and special features. Be aware that each lender performs its own credit check and multiple checks can have an adverse effect on your credit score. You should opt for a loan that has no prepayment penalty and is deferred until graduation. Most importantly, borrow conservatively. If you or your parents have equity in a home, you may wish to pursue a home equity loan. Contact your mortgage holder or the bank of your choice to apply for such a loan.

CIM is not affiliated with and does not endorse any particular lender. You are welcome to choose any lender of your choice. However, here is a historical list of lenders that CIM students have used in recent years in alphabetical order:

All Private loan borrowers must submit a Self-Certification Form to the lender, in addition to the School Certification. Most lenders will provide this form to borrowers. However, you can download a copy of the Private Loan Self Certification.

Top