A$AP Rocky is paying for one first-time freshman to attend the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University for four years, covering full tuition, according to a Long Island University press release issued Oct. 6. Applications for Fall 2027 close Dec. 15, 2026.
What the A$AP Rocky Scholarship Covers
The award is limited to first-time freshmen who plan to enroll in the fall of 2027. Applicants apply through apply.liu.edu/rn, and the deadline is Dec. 15, 2026, the release said. It describes one scholarship, with full tuition for four years.
The school sits in Brooklyn. It offers degrees in sports communication and marketing, music technology, entrepreneurship and production, vocal performance and sports management, according to LIU’s program page. The release did not say which major the winner must choose, and it did not describe a selection panel.
Rocky said in the release that he is “a big believer in creating your own lane and giving people the opportunity to do the same.” He added that “there are so many talented young people with ideas, ambition and something important to say.” The release identifies him as a multi-hyphenate artist, entrepreneur, actor and fashion icon. It describes DJ Khaled as a Grammy Award-winning musician, record executive and entrepreneur, Megan Thee Stallion as a Grammy Award-winning artist and LaMelo Ball as an NBA All-Star.
The release also names four people who have already set up scholarships at the school: DJ Khaled, Megan Thee Stallion, LaMelo Ball and Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton. It does not say how many awards each of them funds. Rocky’s gift is described as a single four-year, full-tuition scholarship.
What Four Years of Tuition Adds Up to
LIU’s tuition and fees page lists undergraduate tuition of $41,874 for the 2026-27 academic year, for students taking 24 to 36 credits. The page does not label that table by campus. It lists a separate full-time university fee of $2,116 a year.
Four years at the 2026-27 tuition rate comes to $167,496. A student who starts in Fall 2027 will pay whatever LIU charges in 2027-28 and later, so the actual figure for the winner will differ. The release says the scholarship covers tuition and does not mention the university fee.
The size of the award matters because of how the school already handles aid. The school funds Roc Nation Hope Scholarships for 25% of enrolled students, covering four years of full tuition, the release said. Recipients come from New York-based first-time freshmen with the highest financial need and strong academics. One in four students already has tuition paid under that program.
For scale, every 100 enrolled students would include 25 Hope recipients, and at LIU’s listed $41,874 rate their tuition would total $1,046,850 a year. Rocky’s single award is worth about $41,874 a year by comparison, or 4% of that amount. The release attaches no need or residency test to Rocky’s award, and it lists only first-time freshman status and the Fall 2027 start date as requirements.
How the Roc Nation School Got Here
LIU announced in a May 2021 release that the school’s inaugural class would start that fall and that Hope Scholarships would cover 25% of enrolled students. That release added producer 9th Wonder as a visiting professor and artist in residence to teach courses on hip-hop history and album creation, and it said the Hope Scholarships would let graduates finish debt-free. LIU President Kimberly Cline said in it that the university would “welcome its inaugural class of exceptional students this fall.”
The school’s first graduating class finished in May 2025, according to LIU’s October 2025 release. That release also described the Music Entrepreneurship course, which ends with a New Venture Pitch Off in which students pitch to executives from Universal Music Group and Live Nation. It said the school had expanded its partnership with JPMorgan Chase to add the Money Smart Financial Coaching Program.
The release said graduates took full-time jobs at Roc Nation and Bob Elliott’s Music Makers Studio, among other employers. Billboard had named the school to its Top Music Business Schools list for the second straight year at that point.
Named scholarships at the school predate Rocky’s. When LIU announced Young Guru as director of the Music Technology, Entrepreneurship & Production program on June 22, 2022, the school also announced a full-tuition scholarship for one highly qualified student. Keaton won a Grammy in 2019 for mixing “Everything Is Love” by The Carters, the release said. Keaton said in that release that “joining the Roc Nation School is an incredible opportunity.”
What the Billboard Recognition Says about the Program
LIU issued a second release on Oct. 6, a few hours after the scholarship announcement, saying Billboard had named the school to its Top Music Business Schools list for a third consecutive year. The release did not state the school’s rank or its enrollment.
According to the release, Billboard pointed to the school’s 2,400-square-foot Dolby Atmos studio and to coursework developed with JPMorgan Chase on money management. Programs include artist management, marketing, publishing, touring and entrepreneurship. Young Guru continues to direct the music technology program.
The release listed alumni employers, including Roc Nation, 508 Productions and Vevo, and recent student placements at Universal Music Publishing Group, Interscope Records, iHeartMedia, Live Nation and SiriusXM. It also said select students attended the world premiere of HBO’s “JAY-Z In 8″ at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, with the Shawn Carter Foundation and other organizations covering their attire.
Who Can Apply and When
The release lists three requirements: the applicant must be a first-time freshman, must seek enrollment for Fall 2027, and must apply by Dec. 15, 2026, at apply.liu.edu/rn. Families who want to compare the award with the school’s Hope Scholarship should note that Hope recipients are selected on financial need and New York residency, while the release attaches no such criteria to Rocky’s gift. The timeline leaves roughly two months between the announcement and the deadline. The release does not say when LIU will name the winner.
