michigan mfa creative writing application

5 Uncommon Tips on Your MFA Creative Writing Application

A couple of years ago, I made the decision to apply to MFA programs in creative writing. Compared to medical school or law school, the application process for an MFA can sometimes feel like a crapshoot, with the odds of getting into a fully-funded program hovering somewhere below four or five percent (and some programs like Iowa, Michigan, Michener—gulp—even less!). Still, it seems that every year, a few applicants manage to get admitted to a handful of programs, which brings up the question of whether the process is as random as one might initially think.

As a caveat, I’ve never served as a reader for any programs’ admissions committee (for a genuine insider look, follow Elizabeth McCracken’s twitter and listen to everything she says!), but I happen to have been lucky enough to get accepted to several fully funded schools on my first try. Whenever someone asks me for advice, I get a little queasy, because I barely knew what I was doing back then. However, I’d like to think that I’ve had some time to reflect on the process and have spoken to many people, including students who’ve been accepted and faculty members. I’ve since graduated from my MFA and hold (at the time of writing) a Zell postgraduate fellowship in fiction at the University of Michigan.

I’ll skip the general consensus—polish the writing sample, apply to more than one school, get feedback on your materials, etc. Instead, I’ll offer some less common ones that I thought worked for me. I hope they help with your application, and I’m certainly indebted to many writers who came before me and similarly shed light on their own experiences.

• Presenting yourself . Most of us writers tend to dislike being pigeonholed, or to accept the idea that there are certain themes or styles we keep reverting to again and again.  I definitely struggled with this (and continue to) but for the application process, presenting ourselves in a way that is unified and meaningful can sometimes spell the difference between sticking out in the pile or not. I write a lot about the Philippines, where I grew up, and this location not only influences the setting of my stories, but also informs my thematic sensibility as well as my identity. My personal statement talked about my background growing up in a predominantly Christian and Chinese-Filipino family, the conflicts at the dinner table as a result of our ethnic and religious upbringing, and how these issues are explored in my work. My fiction samples were chosen with this in mind (of course, they also happened to be my best work at the time), and I imagine my recommendation letters further attested to my experience as an immigrant. As a result, I believe I demonstrated myself as someone who deeply cares about what I write and has something important to say about the world around me. A place or region might not be the element that binds your application materials together. It might be a style, philosophy, or occupation—but whatever it is, it should resonate meaningfully in all aspects of your work (you can even ask your recommenders to talk about it). If readers can come away with the feeling that they know you and what motivates you to write, then you only need to show that you also can write.
• Range and length of sample . This might sound like a contradiction to the above, but it really isn’t. Rather, this is the part where you get a chance to display your skill and flexibility as a writer. For my sample, I chose three stories with varying styles: fabulist, comedic, and straight realist. They also differed in their lengths: short, medium, and long. What kept them all together was the setting of the Philippines, which again referred back to my personal statement and kept them from feeling haphazardly chosen. You might wonder if this is a good idea, since schools often just ask for 25 to 30 pages of creative sample, and might even say something to the effect that they’re looking for “a demonstration of sustained, quality work.” I debated with myself on the correct approach, and you might not agree with my conclusions: If programs clearly ask for just a single story, and if they feel more traditional in their aesthetics, then perhaps sending a longer story is better. However, the risk of sending one story is the risk of increasing subjectivity, and has to do more with the practical reality of the selection process than anything else. We all know that readers have different tastes, and if for some reason they don’t connect with the first few pages of your work, they most likely won’t read on. If you present them with a shorter work first, they might be willing to read the beginning of the second story, and if they still don’t like that, then the third. If each story is different stylistically, you’re increasing the chances that one of these would be appealing to the readers, and they might reconsider the stories that they passed on the first read.
• Potential . I’ve heard anecdotes of applicants being turned down because the admission committee thought they were “overqualified” to be studying in an MFA program. This probably doesn’t apply to most of us, but the principle remains: administrators are looking for people they believe can get something out of the two-to-three-year experience. In other words, they’re looking for writers’ potential as much as writers’ ability. I can certainly speak to this. When I applied, I’d barely taken any creative writing workshops. I’d just started writing literary fiction and I was unpublished. I took screenwriting as an undergrad (a related field, I know) but I still emphasized the things I anticipated learning from an MFA, including the benefit of being in a community. I did not downplay my background in screenwriting (and as it happened, also journalism), but I was able to articulate how each tradition influenced me as a writer. You might be someone who’s majored in creative writing as an undergrad and knew for a long time that you want to write literary fiction. That’s okay (in fact I think that’s great!). But you still have to find a way to communicate your limitations while playing to your strengths. To a large extent, it seems to me more of an attitude check: nobody wants to be with the writer who feels privileged and entitled to a seat at the MFA table.
• Preparedness . Sometimes, perhaps because I got in on my first try, I wonder if my acceptance was a fluke, and if I was really ready for the MFA experience. Of course, I’ve heard many people who felt similarly, some who even have a lot of creative writing background under their belt. The impostor syndrome aside, I do think that it’s good to gain as much exposure to the literary world as possible before applying to an MFA program. This not only gives you a better sense of why you write and what you write (going back to my first point), but moreover it increases the likelihood that once you are accepted, you’ll know how to make the most out of your time and the resources being offered. I had a wonderful experience at the University of Michigan—indeed, I’ve never read or written more in my life than I did at that point, and I could not have asked for a better set of cohort or mentors. I have grown exponentially as a writer. Rightly or wrongly, though, I did consciously set myself apart as someone who was a beginner, who had the most to learn about writing literary fiction. This attitude has enabled me to develop in leaps and bounds. At the same time, I could see how—had I been further along in my progress—I could’ve used the MFA in a different way: writing that novel I’ve always wanted, giving more thought to the direction of my career, the business side of the industry, finding an agent, etc. I think there’s something valiant and admirable about finding yourself as a result of experimenting during the MFA years, but it might also be worth considering and being aware of the different trajectories in entering a program. As a suggestion for preparing yourself pre-MFA-application, I highly suggest going to a conference (the Napa Writers’ Conference, Wesleyan Writers Conference, and the Key West Literary Seminar being some of the more well-known ones I’ve personally attended and recommend).
• On success . My final note on the application process is less of a tip and more of a reminder. When the time comes around to February or March, and should you find yourself not getting into the programs of your choice, recuperate from the rejections and take them in stride. View the result both as a sobering reminder of the odds stacked up against anyone applying for an MFA, and also as an opportunity to become better prepared, so that if you do get in later, you will be in an improved position. Similarly, should you be fortunate enough to get into your top programs, view the achievement as the means to an end, and not the end in itself. If a study were to be conducted on MFA admittances, I’m almost sure that the findings would show that acceptances to programs are in no way predictive of future success in publishing. Only diligence and perseverance are positive indicators of writerly success, and in this sense, we all can take comfort in the fact that all of us have a fair shot if we’re in it for the long haul.

Image: The Hopwood Room, where some workshops are held at the Helen Zell Writers’ Program, University of Michigan.

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You are what you eat., 2 thoughts on “5 uncommon tips on your mfa creative writing application”.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. It’s exactly what I dd in my sample. Anyone who wants to see real successful samples of statements of purpose should read this post: 10 Statement Of Purpose Examples: How To Wow The Admission Committees Of Fully-Funded MFA Programs (Guide + Samples +Tips) https://www.creativewritingnews.com/statement-of-purpose-examples-2/

As an inexperienced writer, with only a background in taking screenwriting courses during their undergrad, I found this post to be helpful. I plan on applying to multiple MFA programs this fall and at times the imposter syndrome feels real. I’m unsure whether to include sections of completed work that I’m proud of, or short stories that might be able to show more sides of myself as a writer. I’m sure the LoR and Statement of Purpose will be key in getting accepted, but I still feel nervous all the same with putting myself out there. Thanks for the advice. Cheers!

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The Graduate College Western Michigan University Kalamazoo MI 49008-5242 USA (269) 387-8212

Graduate College

English: creative writing (m.f.a.),   application deadlines.

Deadline for Fall semester: January 15. 

  Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is required; please submit within the online application system.

  Graduate test

The General GRE is not required for this program.

Note: International applicants may have to provide evidence of English language proficiency. More information can be found within the online application.

  Recommendations

This program requires three recommendations. Please send email requests for such recommendations from within the online system.

  Written statement

Please prepare a statement which covers the following information, and attach it within the online application:

Submit a 750-word essay about your qualifications and readiness for graduate study, including key experiences that have prepared you for this work and the specific line(s) of inquiry and modes of study you wish to pursue.

Use the essay to highlight what sets you apart as a candidate for graduate study and describe specifically what you hope to achieve at WMU, including any faculty with whom you wish to work.

Please use the following as your opening sentence:

I am applying for admission into the ______________________________ program.

Programs/concentrations include:

• Master of Arts in Literature and Language- MA
• Master of Arts in Medieval Literature and Language—MA
• Master of Arts in English Education—MA
• Master of Fine Arts in Fiction—MFA
• Master of Fine Arts in Poetry—MFA
• Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting—MFA

  Previous written work

Submit one writing sample on a topic in your chosen program/concentration. For the M.F.A. with a focus on fiction, it should be up to 30 pages of original fiction; for the M.F.A. with a focus on poetry, it should be 10-15 pages of original poetry; and for the M.F.A. with a focus on playwriting, it should be 15-30 pages of an original play or plays.

  Other program materials

If applying for graduate assistantship, complete the following narrative and submit within the online application:

If you have taught before, write a 700- to 1000-word essay explaining your teaching philosophy and experience. If you have not taught, write a 500-word essay in which you imagine your own approach to teaching.

  Transcript requirement

An official transcript from the institution from which you received your bachelor degree is required, as well as a transcript from the institution(s) where any additional graduate level courses or degrees have been taken/completed. Applicants are not required to submit an official transcript of courses taken/completed at WMU.

  Additional information

If you have any questions, please review the website below for program and contact information.

Department of English — College of Arts and Sciences

Start my application now

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Art of the Word: Inside the University’s MFA program

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On the most blustery of days, I ventured deep into South Campus. Tucked beneath the looming shadow of the Big House was Wolverine Press. After wandering through a maze of office cubicles, I was immediately transported back into an early 20th-century factory workshop. Though the area was austere in nature, Fritz Swanson was quite the opposite. A man with an orange beard that matched his neon T-shirt, he introduced me to the facility that houses the traditional letterpress print company that serves the Helen Zell Writers’ Program.

The Helen Zell Writers’ Program is a top-ranked two-year Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, with cohorts in fiction and poetry. In the program, students work on their respective creative writing pieces while also serving as Graduate Student Instructors. At the end of the program, they essentially have completed a full body of work, and they proceed to embark on a third-year fellowship, with goals of publication.

Swanson, a graduate of the MFA program and now the publishing company’s director, takes on five “Printer’s Devils” from the MFA program each year as apprentices to the art of printing. As the Devils toiled beside us, Swanson gave me a tour of the composing room, where tiny, silver type letters were scattered on the desk in compartmentalized categorizations. For each piece printed, they must set each individual letter in place, tighten them into a “chase” frame and then cast the entirety in metal. This can be an extremely tedious and arduous process over the course of many months.

He shows me a recently printed poem — an inauguration gift for the new University President Mark Schlissel — beautifully inked in a sophisticated maize-and-blue script. The finished product exudes effortlessness at first glance, but the complexity behind the aesthetic accentuates the intellect on the page.

A printing enthusiast since middle school, Swanson started the press a year ago in an effort to salvage materials from a closing print shop in Muskegon. His initial intention was to revive the classic craft — but his lofty aims to bring back an archaic method of printing have reasons beyond historical preservation.

“I wanted this shop to be not just to make pretty things, but to be a place where all of that history lives and we can talk about it, not in the abstract,” Swanson said. “You sit down and set type, especially at the speed that we set at, and you can spend several minutes with a word. You contemplate the language at such a different speed, it changes the way you write, it changes the way you think about words, it changes the way you think about letters … (It’s an) opportunity for a writer to see writing from a truly novel perspective.”

As I marvel, he tells me the stories of Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce, literary legends who both started their careers as printing devils. Swanson hopes to offer the same humble rooting to MFA students who also aspire to become revered writers in the future. He has the crucial responsibility of fostering and furthering their love for the language and their relationship with words. He certainly supplements their graduate experience, because behind the press lies a vibrant program of passionate individuals.

I met up with two of these students — a tall man with a trapper hat that covers his eyes and a dainty young woman with a colorful dress and an even brighter personality. As we sat down, they offered me a cookie and a half-gallon of chocolate milk.

They certainly did not have the high-strung, uptight personas of some graduate students drowning in their work, especially for students in the second-highest-ranked creative writing master’s program in the country. They sarcastically taunted each other, but amid the teasing, it was clear they held a deep respect for each other’s works.

Menachem Kaiser graduated from Columbia University with degrees in economics and philosophy, and has since published his work at sites such as the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate and the New Yorker. Christin Lee, who started as a studio arts major at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, balances Kaiser’s eccentric nature with her own quirky personality. Both are first-year students pursuing fiction writing.

As we began to talk about their experiences in Helen Zell, they very quickly corrected a silly misconception of mine: not everyone in the MFA has roots in an English or writing major. The program allows opportunities for people from eclectic backgrounds, all bonded simply by their passion for writing.

Lee intends to produce a collection of fiction short stories, and Kaiser, a novel following themes that speak to his Jewish identity. However, beyond those simple descriptors, they confessed that they did not have much of a direction. Though initially surprised, my qualms were assuaged as I realized that I was not the only one still figuring my life out. Even as master’s students, their intentions were simply to absorb all they could and to refine their craft, all alongside a cohort who were in the same boat of exploration and experimentation.

For the writers, the crux of the program culminates in exclusive, closed workshops. The MFA program has only 22 students — 12 in fiction and 10 in poetry. Though they only spend two years together, the students foster very close connections with each other, their professors and other faculty members. In their regular workshops, each of their peers dedicates a week to revising each other’s work and then advising each other on their progress.

“In the real world, it’s very hard to find someone who’s willing to sit down and read and discuss your 6000 words,” Kaiser said. “It’s a weird family experience in a lot of ways. But there’s something just really special just having 11 other people, just in your corner, who are really going to give the time and attention.”

I met up with Douglas Trevor, associate professor of English and Creative Writing at the University, later that afternoon. While at Princeton for his undergraduate degree, he studied comparative literature and creative writing with acclaimed writers such as Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison. His work has received wide laudation as well, including the Balcones Fiction Prize for his most recent novel, “Girls I Know.” Though he was not a University MFA graduate, he is certainly one of the most popular professors in the English Department among both graduate and undergraduate students. Trevor, like the students who now look up to him, started with modest roots — a story written at age six about a caveman named “Cow-Wow-Bow-Wow,” sparking his fascination with storytelling.

“(The MFA community) is very close,” Trevor said. “The groups of students who come, they get to know each other very well. They spend a lot of time with each other. We have dinners with the writers, we spend a lot of time with the students and we spend a lot of time with each other as faculty members. The best thing about the program is the opportunity to get to know each other.”

The MFA program is a chain reaction: the students are fueled by their professors who are directed by their administrators — it’s all one beautifully functioning system that buttresses everyone’s efforts.

I met with Michael Byers and Megan Levad, the director and assistant director of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program, respectively, in the most stereotypical of writer’s offices — a rainbow array of books on every single wall, a mobile standing desk and little Lego figurines on the coffee table. Levad, a poet and lyricist, and Byers, a novelist with three published books, consider themselves not only esteemed writers but also dual professors and administrators.

In many ways, they seemed to resemble older, matured versions of Kaiser and Lee — Byers, whose gray eyes stared into space while he joked about his MMA fighter alter ego, and Levad, donned in a llama-print shawl and spoke with a soft, but enthused, tone.

Most people don’t think of writers as “famous” unless they have a blockbuster franchise movie to accompany their novels. But in writing and higher academia, Trevor, Byers and Levad are most admired for their work. Unlike in Hollywood, they are not “untouchable” figures of brilliance, aloof from the aspirants in the field; rather, they are eager to assist budding writers.

Though Levad has her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, and Byers has his from Oberlin College, both are alumni of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program who have returned now as administrators. They both spoke to the program as a community, rather than a hierarchy of faculty over students. Everyone is closely knit, and all their work is pertinent to each other’s. Byers and Levad note how their administrative job is threefold, but ancillary to their roles as teachers and writers.

“I would not be a good teacher of young writers if I was not a writer first,” Byers said. “There were a lot of people that I liked and admired here. My experience was productive and crucial to my career, and I thought (Michigan) was not only an opportunity to come back and work with people who I knew were expert at what they did, but also a chance to return a little of the investment that they made in me to others.”

“Because I went through this program and because I also teach, I think that as an administrator, I can see how what we do in administration can best serve students,” Levad adds. “Everything we do in administration should be aimed at what’s happening in student learning and in faculty research and writing.”

It’s clear that the MFA is a rigorous program, but it is one with a liberating freedom of expression that the faculty encourages. When I asked Kaiser and Lee about their dissertations, they recoiled at the wording. Not a dissertation, not a thesis, but rather a creative project . There isn’t a harsh formality to the program that requires the austere terminology of “dissertation,” which could imply a mandated, toilsome, daunting concept. The MFA program is about creating passion projects — works of pride to be relished, shared and enjoyed. The program may be demanding, but the faculty structure the experience to afford liberties other fields may not.

“When I was here, I felt like my experience mattered to more people than just me,” Byers said. “I felt as though my professors were attentive to the experience that I was having. I assumed that was the model for how an MFA program was supposed to be run — student-centered with attention to what the experience actually is, a sense of a need for a balance between the individual experience being as important as the experience of the group as a whole.”

“Once (our students) get here, they have their talent nurtured,” Levad adds. “But they also make wonderful connections with their classmates, entering the literary community is a real source of sustenance for people because if you see that the folks around you are continuing to write and are getting their work out there, then it makes it feel much more possible that you can do the same.”

Each individual in the program, whether a student, professor or administrator, is in on a collective effort to keep their art form alive and appreciated. They are a most vibrant support system, and beyond their personal endeavors, the community’s goals become their own, their success a shared one for the literary world. This world, unfortunately, is one that popular media enjoys critiquing for being archaic, one that some scholars lament for “dying.” But Kaiser sees something different in this literary world, one teeming with emotion.

“It’s all the things you relate to in the world, and to other people that’s beyond facts and data and numbers and figures,” Kaiser said. “Stuff like words, stuff like empathy and sympathy, love and heartbreak and tragic and loss and relation. Those are the things you learn through literature.”

He pauses a moment. “Man, I’ve been in parts of my life where I just didn’t have exposure to any of this stuff, and it’s an emptier place.”

Lee continues, “Identity, nation-states — the whole thing is narrative. Religion, history — it’s all narrative. The desire to master that on some level is a desire to just understand the world.”

“Our toolboxes as thinkers are really, really enriched when we try to think about subjects and texts that don’t reveal themselves,” Trevor said. “We have to remind those who are adverse to the humanities, or those who don’t know entirely what we do, that our projects are primarily about sharpening analytical skills. (They’re) also a larger project about theorizing what it means to empathize and to think about the world from other people’s points of view. I can’t think of anything more valuable than that.”

Levad adds, “It seems to me that people are more engaged with literature. I know we like to bemoan the loss of the book, but there’s always more exciting new books coming out and independent presses are still continuing to publish great work.”

Together, their literary world seeks answers to human nature and the key to empathy. It seems as if every process is interconnected — the independent presses Levad speaks of, the writers and teachers alike. I wrapped up each interview by asking for words of advice for aspiring writers, and their primary responses were the same: simply, to read and to write.

As Trevor puts it, “Read widely, and spend time thinking about how to revise one’s own work. Become accustomed to reading your own work, as well as the work of other people. And think about writing as a cerebral exercise, something you have to do every day to be in good shape.”

“Read voraciously, and broadly. And write as often as you can,” Levad adds. “Try out different things. Think about the way language works. Think about syntax and grammar — where do those conventions come from? Think about etymology. Language is the material of our art form — it’s our medium — so learn all you can about language.”

After a week of following the MFA program from the roots up, from the words at the printing press, to the words the students write, to the professors who inspire the students and finally, to the administrators who point the program in the right direction, I know that they embody an effervescent community that tells the stories of all of our lives.

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Fully Funded MFA Programs in Creative Writing

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree , here is a list of universities that have fully funded MFA programs in creative writing. A Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing can lead to a career as a professional writer, in academia, and more.

Fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing offer a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which for Master’s degrees is usually 1-2 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their Master’s students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

In addition to listing fully funded Master’s and PhD programs, the ProFellow fellowships database also includes external funding opportunities for graduate school, including fellowships for dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, study abroad, summer work experiences, and professional development.

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1000+ fully funded Master’s and PhD programs in 60 disciplines? Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

Here is the list of 53 universities that offer fully-funded MFA programs (Master’s of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing.

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition.

University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ): All accepted MFA students receive full funding through a graduate teaching assistantship for 3 years. This package includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a modest stipend (in 2018 it was about $16,100 per academic year).

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ): 3-year program. All students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three-course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($18,564 per year). In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support.

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Four-year program. Teaching assistantships currently carry an annual stipend of $13,500 for students with a BA. TAs also receive a waiver of all tuition costs and teach two courses each semester. Nearly all of our accepted students receive TAs. Additionally, the students compete each year for several fellowships.

Boise State University (Boise, Idaho): 3-year fully funded MFA program dedicated to poetry and fiction. All students receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a Teaching Assistantship with a stipend of $11,450 per year.

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH): 2-year program, graduate assistantships (including stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students. 100% tuition scholarship. Graduate stipend (the 2020-21 stipend is $11,500).

Brown University (Providence, RI): All incoming MFA students received full funding. All graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and provides tuition remission, the health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2020-2021 academic year is $29,926. Also, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,993.

Boston University (Boston, MA): Tuition costs will be covered for every admitted student for the MFA degree in the BU Creative Writing Program. In addition, admitted students will receive university health insurance while they are enrolled, and all admitted students will receive stipend support of roughly $16,000 for the academic year.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed 2 years of funding (including a stipend, a full-tuition fellowship, and student health insurance).

University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA): 3-year program. The Department is committed to providing 3 full years of financial support to all domestic students in the MFA Programs in Writing. Financial support for MFA students is given in the form of Teaching Assistantships providing full tuition coverage as well as University health insurance. Students will earn an estimated $22,569 for the academic year.

University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA): MFA in Writing students are eligible for financial support if they study full-time, maintain good academic standing and make timely progress toward the degree. All students are eligible for full funding, including international students provided they meet the English language certification requirement for teaching assistants.

University of California Riverside (Riverside, CA): All incoming students are granted a full fellowship and stipend for their first year. After the first year, students receive full tuition and a salary through teaching assistantships.

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL): 3-year program. All of the MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The standard stipend is $9,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. The Graduate College offers several fellowships for current graduate students.

Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL): The majority of students receive support in the form of a teaching assistantship and are provided with a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a health-insurance subsidy. MFA students receive a three-year assistantship. For 2022-23, MA/MFA stipends will be $16,400, and typically these amounts go up each year. Also, The FSU Graduate School offers several fellowships and awards.

Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA): The MFA Program offers workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and students take cross-genre workshops. All students admitted to the MFA program receive a Graduate Assistantship for all 3 years that includes a stipend and tuition remission.

University of Houston (Houston, TX): MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years. Starting salary for MFAs is $17,935/9 months. Students in the Creative. As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition.

University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho): All English Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are offered full tuition waivers. Teaching Assistants are given a stipend of $14,000 per year. Also offers three scholarships and three outstanding fellowships to support qualified MFA, graduate students.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL): Three-year MFA program. Students accepted into the MFA program will receive full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN): M.F.A. programs offer a generous teaching package to creative writing students. All applicants receive consideration for appropriate fellowships that will carry a stipend of about $19,000, plus tuition and fee-remission that covers roughly 90% of the cost of enrollment.

Iowa State University (Ames, IA): 3-year MFA program. Starting half-time 20 hours per week teaching assistantships for MFA students total $19,250 over 10 months and also receive a full-tuition waiver scholarship (approximate value $10,140) and health insurance coverage. The department has several resources available through which to offer fellowships and scholarships to qualifying new students.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): 2-year residency program. Financial assistance is available for all students enrolled in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most fellowships and assistantships provide either tuition scholarships or full tuition remission.

John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD): 2-year program. All students receive full tuition, health insurance, and a generous teaching fellowship, currently set at $30,500 per year. Some students work as assistant editors on The Hopkins Review. They often win prizes such as Stegner Fellowships or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

University of Maryland (College Park, MD): This 3-year program accepts 8 applicants who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships for up to three years of graduate study. Our aid packages include a stipend of about $20,000 per academic year and 60 credit hours of tuition remission.

Miami University (Oxford, OH): All students admitted to the MFA program in Creative Writing hold generous Graduate Assistantships (which include a summer stipend). Non-teaching assistantships may also be available.

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): An intensive two-year study with a third year option. The James Michener Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships support all our graduate students. Awards include a full tuition waiver and annual stipend of $18,915.

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): All MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver, a stipend of $23,000/yearly as well as $5,000 in summer funding, and health care benefits. Additionally, various fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): All admitted MFAs receive full funding, in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships. Teaching assistantships carry a full tuition waiver, health benefits, and a stipend of about $18,600. Also, a variety of fellowships are available for graduate students.

University of Mississippi (University, MS): All of our students are fully funded.  We offer two main sources of funding, the Grisham Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships.

University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): 3-year program. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year (which includes in-state tuition and provisions for health insurance).

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Funding is provided for 3 full years, summers included. Tuition is covered by a tuition scholarship during any quarter in which you are receiving a stipend.

University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): Every student admitted to the MFA receives a full-tuition scholarship, a fellowship that carries a full stipend of $16,000 per year and access to a 100% health insurance subsidy.

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): A two-year, fully-funded program, They accept only about a dozen students each year and offer full funding in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship to all eligible admitted applicants.

Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): All admitted students are fully funded for our 3-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. For graduate teaching associateships, the student receives a stipend of at least $17,000 for the nine-month academic year.

University of Oregon (Eugene OR): A two-year residency MFA program. All incoming MFA students funded with a teaching appointment. Student instructors receive tuition remission, monthly stipends of approximately $18,000.

Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR): All students admitted to the MFA program will automatically receive a standard teaching Graduate Teaching Assistantship contract, which provides full tuition remission and stipend of approximately $12,800 per year to cover living expenses. In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.

University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): 3-year MFA program. All students admitted to the program will receive Teaching Assistantships for two or three years. All Teaching Assistantships include salary, medical benefits, and tuition remission.

Rutgers University–Newark (Newark, NJ): Each full-time incoming student receives in-state Tuition Remission and a Chancellor’s Stipend of 15K per year. Students are also eligible for Teaching Assistantships, and Part-Time Lectureships teaching Comp or Creative Writing. Teaching Assistantships are $25,969 (approximate) plus health benefits.

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL): 3-year program. MFA students receive a tuition waiver, a teaching assistantship that comes with a stipend, and enrollment in group health insurance.

Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL): Almost all MFA students hold graduate assistantships, which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of tuition. The annual stipend, which comes with tuition remission, ranges from $13,000 to $14,500.

Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY): Three-Year M.F.A. in Creative Writing. All students are fully funded. Each student admitted receives a full-tuition scholarship in addition to an annual stipend of $17,500.

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): 3-year MFA program. The MFA at Carolina is pleased to provide fellowship and/or assistantship funding to all accepted students, earning our program the designation of “fully funded” from Poets and Writers.

University of Tennessee — Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): There is no cost to apply to the MFA program. All of our PhD candidates and MFA students are fully funded, with generous opportunities for additional financial support.

University of Texas in Austin (Austin, TX): All students in the New Writers Project receive three years of full funding through a combination of teaching assistantships (TA), assistant instructorships (AI), and fellowship support. The complete package includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a salary.

University of Texas James Michener Center (Austin, TX): A three-year, fully funded residency MFA program that provides full and equal funding to every writer. All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition.

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN): Each year a small, select class of talented writers of fiction and poetry enroll in Vanderbilt’s three-year, fully-funded MFA Program in Creative Writing. The University Fellowship provides full-tuition benefits, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000/yearly. In 2nd year and third-year students have the opportunity to teach for one semester.

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA): Three-year MFA program. Students will receive fellowship support and/or teaching income in the amount of $20,000 each academic year, as well as full funding of your tuition, enrollment fees, and the health insurance premium for single-person coverage through the university.

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA): Three-year MFA degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Because of selectivity and size they are able to offer all the new students full and equal financial aid for both years in the program in the form of a University Fellowship, which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. All MFA students receive health insurance through Washington University.

Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY): Three-year, fully-funded, residential MFA program in creative writing offering generous assistantships, which will allow MFA students to gain valuable experience tutoring and teaching.

West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV): A three-year program. All Master of Fine Arts students receive a full tuition waiver and an assistantship, which includes a stipend valued at $16,750.

Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas): Most of the MFA students are GTAs who teach two composition classes each semester. They pay no tuition, receive $4,250 each semester and may buy discounted health insurance. The MFA program also awards two $12,500 fellowships each year.

University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI): All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remissions, teaching assistantships, generous health insurance, and other financial support. In addition to the approximately $14,680 paid to each MFA annually in exchange for teaching, every MFA candidate will receive another $9,320 in scholarships each year.

University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY): All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,330 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. Students also receive summer stipends of up to $2,000 for the summer.

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2025 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

By curfew May 23 in Literary

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May never come back to this again, but let's get this started early--

A thread for everyone + anyone to discuss application processes, schools, books, general grievances related to MFA writing season!

I'm in my last year of undergrad, applying to Brown, Cornell, Iowa, Michigan, Michener, NYU, Rutgers-C, Syracuse, Vanderbilt + Virginia, for fiction. Eager to hear where others are applying to, and how applications are coming along:D

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Aug 19 2024

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Keep an eye on the programs teaching load -- if a school is having you teach 2/2 (two classes in fall, two in spring) for funding, then you are not going to have time for a side gig. Not many schools

pananoprodigy

Just a little over a month til most apps open up - we are SO back y'all 😎 I'm actually excited to do this again!  

Hey all! Glad this forum is up so early as it feeds into my neuroses, haha! I'm starting early this year since it's my first time really applying to MFAs; last year I only applied to Boise State. This

I'm here! This will be my second round applying in fiction. I got a couple acceptances last year, even one with full funding, but I turned them down to hopefully get into a school that aligns more with my long term goals (and ideally offers funding that isn't poverty levels -- let this be a warning to look at stipend levels compared to cost of living y'all, especially in the post apocalyptic hellscape of 2024 housing).

The community here is great, but the draft '25 group on facebook is also a resource everyone should keep an eye on; there is definitely more responses on their spreadsheet.

• Miyano and curfew

• 4 weeks later...

On 5/25/2024 at 2:32 AM, prufrock_ said: I'm here! This will be my second round applying in fiction. I got a couple acceptances last year, even one with full funding, but I turned them down to hopefully get into a school that aligns more with my long term goals (and ideally offers funding that isn't poverty levels -- let this be a warning to look at stipend levels compared to cost of living y'all, especially in the post apocalyptic hellscape of 2024 housing). The community here is great, but the draft '25 group on facebook is also a resource everyone should keep an eye on; there is definitely more responses on their spreadsheet.

Thanks for the reminder. I compared the rents in the cities where the universities I want to apply to are located and was surprised.

• 2 weeks later...

HotGirlMidsommar

Hello! First time applying for MFA programs. I've been out of undergrad for 8 years and already have an Masters degree, so going to be interesting to see how this goes. 

I'm applying for fiction and haven't completely narrowed down my list, but rn I'm seriously looking at applying to (in no particular order): UArizona, Brown, Michigan, UT-Austin, Columbia, NYU, WUSTL, UMass Amherst, Sarah Lawrence, Northwestern, UVA, Iowa, UCSD, Minnesota, Irvine and Boston. But from browsing last year's thread it seems like I might want to apply to all of them! 

• curfew and Jim VK

Hey all! Glad this forum is up so early as it feeds into my neuroses, haha! I'm starting early this year since it's my first time really applying to MFAs; last year I only applied to Boise State. This year I'll likely be applying to Cornell University, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, Boise State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Iowa, Colorado State University, University of Colorado - Boulder, and University of Notre Dame. I'm thinking of adding two more in order to make it an even 10, but haven't figured all that out yet. I'll be applying for fiction. Would love to chat with fellow applicants and go crazy together as we wait through this application season!

• curfew , HotGirlMidsommar and Jim VK

Just popping to say Hi. Best of luck to everyone this year. For at least the next few weeks I'll be lurking. I promise to not try and break any posting records this year. 

• jadedoptimist and curfew

19 hours ago, taliaj said: I'm thinking of adding two more in order to make it an even 10, but haven't figured all that out yet.

Loving the lists from everyone so far!:D And I also feel that 10 is like a Goldilocks number--enough seats and variety without bloating the application process-

therosewriter

Is anyone looking at applying to the University of Oxford's (England) Mst in Creative Writing? 

Hi all! I'm hoping to apply to a few MFA (Fiction track) programs for the first time this year, just to see. For this round I am only planning to apply to schools in New York - my partner and I have moved around a lot recently and I'm going to need a few years before I consider uprooting my life for the Midwest again. Right now my list is Hunter, Brooklyn College, and NYU. I might also apply to the New School, but I don't think they have the teaching opportunities I'm looking for, and I'm still trying to figure out if Columbia offers anyone enough funding to avoid 20 years of debt hell.

Looking forward to this journey with all you cool people - good luck everyone!

On 7/12/2024 at 9:23 AM, samlyn said: Right now my list is Hunter, Brooklyn College, and NYU. I might also apply to the New School,

Hello @samlyn !

The northeast is probably where I'm trying to be, too, if I'm being honest. Have you thought about upstate NY programs, like Stony Brook (which also has a Manhattan extension) or Syracuse?

Columbia's faculty is godtier and its acceptance rate is higher than any other elite programs, which I feel like has something to do with its huge class size and lack of funding. Also, their ambiguity on funding really bothers me; I ultimately put it off my list in favor of places that are (or have a clear chance to be, at least) fully funded w/ stipend.

5 hours ago, curfew said: I ultimately put it off my list in favor of places that are (or have a clear chance to be, at least) fully funded w/ stipend.

I'm only applying to fully funded programs also! I definitely couldn't afford it without some sort of funding. The top choices I have at the moment are UMinn, Boise State, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern. I'm leaning a bit more towards Northwestern due to the MA + MFA aspect, but I would be very, VERY happy at any one of these four. There are a few others on my list but these are my top ones. Would love to hear about others' choices, and how everyone is getting along before application season kicks fully into gear!

19 hours ago, curfew said: Hello @samlyn ! The northeast is probably where I'm trying to be, too, if I'm being honest. Have you thought about upstate NY programs, like Stony Brook (which also has a Manhattan extension) or Syracuse? Columbia's faculty is godtier and its acceptance rate is higher than any other elite programs, which I feel like has something to do with its huge class size and lack of funding. Also, their ambiguity on funding really bothers me; I ultimately put it off my list in favor of places that are (or have a clear chance to be, at least) fully funded w/ stipend.

I'm actually originally from Upstate and have a lot of love for the region. Tbh Syracuse would be top of list if it were feasible for me to move again, if for no other reason than for the potential to work with George Saunders. Maybe I'll consider it if I reapply in a few years, but right now I can't ask my partner to uproot her personal and professional life again. Lots of good options up that direction though - Cornell also comes to mind, which I see is on your list!

On 7/13/2024 at 11:27 PM, curfew said: Columbia's faculty is godtier and its acceptance rate is higher than any other elite programs, which I feel like has something to do with its huge class size and lack of funding. Also, their ambiguity on funding really bothers me; I ultimately put it off my list in favor of places that are (or have a clear chance to be, at least) fully funded w/ stipend.

Seriously. Has anyone ever heard of anyone who got funding at Columbia? Some people I really like came out of there, but who can do 200 - 300K in loans for an MFA?

• samlyn and curfew

On 7/12/2024 at 10:23 AM, samlyn said: Hi all! I'm hoping to apply to a few MFA (Fiction track) programs for the first time this year, just to see. For this round I am only planning to apply to schools in New York - my partner and I have moved around a lot recently and I'm going to need a few years before I consider uprooting my life for the Midwest again. Right now my list is Hunter, Brooklyn College, and NYU. I might also apply to the New School, but I don't think they have the teaching opportunities I'm looking for, and I'm still trying to figure out if Columbia offers anyone enough funding to avoid 20 years of debt hell. Looking forward to this journey with all you cool people - good luck everyone!

It sounds like you're interested in the city only. if that's true, you should still look into Rutgers. I applied there and live in Queens. It's not a crazy commute and the funding is delicious. 

If it's just an East Coast thing, Syracuse and Cornell are supergood and also superfunded.  

Columbia on very rare occasions does give free rides, but I'm not even sure it's a yearly thing. regardless, it's a very exclusive, prestigious, competitive 90,000 dollar a year racket.

I'm firmly of the belief one should not go into debt for this. 

On 7/13/2024 at 10:53 PM, taliaj said: I'm only applying to fully funded programs also! I definitely couldn't afford it without some sort of funding. The top choices I have at the moment are UMinn, Boise State, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern. I'm leaning a bit more towards Northwestern due to the MA + MFA aspect, but I would be very, VERY happy at any one of these four. There are a few others on my list but these are my top ones. Would love to hear about others' choices, and how everyone is getting along before application season kicks fully into gear!

a quick warning about northwester. someone here last year applied and got in , but it was to an unfunded program. apparently they have two and one is unfunded. 

As far as your alternatives, what are your parameters? what boxes does a program need to tick for you?

On 7/27/2024 at 7:46 PM, Scribe said: It sounds like you're interested in the city only. if that's true, you should still look into Rutgers. I applied there and live in Queens. It's not a crazy commute and the funding is delicious.  If it's just an East Coast thing, Syracuse and Cornell are supergood and also superfunded.   Columbia on very rare occasions does give free rides, but I'm not even sure it's a yearly thing. regardless, it's a very exclusive, prestigious, competitive 90,000 dollar a year racket. I'm firmly of the belief one should not go into debt for this. 

Yep, I'm really only looking in the city or within commuting distance. Thanks for the tip on Rutgers! I had heard of the Rutgers-Camden program and didn't realize the Newark campus also granted MFAs. I will definitely look into it.

Good to know also about Columbia. Even in the extraordinary event I were to get funding, I don't know how I would feel about attending a program where many of my classmates are going into $100,000+ debt. Feels...icky, and also like it might attract a certain type of student. My perspective on funding/debt is that if my writing isn't good enough to get me funded 1 , I'm probably not ready to be in a program. In that case, I'll keep working and apply again some other year.

1 - At least partially funded to the extent I don't need to take on debt - I pretty much expect to work during the program and could afford to pay a small amount of tuition from savings.

4 hours ago, samlyn said: 1 - At least partially funded to the extent I don't need to take on debt - I pretty much expect to work during the program and could afford to pay a small amount of tuition from savings.

Keep an eye on the programs teaching load -- if a school is having you teach 2/2 (two classes in fall, two in spring) for funding, then you are not going to have time for a side gig. Not many schools are 2/2, most are 1/1.

But also, many funded mfa's have a thing in the student handbook saying 'you agree not to have a side job while we fund you - your focus is our program.'

• cloudycoffee , Scribe , Jim VK and 3 others

• cloudycoffee

Hi there! I'm throwing my hat in the ring at a handful of places this year (mainly for poetry). I have my BA and MA in English (just graduated) but neither program valued writing in any real way (and the MA program actively denigrated anything labeled 'creative writing'). 

I'm not depending on getting an acceptance, though it would be seriously amazing if I got one. I know it will benefit me in the end just to have focused on producing more work for the sample! 

hello! same boat as a few of you. first round applying, already have an ma and it's been 8 years since i finished that. i am largely wanting to do an mfa for the teaching preparation. still narrowing down where i am applying. nice to meet you all, good luck!!

also if anyone can provide any direction on which fully-funded mfas have the most focus/preparation on teaching/pedagogy, i would appreciate it!

Hey, all! It's also my first time applying. Trying to get my head around the process. 

I'm applying for fiction/prose to: Iowa, Michigan, Syracuse, Virginia, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Boston, and UT Michener. I would have added UW Madison to my list, but I don't think they're accepting fiction applications this year (just poetry). Curious to see how it goes! I'm coming into the process with zero expectations. 

I do have one question for the group. SOPs are meant to have personality, right? They shouldn't read bone dry? 

Wishing everyone lots of luck with their applications! 

• sgrad , cloudycoffee and prufrock_

On 7/30/2024 at 11:41 AM, sgrad said: also if anyone can provide any direction on which fully-funded mfas have the most focus/preparation on teaching/pedagogy, i would appreciate it!

I am still so, so green to MFAs, but I hear Syracuse focuses heavily on pedagogy. I know they require applicants to submit a separate Teaching Statement in addition to an SOP, so I assume they're looking for students interested in teaching. Other folks might know more. 

1 hour ago, zaira said: I am still so, so green to MFAs, but I hear Syracuse focuses heavily on pedagogy. I know they require applicants to submit a separate Teaching Statement in addition to an SOP, so I assume they're looking for students interested in teaching. Other folks might know more. 

thanks! i hadn't looked at Syracuse before but this looks like a great program!

im curious what everyone's dream MFA program is? and what draws you to an MFA in general? have you always wanted to be a writer? or did you go down a different path and are just now discovering a love of writing?

14 hours ago, sgrad said: im curious what everyone's dream MFA program is? and what draws you to an MFA in general? have you always wanted to be a writer? or did you go down a different path and are just now discovering a love of writing?

My dream program is Iowa. I spent a couple weeks workshopping there over the summer and fell in love with the writing community. I'm aware it's a long shot, but I'm going for it! I mainly want to get an MFA because I miss being a student. I did my undergrad almost ten years ago. I'm at a point in my career where I have some life and writing experience under my belt and would like to take it to the next level. 

How about you? 

• sgrad and curfew

4 minutes ago, zaira said: My dream program is Iowa. I spent a couple weeks workshopping there over the summer and fell in love with the writing community. I'm aware it's a long shot, but I'm going for it! I mainly want to get an MFA because I miss being a student. I did my undergrad almost ten years ago. I'm at a point in my career where I have some life and writing experience under my belt and would like to take it to the next level.  How about you? 

that is awesome! definitely go for iowa! i think it is so important to chase what we are in love with. i was listening to the MFA writers podcast episode on IWW and they interviewed Steven Duong who read an incredible story, and everything he was saying about the program sounded amazing. im from canada and kinda new to the world of MFAs (we only have 3 here in the whole country) so it is so interesting to learn about the history and personality of them. what was the summer workshop like? a couple weeks sounds so intense. were you in workshops almost every day?

im in a similar position. i have life and writing experience but i dont have a lot of teaching experience. im drawn to MFAs because i miss workshops/the structure/the writing community and time to write, but also because i want more practical teaching experience. my top choices are UC san diego, vanderbilt and michener, all for slightly different reasons. i was just reading a lot about michener yesterday and i love that their teaching opportunities are more community-centric than academic. but i would be over the moon to get into any of those

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15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024

May 15, 2024

Whether you studied at a top creative writing university or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author , you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? If you’re considering an MFA, this article walks you through the best full-time, low residency, and online Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

What are the best Creative Writing MFA programs?

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s start with the basics. What is an MFA, anyway?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications typically require a sample portfolio, usually 10-20 pages (and sometimes up to 30-40) of your best writing. Moreover, you can receive an MFA in a particular genre, such as Fiction or Poetry, or more broadly in Creative Writing. However, if you take the latter approach, you often have the opportunity to specialize in a single genre.

Wondering what actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes ? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then, you finish the degree with a thesis project. Thesis projects are typically a body of polished, publishable-quality creative work in your genre—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

Why should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.

The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.

Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.

Fourth: resources. MFA programs are often staffed by brilliant, award-winning writers; offer lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and teaching positions; and run their own (usually prestigious) literary magazines. Such resources provide you with the knowledge and insight you’ll need to navigate the literary and publishing world on your own post-graduation.

But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers—and share feedback, advice, and moral support—in relationships that can last for decades.

Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs

Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:

Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs

These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.

• Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
• Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.

Full-Time MFA Programs

These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).

• Pros: Lots of top-notch non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
• Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.

Low-Residency MFA Programs

Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.

• Pros: No major life changes required. Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.

Online MFA Programs

Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.

• Pros: No major life changes required.
• Cons: These MFAs have less name recognition.

The Top 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs Ranked by Category

The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications , and impressive alums.

FULLY FUNDED MFA PROGRAMS

1) johns hopkins university , mfa in fiction/poetry.

This two-year program offers an incredibly generous funding package: $39,000 teaching fellowships each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a lecture position after graduation. Many grads publish their first book within three years (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Incoming class size: 8 students (4 per genre)
• Admissions rate: 4-8%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adichie, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren

2) University of Texas, James Michener Center

The only MFA that offers full and equal funding for every writer. It’s three years long, offers a generous yearly stipend of $30k, and provides full tuition plus a health insurance stipend. Fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting concentrations are available. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $4,000 for the summer.

• Location : Austin, TX
• Incoming class size : 12 students
• Acceptance rate: a bone-chilling less-than-1% in fiction; 2-3% in other genres
• Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith

3) University of Iowa

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar. All students receive full funding, including tuition, a living stipend, and subsidized health insurance. The Translation MFA , co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years long but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.

• Incoming class size: 25 each for poetry and fiction; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation.
• Acceptance rate: 2.7-3.7%
• Fantastic Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li, Jennifer Croft

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

4) university of michigan.

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $25,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program in either fiction or poetry, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “ push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice ” and have outreach programs in the community.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Incoming class size: 18 (9 in each genre)
• Acceptance rate: 2%
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that only occasionally dips into arctic temperatures. All students are fully funded for 2 years, which includes tuition remission and a $32k yearly stipend. Students also get summer funding and—you guessed it—that sweet, sweet health insurance.

In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a Digital/Cross Disciplinary Track.  Fiction and Poetry Tracks are offered as well.

• Location: Providence, RI
• Incoming class size: 12-13
• Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
• Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh

6) University of Arizona

This 3-year program with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction tracks has many attractive qualities. It’s in “ the lushest desert in the world, ” and was recently ranked #4 in creative writing programs, and #2 in Nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona’s dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program is fully funded. Moreover, teaching assistantships that provide a salary, health insurance, and tuition waiver are offered to all students. Tucson is home to a hopping literary scene, so it’s also possible to volunteer at multiple literary organizations and even do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Location: Tucson, AZ
• Incoming class size: usually 6
• Acceptance rate: 1.2% (a refreshingly specific number after Brown’s evasiveness)
• Alumni: Francisco Cantú, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace

7) Arizona State University 

With concentrations in fiction and poetry, Arizona State is a three-year funded program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Moreover, it encourages cross-genre study.

Funding-wise, everyone has the option to take on a teaching assistantship position, which provides a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a yearly stipend of $25k. Other opportunities for financial support exist as well.

• Location: Tempe, AZ
• Incoming class size: 8-10
• Acceptance rate: 3% (sigh)
• Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam

FULL-RESIDENCY MFAS (UNFUNDED)

8) new york university.

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU also has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes. Concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are available.

• Location: New York, NY
• Incoming class size: ~60; 20-30 students accepted for each genre
• Acceptance rate: 6-9%
• Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong

9) Columbia University

Another 2-3 year private MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers. Finally, teaching positions and fellowships are available to help offset the high tuition.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: not publicized (boo)
• Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang

10) Sarah Lawrence 

Sarah Lawrence offers a concentration in speculative fiction in addition to the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction choices. Moreover, they encourage cross-genre exploration. With intimate class sizes, this program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere, and many teaching and funding opportunities are available.

• Location: Bronxville, NY
• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: not publicized
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11) bennington college.

This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer. The rest of the time, you’ll be spending approximately 25 hours per week on reading and writing assignments. Students have the option to concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Uniquely, they can also opt for a dual-genre focus.

The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available. Additionally, Bennington offers full-immersion teaching fellowships to MFA students, which are extremely rare in low-residency programs.

• Location: Bennington, VT
• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 25-35
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts

This two-year program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres, including screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition, each student is matched with a faculty mentor who works with them one-on-one throughout the semester.

Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 in tuition a year, it boasts being “ one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country .”

• Location: Santa Fe, NM
• Incoming class size : 21
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

VCFA is the only graduate school on this list that focuses exclusively on the fine arts. Their MFA in Writing offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction; they also offer an MFA in Literary Translation and one of the few MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults . Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, either in-person or online. Here, they receive one-on-one mentorship that continues for the rest of the semester. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.

VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition for the full two-year program is approximately $54k.

• Location : Various; 2024/25 residencies are in Colorado and California
• Incoming class size: 18-25
• Acceptance rate: 63%
• Alumnx: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya

ONLINE MFAS

14) university of texas at el paso.

UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Accordingly, this program is geared toward serious writers who want to pursue teaching and/or publishing. Intensive workshops allow submissions in Spanish and/or English, and genres include poetry and fiction.

No residencies are required, but an optional opportunity to connect in person is available every year. This three-year program costs about $25-30k total, depending on whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident.

• Location: El Paso, TX
• Acceptance rate: “highly competitive”
• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University

This 2-year online, no-residency program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Featuring a supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and an optional yearly field trip to Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, narrative medicine, and teaching creative writing. Moreover, core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, food/travel writing, and the personal essay. Tuition is approximately $31,000 for the entire program, with scholarships available.

• Location: Longmeadow, MA
• Incoming class size: 20
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs — Final Thoughts

Whether you’re aiming for a fully funded, low residency, or completely online MFA program, there are plenty of incredible options available—all of which will sharpen your craft while immersing you in the vibrant literary arts community.

Hoping to prepare for your MFA in advance? You might consider checking out the following:

• Best English Programs
• Best Colleges for Creative Writing
• Writing Summer Programs
• Best Writing Competitions for High School Students

Inspired to start writing? Get your pencil ready:

• 100 Creative Writing Prompts 
• 1 00 Tone Words to Express Mood in Your Writing
• 60 Senior Project Ideas
• Common App Essay Prompts

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs – References:

• https://www.pw.org/mfa
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students , by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
• Graduate School Admissions

Julia Conrad

With a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian from Wesleyan University as well as MFAs in both Nonfiction Writing and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, Julia is an experienced writer, editor, educator, and a former Fulbright Fellow. Julia’s work has been featured in  The Millions ,  Asymptote , and  The Massachusetts Review , among other publications. To read more of her work, visit  www.juliaconrad.net

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• application

Luc New Member

Spiteful professors, mfa application problem.

Discussion in ' General Writing ' started by Luc , Sep 12, 2024 at 7:43 AM .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); I am planning to apply for multiple MFA in creative writing programs in the USA. I however have some concerns. During the final year of my undergraduate a few years back, I unwittingly offended a professor as I had a mental breakdown and had a brief episode of psychosis. I sent the professor some rather unhinged emails, rambling about how I was being followed, and displaying an apparent obsession with certain celebrities by claiming we were related. I do not care about celebrities. I was having an episode of psychosis, meaning that I wasn't even in reality any longer. I would see that it was a rainy day and would make conclusions that were completely insane, such as 'oh it's raining because I'm sad, I control the weather.' I would see someone glancing at me and believe that I knew them in a 'past life'. Although, normally, I do not believe in reincarnation at all. Obviously, I wasn't myself. I was ill. I am now being observed by a doctor and have not encountered any further issues, I’ve never had another psychotic break so far or before that episode; that was a single isolated incident. However I have reasons to believe that the professor might try to hinder my applications to further my studies, perhaps by sending slanderous emails about me, as before my episode I had discussed my options with him and he is aware of which universities I will be applying to. I know this is far fetched, but I thought I would voice my concern anyway as he graded my coursework unfairly after I sent those emails. I do not know why the professor is being spiteful to me, I’ve always been a good and virtuous student, I was always responsible and most of the faculty liked me very much. I am not mentally ill, that was a one time incident, even so, now I am very much observed and supported by professionals, family and friends. If the universities / their MFA department were to receive emails slandering me, claiming I was mentally unstable, would this negatively affect my chances of getting into the MFA programs? No matter how unlikely, if such a thing were to happen, how would the university/ies deal with it? And if the professor does send out emails to the universities I would be applying to, what course of action do you suggest I can take? Should I include in my letters and statement of purpose to watch out for slanderous emails about me? Obviously I cannot ask directly if the university has received such and such emails about me. There is no concrete way I can know whether the professor sends any emails about me or not. If there was a way I could know for sure and have concrete proof, I would know roughly the action to take, but as the situation here is very complicated, I am unable to attain concrete proof or even know for certain if he would take such action, I'm wondering what I could possibly do? P.S. Sorry if this is the wrong forum, move it if you will, I couldn't find a suitable forum for this, but PLEASE do not delete or remove my post, I really need help with this, I am having sleepless nights worrying about this.  

Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); You need to discuss this with the doctor whose care you are under, and I suggest you do as a matter of urgency.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); Naomasa298 said: ↑ You need to discuss this with the doctor whose care you are under, and I suggest you do as a matter of urgency. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); Luc said: ↑ why is it a matter of urgency? Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); Naomasa298 said: ↑ I didn't want to be explicit, and I'm not a medical professional, so this is just an opinion. But this very much sounds like the beginning of paranoia, and if it is, you need to get help before it gets worse. Mods, please delete this post if inappropriate. Click to expand...

big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_e587f47b470bd8c70b2c83285f039170'); }); Yeah no , this is a writing forum. take this issue to either a lawyer or a doctor  

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How To Submit Your Strongest Application: Tips From Michigan Ross Students

Applying to an MBA program can feel daunting. Tackling your essays, gathering letters of recommendation, and making sure your test scores, transcripts, or test waivers are all in order may feel like a lot to accomplish at first.

To help you submit your best possible application, we chatted with three current Michigan Ross students and asked them to share their tips.

What is your best advice to applicants trying to make their essay responses memorable?

“Personalize your responses: think about specific anecdotes and examples you can give to strengthen your essays. It's always better to "show" instead of "tell." For example, if you are writing about how Ross's action-based learning curriculum will support your education, think about times when hands-on learning opportunities were crucial to your development and how you can communicate those examples to illustrate your point. I spoke in my own essays about some of my patient care experiences in medical school and how they informed my desire to make a larger, positive impact on healthcare systems in a leadership role.”

— Jesper Ke, MD/MBA ’25

Why this is good advice: Jesper highlights the importance of authenticity and personalization in essays. The essays are the admissions committee’s lens into an applicant’s unique experiences and how they’ve been impacted by them. Consider using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) format to share specific examples. Writing a memorable essay is an iterative process that takes time and reflection. It’s helpful to view the essay-writing process as a way to “double-check” your career and personal goals as you explore your MBA program options.  

— Digna Patel Raj, Associate Director, FTMBA Admissions 

What admissions events or Michigan Ross-related activities would you recommend prospective students participate in before applying?

“I highly recommend attending events where you can connect with current students and recent alumni. I leveraged the student ambassador network to connect with students from similar backgrounds and/or career interests. Through these conversations, I was able to understand the Ross culture and what it was like to be a student at Ross. Additionally, if you have the means, I recommend visiting campus. I visited during Ross Women’s Weekend, and it allowed me to visualize myself as a student at Ross.”

— Shivanee Shah, MBA/MS ’26

Why this is good advice: This is top-tier advice because engaging with current students and recent alumni provides valuable insights into a school's culture, academics, and community beyond official materials. Their honest feedback on their experiences and challenges helps you understand daily life at Ross and evaluate cultural fit. Using the student ambassador network lets you connect with people who share your background or career interests, offering targeted insights. Visiting the campus gives you the opportunity to experience the environment firsthand and assess if it aligns with your expectations. 

— Lindsay DiAngelo, Assistant Director, FTMBA Admissions 

What is one thing you wish you had known when you applied to Michigan Ross?

“One thing I wish I had known is the significance of demonstrating leadership and how this impacts an application to the program. Most applicants often talk about their achievements in terms of results; however, Ross places a strong emphasis on applicants who have shown a history of making a difference in their professional and personal lives. That’s where leadership comes in. An applicant needs to think of ways they have demonstrated this in the past while achieving results. Reflecting on this will help you put your best foot forward as you prepare for your interview.”

— Adewale Asimolowo, MBA ’25

Why this is good advice: Adewale’s advice is wonderful from an admissions perspective because it highlights the importance of aligning with the specific values and priorities of the Michigan Ross MBA Program and focusing on the 'how'. This approach will help you to differentiate yourself as an applicant and is highly relevant to your application's essay and evaluative interview criterion. The recent revision of our MBA essays allows applicants to emphasize their leadership and impact further. 

— Andrea McHale, Director, FTMBA Admissions

What tips do you have for students who are invited to interview?

“Be yourself! Ultimately, your interviewers are primarily alumni who also understand the Ross experience and are looking to learn more about your interests and fit with the community. At the same time, take the interview as an opportunity to learn more about Ross, asking your interviewer about their experiences, the community, and how a Ross MBA empowered their future career path.”

Why this is good advice: Jesper emphasizes the importance of authenticity both on paper and in real life. In addition to demonstrating the research you’ve done on Ross and coming prepared with some targeted questions for your interviewer, make sure you’ve also reflected on your own experiences, both professional and personal, that you can talk about during your interview. A good tip for prepping for your interview is to create a workbook with examples you can use for different behavioral questions. And make sure you’re prepared to answer why an MBA makes sense for you at this point in your career. 

— Michelle Pava, Associate Director, FTMBA Admissions

How did you go about choosing your recommenders?

“Initially, I made a list of my recent managers, project managers, and anyone I worked closely with who can speak to my professional experience. To select my recommenders, I wanted individuals who could speak positively and tangibly about my work experience and work products and saw my growth professionally. I ended up selecting a project manager I had worked with on multiple projects and a previous direct manager/partner.”

Why this is good advice: Shivanee provides great insight on who to select for your letter of recommendation. The admissions committee advises choosing someone who is going to provide a comprehensive overview of your work experience and the impact you bring to a team, which is often a direct supervisor or someone in a managerial role who has worked closely with you. Be sure to also meet with your recommender one-on-one before asking them so they have a clear understanding of your goals before they get to writing.

— Melissa Coveney, Associate Director, FTMBA Admissions 

What’s your best piece of general advice to prospective students hoping to get into Michigan Ross? 

“Self-reflection is important. Spend time reflecting on your experiences, strengths, and areas for improvement. Self-awareness and a willingness to grow are qualities that interviewers and admissions committees appreciate.”

Why this is good advice: Adewale is spot on — self-reflection and awareness are some of the most important aspects of the application process and your overall MBA experience. We highly encourage everyone to take some time to reflect on why they want an MBA, why now, and what they hope to learn before applying. 

— Lysa Wang, Associate Director, FTMBA Admissions 

Be sure to check out more tips from the admissions team on our YouTube channel , and come ask any questions you may have at an upcoming admissions event. We’re excited to see your application and wish you the best of luck as you take this important step toward becoming a future Michigan Ross MBA.

"Believing in yourself and your abilities is the first step toward tackling any challenge."