Financial Aid & Scholarships

AFA believes that financial hardship should never be a barrier between young musicians and the experiences that shape their futures. In addition to subsidizing the cost of AFA programs through fundraising efforts, direct tuition assistance for students is offered through the AFA Play It Forward Fund. All program applicants are offered the opportunity to apply for tuition assistance as part of AFA’s general application process.

Need-based tuition assistance is intended for applicants with a genuine financial need and/or for those who would not be able to attend without assistance. This aid ranges in amounts from 10-90% of the program tuition and is considered on a case-by-case basis (there is no minimum eligibility requirement). All applicants are welcome to request assistance during the application process for their program; parents/guardians of the applicant are encouraged to complete the application themselves in order to provide thorough information. Auditions and assistance review are completed independent of each other and do not influence one another. Preview the current application here.

In addition, tuition payment plans, special scholarships and sibling and continuation discounts offer additional ways to offset the costs of attending an AFA program. Read about applicable options for each program in the expandable menus below.

  • Discounts & Scholarships

    Previous attendance

    Students who were enrolled in the session immediately before the one they have been accepted to receive an automatic $25 discount when applying by the deadline set forth for that session. For example: a student who was enrolled in the Spring 2024 Chamber Music Academy will receive the discount if they apply to the Summer Music Festival by March 15th.

    Sibling Discount

    Students residing in the same household receive an automatic 5% tuition discount each.

    All State Scholarship

    High School students who earned a place in a TMEA All State ensemble receive a $250 scholarship for the Summer Music Festival in the same year as that achievement. They must notify AFA during the application process that this scholarship applies to them.

    Financial Aid

  • Tuition Payment Plans & Options

    Families have the following options when choosing how to pay their tuition balance (specific due dates are given during the application process):

    • Full Balance Option (the total, all at once by a date before the program starts)
    • Two Payment Option (half of the tuition balance due before the program starts and half due later). These payments will be charged to the credit card or bank account on file automatically on the payment dates given (unless other manual payments are made).

    Flexibility is possible on a case by case basis; please reach out to AFA with any questions or concerns about making tuition payments.

    Scholarships