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Requirements & Eligibility

Requirements & Eligibility

To take part in Drexel in L.A., you must:

  • Be a student in good standing in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above*. If you are in danger of being academically dismissed at the start of Summer Quarter, you may not participate in DiLA.
  • Be enrolled as a full-time student in Film & Television, Screenwriting & Playwriting, Television & Media Management, Entertainment & Arts Management, Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Media, or related programs. If you are scheduled for co-op in the summer, you can take one course in the DiLA program as long as you also have a co-op job in the L.A. area and comply with the other provisions of the DiLA program.
  • If you are not in one of the listed majors, your program director must also send a letter of recommendation to the DiLA Program Administrator Elizabeth Kitches approving your participation. This must be received by the application deadline. Contact information for all Westphal program directors is listed here.
  • Be of sophomore (second-year) standing, in terms of both credits and billing. You should have at least 55 credits by the start of Winter Quarter, and be sure that the University is billing you as a sophomore. Transfer students should check this carefully - if you are not scheduled for classes in the summer, DiLA could cost you additional tuition charges. In rare cases, DiLA will accept a student in their junior/third year. Additionally, graduate students in the Television & Media Management (TVMM) program are eligible with approval from their program director.
  • Commit to long days, which may consist of two hours or more of commuting, eight hours at an internship, followed by a three-hour class.
  • Commit to giving your internship 100% effort and conducting yourself in Los Angeles like a mature professional.

*Exceptions or special considerations should be discussed directly with Karin Kelly, Department Head of Cinema & Television.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure you fulfill these requirements. Failure to comply with any of them my result in your expulsion from the program and forfeiture of all fees.

Housing

DiLA participants will live together in the same apartment complex, AVA Apartments, located in Burbank. Program participants will not be allowed to have housing elsewhere in Los Angeles.

Drexel students rent through a company called KAPI Housing, which supplies fully equipped apartments. Also included in the rental are all utilities— cable, WiFi, gas, power and water.

Each student will sign his or her own lease with KAPI Housing. Within two weeks of being accepted into the Program, i.e., by mid-January, you will be expected to have paid the KAPI non-refundable deposit plus a refundable security and cleaning deposit.

Transportation

Students are responsible for their travel to and from Los Angeles. The usual options are:

  • Air: Flights to Los Angeles range from $500-$900, depending on several factors such as airline, flight path, time of day, day of the week, etc. Please keep in mind that most airlines charge $50 or more to check in luggage. 

  • Car: If you choose to drive, it is about a 2,700 mile, 39-hour trip from Philadelphia to Burbank, CA, it usually takes three or four days. Gas alone will likely cost in the range of $1,000 or more for the trip. You should also factor in meals and lodging along the route. (But driving cross-country with friends can be a lot of fun!)

However you get to L.A., we recommend that you have a car for the summer, even though public transit may be possible (or even preferable). DiLA has a deal with Hertz Rent-a-Car for our students: approximately $1,200 per month for the rental of an economy-class car, including the under-21 surcharge. In order to take advantage of this, students must prove that they are insured, either on their own policies or that of their parents.

Regarding parking: Parkings at AVA is $75 per month and must be reserved when you apply for your lease.  

Tuition

Students pay the same tuition to Drexel that they would normally spend for summer term. In addition to that, expenses are as follows: 

  • The Drexel in L.A. Program fee of $1,000 is the only charge (beyond tuition) that goes to Drexel University and is payable via credit card and due with the initial application, but will be refunded if the student is not accepted into the program. 

  • The rental period begins a couple of days before the first of the four students in each suite moves in, and ends after Labor Day. 

  • Food: students will be responsible for their own meals. The Site Director will be happy to suggest places to shop and low-cost dining-out options.