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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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MFA Programs Database

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Our MFA database includes essential information about low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply.

Adelphi University

Poetry: Jan-Henry Gray, Maya Marshall Prose: Katherine Hill, René Steinke, Igor Webb

Albertus Magnus College

Poetry: Paul Robichaud Fiction: Sarah Harris Wallman Nonfiction: Eric Schoeck

Alma College

Poetry: Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Jim Daniels, Benjamin Garcia Fiction: Karen E. Bender, Shonda Buchanan, Dhonielle Clayton, S. Kirk Walsh Creative Nonfiction: Anna Clark, Matthew Gavin Frank, Donald Quist, Robert Vivian

American University

Poetry: Kyle Dargan, David Keplinger Fiction: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Stephanie Grant, Patricia Park Nonfiction: Rachel Louise Snyder

Antioch University

Poetry: Victoria Chang Prose: Lisa Locascio

Arcadia University

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith Literature: Matthew Heitzman, Christopher Varlack, Elizabeth Vogel, Jo Ann Weiner

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith

Arizona State University

Poetry: Sally Ball, Natalie Diaz, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Safiya Sinclair Fiction: Matt Bell, Jenny Irish, Tara Ison, Mitchell Jackson, T. M. McNally Creative Nonfiction: Sarah Viren

Ashland University

Poetry: Dexter Booth, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Adam Gellings, Tess Taylor, Vanessa Angélica Villareal Fiction: Kirstin Chen, Edan Lepucki, Sarah Monette, Nayomi Munaweera, Vi Khi Nao, Naomi J. Williams, Kyle Winkler Nonfiction: Cass Donish, Kate Hopper, Lauren Markham, Thomas Mira y Lopez, Lisa Nikolidakis, Terese Mailhot

Augsburg University

Poetry: Michael Kleber-Diggs Fiction: Stephan Eirik Clark, Lindsay Starck Nonfiction: Anika Fajardo  Playwriting: Carson Kreitzer, TyLie Shider, Sarah Myers Screenwriting: Stephan Eirik Clark, Andy Froemke

Ball State University

Poetry: Katy Didden, Mark Neely Fiction: Cathy Day, Sean Lovelace Nonfiction: Jill Christman, Silas Hansen Screenwriting: Rani Deighe Crowe, Matt Mullins

Bard College

Jess Arndt, Shiv Kotecha, Mirene Arsanios, Hannah Black, Trisha Low, Christoper Perez, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Simone White

Bath Spa University

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, John Strachan, Samantha Walton, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Alexia Casale, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Lucy English, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Steve Hollyman, Emma Hooper, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, C.J. Skuse, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Celia Brayfield, Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge Scriptwriting: Robin Mukherjee

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge

Bay Path University

Mel Allen, Leanna James Blackwell, Jennifer Baker, Melanie Brooks, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, Shahnaz Habib, Susan Ito, Karol Jackowski, Yi Shun Lai, Anna Mantzaris, Meredith O’Brien, Mick Powell, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Tommy Shea, Kate Whouley

Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College

Poetry: Jennifer Chang, Michael Dumanis, Randall Mann, Craig Morgan Teicher, Mark Wunderlich Fiction: Peter Cameron, Jai Chakrabarti, Stacey D’Erasmo, Monica Ferrell, Rebecca Makkai, Stuart Nadler, Téa Obreht, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Katy Simpson Smith, Taymour Soomro Nonfiction: Garrard Conley, Sabrina Orah Mark, Spencer Reece, Lance Richardson, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, Hugh Ryan, Greg Wrenn

Binghamton University

Poetry: Tina Chang, Joseph Weil Fiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Thomas Glave, Leslie L. Heywood, Claire Luchette, Liz Rosenberg, Jaimee Wriston-Colbert, Alexi Zentner Nonfiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Leslie L. Heywood

Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University

Poetry: Julie Hensley, Young Smith Fiction: Julie Hensley, Robert Dean Johnson Nonfiction: Robert Dean Johnson, Evan J. Massey Playwriting: Young Smith

Boise State University

Poetry: Martin Corless-Smith, Sara Nicholson, Taryn Schwilling Fiction: Mitch Wieland (Director), Anna Caritj Creative Nonfiction: Chris Violet Eaton, Clyde Moneyhun

Boston University

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

Boston University—MFA in Literary Translation

Odile Cazenave, Yuri Corrigan, Margaret Litvin, Christopher Maurer, Roberta Micaleff, Robert Pinsky (advising), Stephen Scully, Sassan Tabatabai, J. Keith Vincent, William Waters, Dennis Wuerthner, Cathy Yeh, Anna Zielinska-Elliott

Bowling Green State University

Poetry: Abigail Cloud, Amorak Huey, Sharona Muir, F. Dan Rzicznek, Larissa Szporluk, Jessica Zinz-Cheresnick Fiction: Joe Celizic, Lawrence Coates, Reema Rajbanshi, Michael Schulz

Brigham Young University

Poetry: Kimberly Johnson, Lance Larsen, Michael Lavers, John Talbot Fiction: Chris Crowe, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Stephen Tuttle Nonfiction: Joey Franklin, Patrick Madden

Brooklyn College

Poetry: Julie Agoos, Ben Lerner Fiction: Joshua Henkin, Madeleine Thien Playwriting: Dennis A. Allen II, Elana Greenfield

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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Best Writing Residencies in 2024 for Emerging Writers

• on Dec 20, 2023
• in International Writing Events
• Last update: January 28th, 2024
• at 10:11 am

If you have a busy schedule, finding the time to write in peace and quiet can be rather difficult. So if you find yourself in need of a break from the hustle and bustle to finish your writing projects, consider applying for a writing residency. These programs offer writers a dedicated space and time to focus on their work, away from the distractions of everyday life.

The benefits of a writing residency are many. For one, it can provide writers with the much-needed time and space to focus on their work. In addition, residencies can offer writers a chance to connect with other writers, learn from experienced mentors, and receive feedback on their work. Finally, residencies can be a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse oneself in the creative process.

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To find the right residency for you. We’ve compiled a list of all the top writing residencies in 2024. Just use our filtering tool below to find the perfect one for you; no matter where you are in the world, you’ll find a residency that fits your needs.

Wurlitzer Foundation Artist Residency Program

Jentel Artist Residency

GlogauAIR Residency

Loghaven Artist Residency

Anaphora Writing Residency

Hambidge Creative Residency Program

National Centre for Writing Residency

Art Omi Writers Residency

Millay Arts Residency

Tusen Takk Foundation Residency

Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency

33OC: Spring Artist Residency

La Baldi Residency

Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts Residency

StudioWorks Artist Residency

Craigardan Writer’s Residency

The Anderson Center Artist Residencies

Playa Flamingo Writing Residency

Creekside Arts Residency

Another Chicago Magazine Residency

Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts

Miss Sarah: Fellowship for Black Women

Nieman Foundation Fellowship

O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism

Ucross Residency

MacDowell Residency

Visual Art Center of Richmond Residency

San José State University Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing

Good Hart Artist Residency

Essere Writer & Artist Residency

James Merrill House Writing Residency

La Napoule Residency

Mt. San Angelo Residencies, VCCA in Virginia

Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship

Buinho Creative Hub Residencies

Ou-telier Residency

Vermont Studio Center Residency

Sarasvati Creative Space

A.I.R. Studio Paducah Residency

Event horizon resicency.

Taleamor Park Residency

Gullkistan Residency

Rockvale Writers’ Colony Residency

Studio Faire Residency

The Narrows Artist Residency

Tyrone Guthrie Residency

Let Madrid Inspire You: ROOSTERGNN Residency

360 Xochi Quetzal

A writing residency may be just what you need to break through writer’s block and also get some support on your writing journey. Whether you pick a short program or a long one, you can rest assured that you will get the writing time you need to cross the finish line.

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Lasekan Obasola

I am an emerging writer/ novelist domiciled in Nigeria . I need international/ corporate interactions to solidify .

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Editor’s Top Selections – Best Creative Writing MFA Programs

Created by CreativeWritingEDU.org Contributor

Once few and far between, master’s degrees aimed specifically at teaching creative writing have ballooned to meet demand in recent years. As of 2022, there were more than 300 of them.

Each MFA offers a distinctive experience and comes with its own theories and techniques for fanning the creative spark in students.

• Some come with exquisite and carefully curated libraries exhibiting the finest selection of literature for study.
• Others offer a fully-funded education , covering tuition and offering a stipend to give you the free time you need to write to your fullest potential.
• Many have well-known authors serving as guest lecturers or even permanent presenters, offering a kind of access to genius you can’t find anywhere else.

It’s nice to have choices, but having choices also means making hard decisions. We’re here to help take some of the pain out of that process by presenting our own select choices for the very best universities offering MFA Creative Writing programs today.

How We Made Our Selections for the Finest Creative Writing MFA Programs

Schools that only teach creative writing at the master’s level have made a conscious choice to focus on a high level of training in the craft of writing. It’s completely appropriate to hold them to high standards.

It’s notoriously difficult to weigh any kind of artistic education program against another, however. Every writer is different. The process and program that you will get the most out of may be completely different from what the next author would benefit from.

So we look at the kinds of factors these degrees deliver that don’t revolve around process. Regardless of how an advanced level of creative writing is being taught, there are just some things that offer a better education no matter how they are applied. In our view, those include:

Top-notch Instructors With Genuine Writing and Publication Expertise

There’s no substitute for professors who have been there and done that in creative writing. Competition for top writers to teach at creative writing MFA programs is intense, and for good reason: when you are trying to master the muse, you want to hear about it from someone who already has.

But literary success is no guarantor of teaching ability. You wouldn’t want to be in a class taught by brilliant sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, for example, who has a whole section on his Wikipedia entry titled “Temperament.” Mentoring and the gentle art of delivering critical feedback to boost and not hinder students are key skills.

So, the best MFA in creative writing degrees employ professors with the rare combination of literary and academic talent—which is what you will find at each of the schools on this list.

The Resources To Support Your Writing Vision

Writers only float in a sea of ideas. The top MFA programs in creative writing have the resources to fill that ocean:

• Expansive libraries for conducting research
• Endowments to help fund student fellowships
• Visiting writer and other lecture and reading series to develop broad visions and connections
• School-run or affiliated literary journals or publishers to open up publication opportunities
• International or other off-campus programs to broaden your literary experiences
• Calm and inspiring writing residency options to put you in the right frame of mind to write
• Small class sizes and workshops to foster intimacy and feedback

Although not all these programs will check every one of those boxes, each of them has a wealth of different resources to offer to help get students off the ground in both their creative exercises and their publishing careers.

A Track Record of Educational Success in Creative Writing

Most MFA programs are quick to acknowledge that you can’t teach talent—but you can foster and hone it.

That leads to demonstrable results in the form of graduates who have attracted top-dollar publishing deals, industry awards and recognition, and who have gone on to critical acclaim or even become instructors themselves.

This kind of reputation is golden in the literary world and all of these schools will have people sitting up and taking note when their name pops up in your author bio.

Strong Publishing Industry and Literary Community Connections

When you produce successful writers and hire well-known authors to instruct classes, important industry connections are an asset included in the deal. Those industry ties prove to be among the most important characteristics of the best creative writing MFA programs.

Each of these programs has developed connections to major publishers, agencies, and trade groups that help lay the groundwork for you to launch your writing career. There is fierce competition to land book deals in the publishing industry today. Every editor receives stacks and stacks of submissions and query letters; even the best authors have trouble making it out of the slush piles without a recommendation or introduction.

These schools have the kind of connections that will help get you introduced to decision-makers in big agencies and book publishers. Who you know still isn’t as important as how good your writing is, but with these programs, you’ll get the best of both worlds.

Diverse and Original Coursework in Foundational and Advanced Writing Skills

A Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing puts a clear stamp on your work. It’s designed to get the best out of your native skill and polish it to the finest shine.

That means both ironing out the fundamentals of the writing craft and developing new and advanced skills. All of these degrees have a wide range of courses and workshops that offer a deep background in the knowledge and skills required for solid plotting, character development, and essential technical expertise as a writer. But they also go far beyond those to help you seek new sources of inspiration and experience. Exploring the poetry of science fiction; diving into post-apocalyptic writing; focusing on the art of telling a joke; comparing Western and Eastern literary forms and storytelling… all these kinds of classes and more offer you an edge in taking your writing to the next level with a degree from these schools.

Helping You Choose From Among the Finest Creative Writing MFA Programs in the Nation

All those features are what make these programs the best. But the real question you need to answer is which one will actually be the best for you ?

We can help you figure that out, too. Although each of these schools comes in on top of the pack of master’s-level creative writing programs in the country in general, each also has unique features that will determine how they fit in with your personal goals and style.

So for each listing, we give you plenty of additional information to help you make your decision. That includes data on:

You’ll also get a thumbnail sketch of what makes the school a great one, outlining many of the supporting facts behind the criteria we evaluated them on. But you’ll also get some of the highlights, the things that really make them stand out, such as:

• Whether the school also offers undergraduate and doctoral degrees
• Which concentration or specializations are offered
• The formats in which the program is available
• Whether the school is public or private
• Rankings by respected third-party evaluators like The Princeton Review
• Exemplary student-published literary magazines
• Super low student-to-faculty ratios
• Unique workshops or internship opportunities offered
• Generous fellowship opportunities

It’s easy access to the kind of information that will help make your decision easy… all in one place.

State-By-State: Top Selections for the Best Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Programs in the U.S.

Competition to get into these elite MFA creative writing programs can be stiff. But if you are determined to get the finest graduate education in creative writing available today, then choosing from among these schools offers your best chances.

Find the Best MFA Creative Writing Programs in Your State

Connecticut.

District of Columbia

Massachusetts

Mississippi, new hampshire, north carolina, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, university of arizona (public).

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

MFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)

Fully funded through graduate teaching assistantships

Also offers: BA in Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Both programs allow students to focus on fiction, nonfiction, or poetry
• MFA program is ranked among the top programs in the nation
• Fully funded MFA offered through graduate teaching assistantships
• MFA features unparalleled opportunities to write and research at the US-Mexico border through the Southwest Field Studies on Writing Program

The University of Arizona offers a BA and MFA in Creative Writing, both of which are part of one the top-ranked creative writing programs in the nation! Choose the BA in Creative Writing and you’ll learn from award-winning writers as you refine your skillset in writing, research, critical thinking, and literary analysis and explore the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry (you’ll choose one genre as a focus after your first year of study). You’ll also be encouraged to take a variety of courses in professional and technical writing, the study of literature, writing and publishing, writing and community, and language, making this a truly well-rounded course of undergraduate study. The University of Arizona’s MFA in Creative Writing has been producing award-winning writers for 50 years and is regarded as one of the top programs of its kind in the nation. This fully funded, three-year program features your choice of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction concentration and a dynamic classroom experience that includes a world-class faculty and small, workshop-style courses.

University of Arkansas (Public)

FULBRIGHT COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Fayetteville, AR

MFA in Creative Writing & Translation (poetry, fiction, literary translation) (on-campus)

Fully funded MFA with absolutely no tuition costs for students accepted into the program

• Highly selective program admits up to five students each year in each genre (poetry, prose, and literary translation)
• Outstanding opportunities to learn from established writers through the Walton Reading Series
• Consistently ranked among the top MFA programs in the country by Poets & Writers
• Named among the “Top Five Most Innovative” programs of its kind by Atlantic Monthly

The University of Arkansas’ MFA in Creative Writing & Translation is a unique course of graduate study that’s personalized with your choice of concentration in poetry, fiction, or literary translation. This program is among the nation’s oldest MFA programs, yet never fails to impress with its dynamic, forward-thinking curriculum. In fact, it was named among the “Top Five Most Innovative” programs of its kind by Atlantic Monthly ! For more than 50 years, the university’s MFA in Creative Writing & Translation has produced some of the country’s top writers – and it’s little wonder why. The robust curriculum of this program is built on a solid foundation of coursework in craft and literary studies and complemented with a superb, student-centered learning environment that boasts small class sizes and a dedicated faculty.

University of California-Davis (Public)

COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCES

Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing emphasis (on-campus)

• Full funding guaranteed in the second year of the MFA program in exchange for undergrad teaching positions
• Ranked among the top five public universities in the nation by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education
• MFA students choose a single genre – fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, or a multi-genre focus

The University of California – Davis offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in creative writing that are designed to inspire the emerging or established writer! Focused on the mastery of craft with a solid foundation in literary traditions, the BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis is designed to expand your knowledge and refine your writing skills in preparation for a variety of careers in areas like publishing, marketing, journalism, advertising, and more. The innovative Creative Writing MFA program features a nice blend of studio and literature courses in your choice of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or multi-genre. In the second year, you’ll teach creative writing courses to undergrad students as you prepare to become a successful practitioner in your own right. All students of the MFA are guaranteed full funding in their second year!

University of California-Irvine (Public)

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES

MFA in English-Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry) (on-campus)

Full funding available through graduate teaching assistantships

• UCI named a Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS) Leader
• Your choice of poetry or fiction concentration/emphasis
• Superb student engagement and feedback through the Graduate Writers’ Workshop

The University of California – Irvine is home to the esteemed MFA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, an exciting course of graduate study that allows students to explore poetry or fiction through dynamic workshops and seminars. Designed to bring together a talented group of writers with plans on a writing-intensive career, the MFA program is rich in close mentorship from accomplished visiting writers. This highly selective program admits just 12 new students each year to ensure one-on-one guidance and support from the program’s faculty. This program is built on the Graduate Writers’ Workshop, a group that meets each quarter to share and critique one another’s writing. Throughout the course of the program, students participate in the Graduate Writers’ Workshop and attend graduate-level seminars.

San Diego State University (Public)

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS

San Diego, CA

• Competitive graduate teaching associate positions available
• Exciting Fulbright Fellowships available to study in places like Austria, Brazil, and Poland.
• Your choice of focus in fiction, poetry, or cross-genre

San Diego State University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers is innovative, personalized, and designed to arouse your creative skillset. As one of the oldest MFA Creative Writing programs in the nation, this course of graduate study enjoys a long history of producing skilled, inspired writers. But don’t expect a stale, rote curriculum. Instead, you’ll immerse yourself in a dynamic program that includes your choice of concentration in fiction, poetry, or cross-genre as you work toward producing a manuscript of your original work. Students of this program also enjoy studying under internationally acclaimed visiting writers from around the world, and many students receive Fulbright Fellowships to study in places like Austria, Brazil, and Poland.

California College of the Arts (Private)

San Francisco, CA

MFA in Writing (on-campus)

Also offers: BA in Writing and Literature (on-campus)

• Superb faculty of accomplished scholars, writers, poets, and playwrights
• Outstanding internship opportunities with Bay Area literary organizations available

For aspiring and emerging writers, the California College of the Arts offers a BA in Writing and Literature and an MFA in Writing! The BA offers a foundation in literature and critical inquiry and dynamic workshops in prose, poetry, drama, screenwriting, graphic novels, improvisation, and more. You’ll refine your skills in literary journalism, hybrid narratives, lyric essays, and much more as you conduct close readings and analyses of writing across time. BA students learn from acclaimed authors through the HearSay Reading Series… they contribute their talents to Humble Pie , the undergraduate journal… and they enjoy outstanding internship experiences with Bay Area literary organizations. The MFA program is offered at the Writers’ Studio, where students participate in workshops, readings, and craft talks and learn from accomplished authors through the famed Tuesdays Talk series. Here students explore nonfiction, fiction, and poetry in a close, supportive atmosphere that naturally elicits creativity and inspiration.

Saint Mary’s College of California (Private)

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS

MFA in Creative Writing (Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Book Manuscript) (on-campus)

Also offers: BA in English – Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Ranked among the top five regional universities in the West by U.S. News & World Report
• All MFA students receive partial funding and opportunities to apply for teaching fellowships, assistantships, and paid internships
• Exciting selection of undergraduate internship opportunities available
• Two-year MFA also includes the option of completing a third year in an additional genre or taking a fifth semester Book Manuscript Intensive course

Saint Mary’s College offers both undergraduate and graduate programs for the creative writer in a supportive private school setting that’s heralded for its academic rigor and plentiful hands-on learning experiences. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis offers a foundation in the creative writing process and options to focus on a specific genre of creative writing like poetry, fiction, nonfiction, dramatic writing, or screenwriting. All students of this program also participate in the Creative Writing Reading Series, which includes attending events and meeting with visiting writers. On-campus internship opportunities include working with the Office of Marketing and Communications or the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum and contributing to riverrun , the undergraduate literary journal, while off-campus internship opportunities include organizations and publications like Counterpoint Press, Diablo Magazine , No Starch Press, Sierra Magazine , and more! The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year course of study that features an award-winning faculty (including visiting writers in residence); opportunities to contribute to the MFA journal, MARY: A Journal of New Writing ; and your choice concentration in creative nonfiction, fiction, or poetry. Students may also complete a third year in an additional genre or take a fifth semester Book Manuscript Intensive course.

Western Colorado University (Public)

COMMUNICATION ARTS, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (CALL) DEPARTMENT

Gunnison, CO

MA/MFA in Creative Writing (low-residency)

• Supportive, student-centered learning environment features an average class size of just 16
• BA students gain valuable experience by editing a book published by Western Press Books and preparing their own work for submission
• MFA offers convenient and flexible online study complemented with one-week on-campus residencies
• MFA offers your choice of one of five genre concentrations: nature writing, genre fiction, poetry, publishing, or screenwriting

Western Colorado University is home to not one, but two creative writing programs that are designed to meet you wherever you are in your career. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis is ideally designed for emerging writers who seek a comprehensive course of study delivered within a supportive community. Students of this program enjoy a strong foundation in English literature traditions, theory, and criticism with advanced courses in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and scripts. You’ll also enjoy flexing your creative skills by contributing to WordHorde, the Creative Writing student organization, and lending help to other students through the Writing Center. Before you graduate, you’ll edit a book published by Western Press Books and prepare your own work for submission. The MFA Creative Writing program here provides an advanced course of study in one of five genres: nature writing, genre fiction, poetry, publishing, or screenwriting. This program comes complete with a dedicated faculty of award-winning writers and a low-residency model that delivers outstanding convenience and flexibility.

Western Connecticut State University (Public)

MACRICOSTAS SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Danbury, CT

MFA in Creative and Professional Writing (low-residency)

• Outstanding record of graduate success: 87% of all graduates go on to publish books and/or work full-time as professional writers
• Convenient and flexible program features a low-residency model that combines online study with dynamic residencies, either on-campus or abroad
• Competitive graduate assistantships available

Western Connecticut State University offers the MFA in Creative and Professional Writing, which comes complete with a dynamic curriculum that’s delivered in a low-residency model for outstanding convenience and flexibility. We love this program because it offers a comprehensive graduate course of study in multiple genres (students here take workshops and course in all genres and styles), thereby preparing students as well-rounded, versatile writers who find success in both creative and professional writing fields. We also love this program’s exciting residency opportunities that now include options to study in Dublin, Ireland (during the Bram Stoker Festival) and at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in the Poconos!

Fairfield University (Private)

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Fairfield, CT

MFA in Creative Writing (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, screenwriting) (low-residency)

Also offers: Major in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)

• Options to focus the MFA on poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting
• Ranked among the top national universities by U.S. News & World Report
• Low-residency model features dynamic, engaging residencies on Ender Island in Mystic, CT

Fairfield University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers your choice of focus in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting and a low-residency model that’s sure to fit well into your busy schedule. The program’s flexible and challenging curriculum is ideally designed to allow students to design a course of study that best aligns with their professional goals and personal interests. It’s also home to the CT Writing Project, which is home to outstanding opportunities to learn from visiting writers; attend writers’ retreats; and more. Choose Fairfield for your creative writing master’s program and you’ll enjoy opportunities to complete an internship in journalism, public relations, business writing, publishing, and more.

District of Columbia - DC

American university (private).

Washington, DC

• Competitive Merit Awards (tuition and stipends) available
• Exciting opportunities to study in an intimate learning environment that encourages constructive feedback and support
• Your choice of focus on a single genre or multiple genres

American University’s MFA in Creative Writing has been producing the next generation of creative writers for more than 30 years! The only program of its kind in our nation’s capital, the MFA in Creative Writing is your opportunity to explore the art and craft of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The flexible design of this program allows students to pursue a single genre or multiple genres, and the tightknit, supportive learning environment encourages superb guidance and feedback from peers and faculty. Students of this program contribute to Folio , the College of Arts and Sciences’ nationally recognized literary journal and Café MFA , the online journal of the Creative Writing program.

Florida State University (Public)

Tallahassee, FL

Also offers: Major in Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Ranked among the top national public universities by U.S. News & World Report
• Home to a nationally and internationally renowned, award-winning faculty
• Superb internship opportunities available

Florida State University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing within one of the top writing programs in the country! Just some of the reasons why emerging creative writers flock to FSU include an award-winning faculty (many are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and more)… opportunities to complete a teaching apprenticeship program through graduate teaching assistantships… and an Editing Internship, your chance to gain valuable, hands-on experiences with a magazine, newspaper, publishing house, television station, marketing firm, nonprofit organization, and more. FSU’s English Department is also home to the Southeast Review , a national literary magazine, and The Kudzu Review , the undergraduate literary magazine, both of which are great sources of hands-on learning experiences.

Florida International University (Public)

ARTS, SCIENCES, AND EDUATION

North Miami, FL

• Program graduates have published 200+ books
• Ranked among the Best Colleges in the nation for social mobility and innovation by U.S. News & World Report
• Home to a dedicated faculty of award-winning, working writers

Florida International University’s MFA in Creative Writing is where you’ll advance your understanding of professional standards and expectations as you hone your creative skillset in your chosen genre. Ideal for future endeavors in teaching, editing, publishing, the arts, and more, this illustrious program of study comes complete with an intimate learning environment; a curriculum of seminar-style courses, workshops, and form and theory courses; outstanding, one-on-one mentoring; and a dedicated faculty of award-winning, working writers. As you progress throughout the program, you’ll work toward the completion of a publishable, book-length creative thesis.

Stetson University (Private)

MFA in Creative Writing (low-residency)

• Program features a concentration in poetry and prose in the expanded field
• Outstanding guidance and mentorship found here – residency workshops include a low, 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio
• Exciting, low-residency model features online study combined with two residencies annually
• Named among the nation’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report

Stetson University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers an outstanding course of graduate study that’s delivered in a low-residency format to accommodate your busy schedule. Choose this program and you’ll enjoy intensive, dynamic mentorship and engagement marked by small workshop groups, individual mentoring sessions, craft lectures, translation workshops, and more. This program is innovative and dynamic, allowing students to explore the many political, social, aesthetic, and cultural factors that are reflective of your work. The low-residency model features online courses that are complemented with two, ten-day residencies where students gather to learn from accomplished writers and exchange their work with faculty mentors. Residencies are held at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and at various international locations! Past residencies were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

Georgia State University (Public)

Atlanta, GA

MA/MFA in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)

Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Ranked among the top innovative universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
• Also offers: PhD in English, Concentration in Creative Writing, which is ranked among the top programs of its kind in the nation by Poets & Writers
• Exciting international exchange and study abroad programs available to places like England, France, Italy, Germany, and China

Two creative writing programs, one world-class university—Georgia State University is where emerging writers head for outstanding instruction and inspiration! Choose the BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration and you’ll complete undergraduate study in British and American literature and culture alongside courses focused on the craft and art of creative writing and the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction genres. The MA/MFA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features your choice of focus on poetry or fiction and a superb curriculum that prepares students for further study at the PhD level or for careers in a variety of writing-intensive fields. We love the English Department’s award-winning faculty of poets, and authors and the exciting opportunities to hone your craft by contributing to the award-winning Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art and the student-edited literary magazine, New South .

University of Idaho (Public)

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

• Fully funded MFA for all students through graduate teaching assistantships
• Ranked among the top 8% best colleges in the nation by the Princeton Review
• Ranked among the top 15% of American National Universities by U.S. News & World Report
• Three MFA students are awarded fellowships to write in residence at the Taylor Ranch Research Station in the Frank Church Wilderness Area of the Selway-Bitterroot Mountains

The University of Idaho’s creative writing programs are part of the Department of English’s vibrant community where you can always find inspiration in the form of literary readings, scholarly lectures, conferences, student gatherings, and more. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis boasts engaging courses in fiction, creative fiction, and poetry; esteemed professors who offer one-on-one mentorship; and outstanding opportunities to flex your creative writing skillset and gain valuable, hands-on experiences. The MFA offers a fully funded, three-year course of graduate study in nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. We love the mix of genre workshops, technique studios, and traditional seminars that provide students with an outstanding blend of study in the craft. And the practicum in literary magazine and editing production provides students with an expanded skillset upon graduation.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Public)

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry) (on-campus)

Fully funded program

Also offers: BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences-Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Also offers a PhD in Writing Studies
• Fully funded MFA offered through full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships, and fellowships
• MFA features your choice of focus on fiction or poetry and extensive study in literary publishing and editing

Two creative writing programs at one nationally renowned university – the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is where you want to be! The undergraduate creative writing major, which is one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country, is built on small, workshop-style courses in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that are ideally designed to prepare students for exciting careers in a number of fields or for future graduate study. Students of this program edit and publish the Montage Arts Journal , the university’s undergraduate literary arts journal, which offers outstanding, hands-on learning experiences. The MFA Creative Writing program is a three-year, rigorous course of study in creative writing and literature that offers students the option of specializing in fiction or poetry. You’ll study under the program’s distinguished and dedicated graduate faculty as you take four workshops in your chosen genre and work toward producing a book-length, publishable manuscript. You’ll also receive extensive, hands-on experience in literary editing and publishing in this fully funded graduate program!

Northwestern University (Private)

WEINBERG COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Evanston, IL

MFA in Creative Writing (program is combined with a simultaneous MA in English) (low-residency)

Fully funded through fellowships and graduate assistantships

• MFA is fully funded through fellowships and graduate assistantships
• MFA allows students to work in one genre (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction) and also explore a second genre

Northwestern University’s creative writing programs are home to an accomplished faculty of award-winning authors and offered in a supportive, creative community where inspiration naturally flourishes. The Creative Writing major enjoys an outstanding record of graduate success and a reputation as one of the finest undergraduate programs of its kind in the nation. Through this program, you’ll explore poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as other courses that explore hybrid genres. Students of this program enjoy a lively curriculum that includes learning from guest writers-in-residence through the Annual Writers’ Festival; participating in the Undergraduate English Association; and contributing their talents to the award-winning student literary magazines, Helicon and Prompt. The MFA + MA in Creative Writing and English program is a unique dual graduate program that provides students with the opportunity to pursue both creative and critical writing. This program boasts intimate classes; close mentorship from a renowned faculty of writers; and a variety of writing workshops in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. And while students of this program are admitted in one genre, they enjoy opportunities to explore a second genre. This program is fully funded through fellowships and graduate assistantships. During the program’s two funded summers, students serve as part-time editorial assistantships for the prestigious online literary journal, TriQuarterly !

School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Private)

Chicago, IL

MFA in Writing (low-residency)

Also offers: BFA in Writing (on-campus)

• Named as “the most influential art college in the United States” by a Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism survey
• Consistently ranked among the top graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report
• BA program emphasizes writing across genres, including interdisciplinary and hybrid genres
• Low-residency MFA combines online study with engaging, on-campus summer residencies

Whether the BFA or MFA is what you seek, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has what you need! The BFA features a dynamic course of study that emphasizes writing across genres, including interdisciplinary and hybrid genres, and producing a creative project of your choice. Students also enjoy the many immersive, hands-on learning experiences available here that include contributing to Mouth , the student-run literary journal and F newsmagazine , the award-winning student newspaper; attending readings and workshops through the Visiting Writer and Artist Lectures; and attending Publishing Panel presentations. The low-residency MFA is a three-year program that’s designed for 21 st century artists and writers. This flexible program engages students and prepares them across various teaching platforms, with much of the curriculum focused on writing and studying other artists’ writings. The low-residency model features online study complemented with three, consecutive summer residencies where you’ll connect with your peers on campus to create and critique work.

Indiana University-Bloomington (Public)

Bloomington, IN

Fully funded program through fellowships and teaching assistantships

• Highly selective MFA enrolls just eight students each year (four in fiction, four in poetry)
• Outstanding reputation for its focus on a diverse student body
• Fully funded program offered through fellowships and assistantships

Indiana University – Bloomington’s MFA in Creative Writing features three years of fully funded graduate study at IU’s flagship campus! This dynamic program is focused on honing craft concepts and workshopping original student poetry and fiction under an award-winning faculty as you work toward the completion a book-length manuscript in the genre of your choice. This highly selective program enrolls just eight new students each year (four in fiction, four in poetry) to ensure an intimate learning environment of top emerging writers.

University of Notre Dame (Private)

Notre Dame, IN

Fully funded through tuition scholarships and fellowships

• Consistently ranked among the top 25 institutions of higher learning in the nation by esteemed publications like U.S. News & World Report, Forbes , and Niche
• Exciting study abroad experiences available to the University College Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge, the University of East Anglia, Trinity College (Dublin), St. Andrews (Scotland), and Galway, Ireland
• All students of the fully funded MFA program gain teaching, editorial, and publication experience

The University of Notre Dame offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in creative writing – your opportunity to explore and refine your craft within a world-renowned university. The Major in English with a Creative Writing concentration allows students to study the many ways in which literature shapes the human experience. Through small class sizes (just 15-17 students), students here connect with one another and engage with the distinguished faculty while honing their critical thinking, public speaking, and writing skills. The creative writing faculty, which is ranked among the best in the nation, teaches 15-20 creative writing classes ranging from fiction to poetry to nonfiction prose to playwriting/screenwriting. Students here often round out their undergraduate experience by engaging in internship, service learning, and study abroad experiences and by contributing to the university’s student-run publications. Notre Dame’s MFA in Creative Writing boasts a two-year, fully funded course of study that’s marked by a rigorous, self-directed learning experience and a diverse, international body of students. All students of this program gain teaching, editorial, and publication experience; participate in outreach programs with community partners; engage with visiting writers and artists; and conduct their own reading series.

University of Kansas (Public)

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Overland Parks, KS

MFA – Tracks in Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting (on-campus)

Also offers: BA, BGS (Bachelor of General Studies) Literature, Language and Writing-option to earn a Creative and Analytical Writing certificate (on-campus)

• Also offers: PhD in Creative Writing
• Competitive graduate teaching assistantships available for MFA students
• Home to an esteemed faculty of published authors
• BA/BGS in Literature, Language and Writing offers a nice selection of afternoon, evening, online, and hybrid courses
• MFA offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, or playwriting

The University of Kansas boasts both undergraduate and graduate programs for the creative writer! The innovative BA/BGS in Literature, Language and Writing provides students with a versatile foundation in technical writing, editing, marketing, writing, and authoring, while the Creative and Analytical Writing certificate provides a deep dive into the craft of creative writing. Just some of the highlights of the BA/BGS in Literature, Language and Writing include an outstanding selection of afternoon, evening, online, and hybrid courses… an experienced, published faculty… and unmatched student engagement and mentorship. The MFA program features a three-year course of study and options to focus on fiction, poetry, or playwriting. You’re sure to love learning from the widely published faculty here that have been recipients of distinctions like the Hugo Award, the Gertrude Stein Award, the Nebula Award, and more. The MFA is ideally positioned within a university that’s home to esteemed centers like the J. Wayne & Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction (dedicated to research and education in science fiction) and the Project on the History of Black Writing (research unit focused on literary recovery work in black studies).

Western Kentucky University (Public)

POTTER COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS

Bowling Green, KY

• Ranked among the top public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
• Competitive MFA teaching assistantships available
• MFA tracks include fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or scriptwriting; secondary concentration in literature, composition & rhetoric, or teaching English as a second language
• Exciting undergraduate experiential learning opportunities available

Western Kentucky University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing to meet students wherever they are in their academic and professional journey! The undergraduate Creative Writing program features a curriculum that’s grounded in the study of literature and marked by an exciting blend of courses in creative nonfiction, fiction, play/screenwriting, and poetry. Learning outside of the classroom is also standard fare here. You’ll find students learning from esteemed, visiting writers through the Readers Series; contributing to Zephyrus , the school’s literary publication; connecting with their peers through the English Club, the annual Senior Reading, and through the many open-mic nights and coffeehouse gatherings; and attending the annual Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture. The MFA in Creative Writing features a three-year course of study; tracks in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and scriptwriting; and secondary areas in literature, composition & rhetoric, or teaching English as a second language.

Eastern Kentucky University (Public)

COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Richmond, KY

• Low-residency model offers optimal convenience and flexibility for working adults
• Superb summer residency offered in Lisbon, Portugal
• Real-time online workshops ensure superb engagement and communication with faculty and peers

Eastern Kentucky University’s MFA in Creative Writing – Bluegrass Writers Studio features a low-residency model that’s designed with flexibility and convenience in mind. Students of this program study in a close-knit, supportive community alongside other emerging writers in both literary and genre-writing. The Bluegrass Writers Studio is an innovative program that offers students an optimal blend of online courses and workshops complemented with intensive residency workshops and unparalleled international literary and cultural experiences. The program’s Domestic Summer Residencies, which are held in Richmond and in Lisbon, Portugal, are rich in intensive workshops, lectures, and readings and focused on individual writing.

McNeese State University (Public)

Lake Charles, LA

Also offers: BA in English-Writing (on-campus)

• All MFA students are offered teaching assistantships that include a partial tuition waiver and stipend
• Ranked as one of the top regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report
• MFA in Creative Writing is the oldest program of its kind in Louisiana and one of the oldest in the southeast
• Option to add an MA in English to the MFA in Creative Writing without adding any additional hours or costs

McNeese State University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing, making it a sure bet for emerging writers like you! The BA in English with a Writing concentration offers a firm foundation in classic and contemporary literature alongside courses and hands-on learning experiences designed to hone your creative writing skills and elevate your knowledge and skills in the areas of editing, rhetorical writing, and technical writing . Students of this program enjoy small class sizes and a highly engaging learning environment that’s marked by high-quality instruction from a widely published, dedicated faculty. The MFA in Creative Writing is the oldest programs of its kind in Louisiana and among the oldest in the southeast! Offering outstanding, hands-on instruction through a host of creative writing programs, this program is where poetry and fiction writers flock to elevate their creative writing skills and produce a book-length manuscript. McNeese’s MFA is one of the only programs in the country to offer students the opportunity to concurrently earn an MA in English without adding any additional hours or costs!

University of Baltimore (Public)

YALE GORDON COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Baltimore, MD

• Named as one of the most distinctive programs of its kind in the nation by Poets & Writers Magazine
• Competitive graduate fellowships and teaching assistantships available
• Your choice of focus in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry
• Exciting internship and study teaching opportunities available

The University of Baltimore’s MFA in Creative Writing is one of the top programs of its kind in the nation and a dynamic, inspiring hub for emerging writers in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students of this program hone their creative voice and elevate their skillset in writing , editing, and publishing as they gain valuable, hands-on experience through internships and student teaching opportunities. Just some of the places where students here intern include the Baltimore City Paper , Baltimore Magazine , Baltimore Jewish Times , and Baltimore Style Magazine !

Johns Hopkins University (Private)

KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

MFA in Writing Seminars-Creative Writing (on-campus)

Fully funded through teaching fellowships

Also offers: Major in Writing Seminars-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)

• Fully funded MFA features a generous teaching fellowship
• The Writing Seminars program is the second-oldest creative writing program in the country
• BA program features a focus on fiction and poetry
• Home to a nationally and internationally renowned faculty and acclaimed visiting writers

John Hopkins University offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in their famed Writing Seminars program! Undergraduate students here enjoy a solid liberal arts framework that’s complemented with courses in fiction and poetry and seminars on literature and the history and technique of poetry and prose. The Writing Seminar’s MFA program offers an advanced exploration of fiction and poetry. This program boasts a nationally and internationally renowned faculty; acclaimed visiting writers; and a curriculum that’s rich in intensive literary seminars and small workshops. Students complete a first-year portfolio and then round out their graduate course of study with a second-year thesis. This highly selective, fully funded program includes a generous teaching fellowship!

Hampshire College (Private)

Amherst, MA

MFA in Writing for Film and Television (low-residency)

• Student-designed learning environment features personalized, independent work, close collaboration with faculty, and exciting hands-on experiences
• MFA in Creative Writing features your choice of focus on poetry, fiction, or nonfiction
• MFA Writing for Film and Television combines online study with weeklong residencies at the college’s Boston or Los Angeles campus
• Hampshire is part of the Five College Consortium that allows students to explore academic offerings at Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Hampshire College offers no less than three, outstanding creative writing programs for emerging and practicing writers alike! The Major in Creative Writing offers a well-rounded exploration of fiction, literary journalism, and poetry through dynamic, workshop-style courses that feature intensive writing, active reading, and constructive feedback. Students of this program enjoy engaging with their peers and sharing ideas through writers’ coffeehouses; learning from acclaimed visiting writers; and flexing their creative skillset through one of the school’s publications. The low-residency MFA in Writing for Film and Television offers a convenient and flexible blend of online courses with week-long residencies at the Boston or Los Angeles campus at the beginning of each semester. This program features an esteemed faculty of filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters and the opportunity to produce a professional-caliber portfolio of original feature, pilot, and short screenplay samples. The Creative Writing MFA program is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the nation. Some of the highlights of this program include an esteemed, published faculty; two award-winning literary journals; and close ties with the Boston publishing community.

Boston University (Private)

• Ranked among the top 5% of all creative writing programs in the nation by The Atlantic for the distinction of its faculty and alumni
• Superb opportunity to study and travel abroad through the Global Fellowship
• Small cohorts ensure an outstanding, student-centered learning environment

Boston University’s MFA in Creative Writing is built on the university’s legacy of academic excellence and the Creative Writing Program’s reputation as one of most prestigious programs of its kind in the country! This program features your choice of fiction or poetry and a one-year course of study that’s highlighted by creative writing workshops and literature courses. It’s designed in small cohorts that accept just ten fiction writers and eight poets annually, and it’s fully funded, covering all tuition costs and offering a stipend for all students. All students of this program teach at least one course and fulfill a foreign language requirement during their MFA. Students are also eligible to receive a Global Fellowship for travel and study anywhere outside of the U.S. upon successful completion of their coursework and submission of their thesis.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Public)

RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE

Ann Arbor, MI

Also offers: Major in Creative Writing and Literature (on-campus)

• Outstanding study abroad opportunities available (University of Michigan has the most students studying abroad among the Big Ten universities)
• Ranked among the top public national universities by U.S. News & World Report
• Highly selective, fully funded MFA program accepts just nine poets and nine fiction writers annually
• Undergraduate major in Creative Writing and Literature includes your choice of focus on fiction/creative nonfiction, poetry, or digital storytelling

Whether you’re interested in pursuing undergraduate or graduate study in creative writing, the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor has what you’re looking for! Undergraduate students in the Creative Writing and Literature program study fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction (and choose a focus on fiction/creative nonfiction, poetry, or digital storytelling) in a student-centered learning environment that features dedicated faculty mentors and small, engaging writing seminars. Whether your plans include graduate study or a career in an area like education, editing, journalism, publishing, or beyond, this program is designed with you in mind! The fully funded Creative Writing MFA program features two years of study and options to focus on fiction or poetry. We love the program’s esteemed faculty of published poets and fiction writers and the many opportunities to learn from acclaimed writers through the Zell Visiting Writers Series. This highly selective program accepts just nine poets and nine fiction writers annually.

Western Michigan University (Public)

Kalamazoo, MI

MFA in Creative Writing

Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing option (on-campus)

• Superb record of student success: 9 out of 10 students are employed and working quickly in their fields upon graduation
• Outstanding study abroad opportunities – more than 100 programs in 40 countries available
• Engaging workshop-style courses ensure outstanding opportunities to hone your creative skillset

Western Michigan University is home to both BA and MFA programs in creative writing for the emerging writer! The BA in English with a Creative Writing option is built on a foundation in British and American literature and the English language and complemented with dynamic, creative writing workshops that vary from introductory to advanced. Students of this program explore writing poetry, plays, fiction, and creative nonfiction alongside focused study in news, feature, and professional writing. The MFA in Creative Writing program offers a streamlined path to writing-intensive careers in poetry, fiction, or drama or future PhD study within prestigious programs.

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Public)

Minneapolis, MN

• Fully funded program through teaching assistantships and/or fellowships
• Exciting program features an exploration of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction
• Consistently ranked among the top graduate creative writing programs in the country

The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities offers an esteemed MFA in Creative Writing – a three-year course of graduate study that features a dynamic deep dive into writing, language, and literature, along with study in a related field. This exciting program, which has long been ranked among the top ten graduate creative writing programs nationally, offers a well-rounded exploration of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In fact, students of this program are encouraged to experiment and write across genres as they work toward honing their own creative voice. Housed within the flagship institution of the University of Minnesota System, which enjoys a reputation as being among the most prestigious public research universities in the nation, this program comes with full funding for all MFA students and exciting opportunities to conduct research, intern with major corporations and organizations, and study abroad.

Hamline University (Private)

Saint Paul, MN

MFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)  

Also offers: BFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)

• BA in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)
• Exciting, undergraduate faculty-led research opportunities available
• Home to a nice variety of internship experiences
• Superb faculty of accomplished writers
• MFA features your choice of focus on poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction

Hamline University is home to three different creative writing programs that are designed to meet you wherever you are in your career! Offering two undergraduate creative writing programs – one in creative writing and the other in English with a creative writing concentration, Hamline offers students the opportunity to hone their creative writing skillset and prepare for exciting careers in publishing, journalism, marketing, business, education, and beyond! The BFA in Creative Writing provides students with a well-rounded exploration of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, literary traditions, textual analysis, and the opportunity to refine your skillset in any number of genres. The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration offers a journey in literature as you explore the process of writing a novel, script, or other creative work. We love their undergraduate creative writing programs here because they come complete with exciting opportunities to participate in faculty-led research; contribute to one of the many student-led publications like Runestone , the award-winning undergraduate online literary magazine; and complete internships with major names like Graywolf Press, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Loft Literary Center. The MFA in Creative Writing boasts an in-depth course of study that’s marked by your choice of focus in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction; an esteemed faculty of accomplished writers; and a curriculum that prepares you for in-demand teaching and publishing careers.

Augsburg University (Private)

DIVISION OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

MFA in Creative Writing (Teaching, Translation, Publishing) ( low-residency )  

• MFA program features a low-residency model that combines convenient, flexible online study with summer residencies
• Exciting study abroad opportunities to Denmark and Iceland for undergraduate students
• Undergraduate creative writing students may qualify for the MFA Masterclass option – an opportunity to participate in a single summer residency that includes a creative writing workshop

Augsburg University’s undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing are exactly what emerging and practicing writers are looking for! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration offers a nice blend of both English literature and the creative writing process. Through this course of study, students explore the craft under the guidance of a dedicated faculty of working writers. Students also enjoy plenty of opportunities to flex their creative skillset outside of the classroom, with opportunities to participate in the Many Voice Project – a series that brings together students, professors, and staff to explore successful communication among diverse readers and writers; contribute to Thó Win Magazine , the campus literary, visual, and musical arts publication; and study abroad to Denmark and Iceland. The low-residency Creative Writing MFA program offers students a deep dive into writing in multiple genres and features a convenient and flexible format that blends online study with summer residencies. Students of this program hone their skillset in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting over the course of three years to prepare for exciting careers in fields like teaching, publishing, and translation. Are you an undergraduate creative writing student with future graduate study in your sights? You may qualify for the MFA Masterclass option, which allows undergrad students to enroll in a single summer residency that includes a creative writing workshop.

University of Mississippi (Public)

University, MS

MFA in English (on-campus)  

• Also offers: Ph.D. in English with Creative Writing Concentration
• Outstanding visiting scholars and creative writers - past visitors have included filmmaker, Spike Lee, Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffery Eugenides, and National Book Award winner Mark Doty
• MFA in English named among The Atlantic Monthly’s “Top Five Up and Coming Programs”

Creative writing is part of the fabric of the University of Mississippi, and it shows! The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis boasts a curriculum that brings together study in literature from all time periods and through diverse perspectives, along with a close examination and exploration of the craft of creative writing. The MFA in English, which has been consistently ranked among the top programs of its kind in the nation, offers your choice of concentration in poetry & fiction or creative nonfiction. This highly selective program (accepting between 6-8 students each year) is supportive, engaging, and fully funded!

Washington University in Saint Louis (Private)

St. Louis, MO

Fully funded program available through fellowships

Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)

• Small, student-centered learning environment boasts first-year seminars of 15 or fewer students
• Highly competitive program accepts just 15 students (five each in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction)
• Fully funded MFA program is offered through fellowships

Regardless of where you are in your academic journey or your career, Washington University in St. Louis has the creative writing program for you! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration brings together emerging writers in a small, student-centered learning environment that boasts engaging poetry and fiction writing workshops. Small, first-year seminars of 15 students or less transition nicely to second semester workshops that take students to the next level in their writing journey and guide them to become outstanding readers and critics of literature. Interested in adding an international dimension to your undergraduate creative writing program? Many students study abroad at some of the top universities like Oxford, Edinburg, Trinity College in Dublin, the King’s College in London, and the University of Sydney. The Creative Writing MFA is a two-year program that allows students to refine their craft in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. A distinguished, world-renowned faculty oversees dynamic and engaging workshops and craft courses, while the school’s reading series brings some of the most acclaimed authors and poets to the department for unmatched learning opportunities.

New England College (Private)

Manchester, NH

• Low-residency MFA features a studio/research academic model that combines online study with on-campus residencies at the beginning of each semester
• MFA features your choice of track in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for stage and screen, or dual genre
• MFA students may also pursue specialized study in areas like translation, editing & publishing, new media, performance, or cross-genre/hybrid forms
• Competitive MFA teaching assistantships and scholarships available

New England College offers both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing to meet students wherever they are in their academic journey and career path! The BA in Creative Writing is supported by a dedicated faculty of published writers who are committed to providing students with close mentorship and support, while the program’s focus on individual transformation encourages students to explore many areas and genres. Through this program, students complete genre workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and courses focused on literary movements for a well-rounded course of study. The Creative Writing MFA is offered in a low-residency model that combines convenient and flexible online study with lively residencies at the beginning of each semester. Students here pursue a highly individualized program that features close mentorship by an award-winning faculty of writers and their choice of track in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for stage and screen, or dual genre. Students may also pursue additional study in areas like translation, editing & publishing, new media, performance, or cross-genre/hybrid forms.

Rutgers University-Camden (Public)

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• Competitive teaching assistantships available
• Multi-genre approach to learning includes workshops in your choice of genre (fiction, poetry, or nonfiction) and at least one other genre
• Exciting opportunities to complete a writing residency at the Rutgers University Pinelands Field Station
• Exciting study abroad opportunities available

Rutgers University – Camden offers an MFA in Creative Writing that features an in-depth exploration of the theory and practice of writing for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers. This dynamic course of graduate study allows students to focus their work on a single genre yet still explore other genres. An outstanding faculty of esteemed writers and poets guides this esteemed program. Students here enjoy superb inspiration from a host of visiting writers and poets; they contribute to the university’s award-winning literary magazine, StoryQuarterly ; and they participate in inspiring writing residencies at the Rutgers University Pinelands Field Station. And if your academic goals include an international experience, you’ll be pleased to know that students here often study abroad in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Rutgers University-Newark (Public)

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• Home to an outstanding, award-winning faculty of writers
• Program enjoys exciting connections to big regional names for superb learning experiences
• Fully funded, highly selective program accepts 14-16 full-time students per year—half in Fiction and half in Poetry

Rutgers University – Newark offers an established, dynamic, and nationally ranked MFA in Creative Writing that features your choice of fiction or poetry writing track. We love the many connections this program has to big names like the Newark Museum, the New Jersey Historical Society, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, all of which offer students unique opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. This fully funded course of study provides students with an unmatched opportunity to explore their craft, while the esteemed, award-winning faculty (many of whom are the recipients of awards like the Guggenheim, the National Endowment of the Arts, National Book Awards, and more) ensure outstanding support and mentorship.

Monmouth University (Private)

THE WAYNE D. MCMURRAY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

West Long Branch, NJ

MA/MFA in Creative Writing Dual Degree (on-campus)

• Ranked among the best regional universities in the North by U.S. News & World Report
• Exciting undergraduate internship experiences available
• Exciting MFA course options include opportunities to study themes like thrillers, romance, and fantasy

Whether you’re seeking an undergraduate or graduate creative writing program, Monmouth University has what you need! The BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing features a well-rounded liberal arts core alongside an in-depth exploration of creative writing, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students of this program enjoy studying under esteemed visiting writers; contributing to The Monmouth Review ; and completing exciting internship opportunities with big names like Penguin, Random House, and St. Martin’s Press, and with organizations like the National Geographic Society and the Monmouth County SPCA. The MA/MFA is an innovative and unique dual degree in Creative Writing that boasts a published, award-winning faculty; outstanding course options in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and exciting options to explore themes like thrillers, romance, and fantasy. Students of this program begin by completing the 30-credit MA in English with a Creative Writing concentration and then complete an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that culminate in a book-length creative thesis.

Columbia University in the City of New York (Private)

SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

New York, NY

MFA in Writing (Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Literary Translation) (on-campus)

• Home to an outstanding, internationally acclaimed faculty of writers and editors
• Major in Creative Writing offers your choice of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or multi-genre concentration
• MFA offers your choice of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction concentration

Columbia University in the City of New York is where you’ll find both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing! These outstanding courses of study are housed in the famed School of the Arts, which enjoys a legacy of unmatched literary creation. Did you know that J.D. Salinger enrolled in a short story course here in 1939? Choose the Major in Creative Writing and you’ll study under an acclaimed, world-class faculty as you elevate your creative skillset in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or multi-genre (combination of two genres). This program comes complete with writing workshops at all levels and exciting seminars that are sure to inspire and excite. The esteemed MFA Writing program is renowned for its faculty of acclaimed writers and editors; its focus on literary instruction; and its artistic and literary diversity. Students of this program choose a concentration in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. They study in intimate workshops (just 7 to 12 students) and regularly present their work, receive constructive feedback from their peers, and meet with faculty for one-on-one conferences.

Sarah Lawrence College (Private)

Bronxville, NY

Also offers: Major in Writing (on-campus)

• Home to one of the largest writing faculties in the country
• Workshop-style courses offer unmatched support, guidance, and constructive feedback
• Exciting research and teaching opportunities available to MFA students
• MFA concentrations in poetry, creative nonfiction, or speculative fiction

Whether you’re interested in an undergraduate or graduate degree in creative writing, Sarah Lawrence College has what you need to prepare for an exciting career or future graduate school! One of the first things you’ll notice is the vibrant artistic and writing community at Sarah Lawrence. It’s home to one of the largest writing faculties in the country; an outstanding selection of courses in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and engaging workshop-style courses that offer unmatched support and guidance. Thanks to a prime location near NYC, creative writing students enjoy access to opportunities in a vibrant, second-to-none arts and culture scene. The MFA program here boasts a dedicated faculty of distinguished writers; concentrations in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or speculative fiction; and a versatile curriculum that allows students to explore writing that transcends genres. Some of the features of the MFA we’re particularly fond of include frequent meetings with faculty; small, intimate classes; and exciting graduate teaching and research opportunities.

Syracuse University (Private)

Syracuse, NY

• Highly selective MFA program admits just six poets and six fiction writers annually
• Outstanding record of student success – 94% of graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation
• Ranked among the best national universities by U.S. News & World Report

Syracuse University offers a BA and MFA in Creative Writing and a storied legacy of producing acclaimed writers. From Stephen Crane to Joyce Carol Oates, Syracuse has long been where emerging and practicing writers flock for intensive study and unmatched inspiration! The BA program offers a balanced blend of literary study, workshop-style writing courses, and craft classes in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. The renowned MFA in Creative Writing program is a three-year, highly selective course of graduate study that admits just six poets and six fiction writers each year.

Pratt University-Main (Private)

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

Brooklyn, NY

• BFA features your choice of specialization in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction
• MFA boasts exciting opportunities to participate in guided fieldwork residencies with an outside community organization, nonprofit, or activist group
• MFA offers superb faculty mentoring

Pratt University boasts a BFA and MFA in Writing – your pathway to outstanding careers in publishing, editing, journalism, marketing, business, education, and beyond! Undergraduate creative writing students here study in a studio-based learning environment that includes specializing in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction and exploring contemporary genres like playwriting, screenwriting, children’s book writing, and young adult writing. The MFA in Writing program offers a highly rigorous, engaging program of study that’s built to address the needs of today’s contemporary writer in changing times. Some of the features of this program that you’re sure to love include The Writing Studio, a weekly critiquing forum; outstanding, one-on-one faculty mentoring; and guided fieldwork residencies with an outside community organization, nonprofit, or activist group.

North Carolina State University at Raleigh (Public)

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Raleigh, NC

• Outstanding, student-centered learning environment features a low, student-to-faculty ratio of just 15:1
• Named the top public university in North Carolina by Money Magazine
• MFA in Creative Writing is the only one of its kind in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill region
• MFA is fully funded through graduate teaching assistantships

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is home to both an undergraduate and graduate degree in creative writing! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a solid English foundation alongside courses in several genres, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenwriting. Intensive writing workshops here are designed to create an engaging, tightknit learning environment where students are encouraged to hone their creative voice. The MFA in Creative Writing boasts a two-year intensive course of graduate study that’s rich in workshops and interdisciplinary coursework and culminates in a final thesis of your original work. Students of this graduate course of study apprentice under master writers and learn from an experienced faculty of working writers and poets.

Warren Wilson College (Private)

THE MFA PROGRAM FOR WRITERS AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

Asheville, NC

• Home to the first and one of the most prestigious low-residency MFA programs in the nation
• Originally founded in 1976 by Ellen Bryant Voigt, and in residence at Warren Wilson College since 1981
• Superb faculty of award-winning authors and poets (many of whom are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, National Book Awards, and more)
• Low-residency MFA effortlessly combines individualized mentorship with on-campus residencies for maximum convenience and flexibility
• MFA features a superb standard student-to-faculty ratio of just 3:1

The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College enjoys a national reputation as a top-ranked MFA program and features a prime learning environment that’s marked by extensive one-one-one exchanges between faculty mentor and student as well as on-campus residencies every six months. Well regarded for its craft-based rigor as well as its fostering of a supportive and noncompetitive environment, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College prepares its graduates for a lifetime of writing.

Warren Wilson College’s undergraduate program in Creative Writing is designed to allow students to focus their undergraduate course of study on two genres (choose from fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry). It’s also home to the Writing Studio, a place where students hone their creative voice and explore new ideas and techniques. Outstanding student and faculty feedback and exciting opportunities to engage in hands-on learning round out this comprehensive course of study.

The undergraduate program benefits from presence of Warren Wilson’s highly-regarded MFA program through twice-yearly visits by MFA Writers in Residence: faculty members who provide a class and reading. They also have the opportunity to attend January residency lectures and readings and work with MFA Mentors as part of an undergraduate “Residency Class.”

Miami University-Oxford (Public)

• Outstanding record of student success – 96% of all graduates are employed or continuing their education
• Ranked among the top 50 public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
• Fully funded MFA provides graduate teaching assistantships to all MFA students; non-teaching assistantships may also be available

Miami University – Oxford is home to both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing – your opportunity to refine your creative skillset and become a successful writer in any number of fields! The BA program boasts a full-time creative faculty of eight award-winning writers who provide unmatched learning opportunities for a select group of students (usually between 20-25) in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. Intensive, engaging workshop-style courses ensure outstanding collaboration, communication, and constructive feedback, while visiting authors offer readings and craft talks that are guaranteed to inspire. The MFA brings some of the most talented, emerging writers from across the country to participate in a close-knit, rigorous course of study in creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, multimedia, and performance writing. Some of the highlights of this program include four, practice-oriented workshops and seminars in literature; close mentorship from faculty; and the opportunity to create a publishable, full-length work of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction by the end of the program. This fully funded program provides graduate teaching assistantships to all MFA students; non-teaching assistantships may also be available. And each year, two MFA students are awarded creative writing internships in China!

Kent State University at Kent (Public)

Northeast Ohio MFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Program is a superb consortium of four universities - Kent State University, Cleveland State University, the University of Akron, and Youngstown State University
• The program is marked by outstanding faculty guidance and mentorship
• Students enjoy exciting opportunities to participate in regional and national events and programs
• Full and partial funding opportunities available

Kent State University’s Northern Ohio MFA in Creative Writing (NEOMFA) offers a superb course of graduate study for the emerging creative writer! This program is a consortium program between Kent State, the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, and Youngstown State University. It boasts an award-winning faculty of fifteen and unmatched opportunities to hone your craft in plays, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. This program brings together a diverse group of students for superb instruction, hands-on learning, faculty mentorship, and individual attention. Students here enjoy access to exciting programs and events like the Juniper Institute of Massachusetts, the Imagination Writers Conference in Cleveland, and the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference.

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus (Public)

DODGE FAMILY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

MA in English-Creative Writing (on-campus)

• Competitive graduate teaching assistantships available
• Versatile and flexible programs give students the freedom to choose courses and create a personalized course of study that best reflects their personal interests and career goals
• Option to round out your program by creating a thesis of your original work in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction

The University of Oklahoma Norman is home to the esteemed MA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis – a superb graduate course of study for those with a love of creating the written word! We love the flexible and versatile design of this program that gives students the freedom to choose courses that best reflect their personal interests and professional goals. As a student of this program, you’ll work alongside a departmental advisor to design a personalized program of study. You’re also sure to appreciate the tightknit, engaging academic environment here that features small, seminar and pro-seminar courses and close mentorship from an internationally recognized faculty. You’ll also enjoy the option of rounding out your creative writing graduate program by creating a thesis of your original work in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.

Eastern Oregon University (Public)

COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

La Grande, OR

MFA in Creative and Environmental Writing (low-residency)

Also offers: BA/BS in English-Writing (on-campus, online)

• Outstanding, student-centered learning environment features small class sizes and a low, student-to-faculty undergraduate ratio of just 17:1
• Flexible BA/BS degree offers your choice of on-campus or online study
• Low-residency MFA blends convenient, online study with on-campus summer residencies
• Specialty, one-of-a-kind Wilderness, Ecology, and Community MFA program, which connects students to the Pacific Northwest’s rich tradition of writers

Eastern Oregon University is where emerging creative writers flock for unmatched academic opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate level! The BA/BS in English – Creative Writing program boasts small class sizes; superb support from a dedicated faculty; and an opportunity to complete your degree 100% online! The online program features a fully online course delivery and options to study on a part- or full-time basis for outstanding convenience and flexibility. The MFA in Creative and Environmental Writing offers an in-depth exploration of the craft; a low-residency curriculum model that ensures superb convenience for working adults; genre focus options in fiction, poetry, or young adult literature; and a superb opportunity to specialize your program through the one-of-a-kind Wilderness, Ecology, and Community program, which connects students to the Pacific Northwest’s rich tradition of writers such as Gary Snyder, William O. Douglas, Kathleen Dean Moore, Annie Dillard, Robert Michael Pyle, and more.

University of Oregon (Public)

DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Each MFA student is offered a teaching appointment in return for a full tuition waiver and stipend.

• Opportunity to fully fund your MFA through a teaching appointment
• Ranked a top-tier public research university and the top public university in Oregon by U.S. News & World Report
• Highly selective program accepts just 10 students annually – five in poetry, and five in fiction

The University of Oregon’s MFA in Creative Writing features two years of study; your choice of focus in poetry or fiction; and a rich curriculum that’s highlighted by engaging, workshop-style courses and craft seminars. This rigorous course of study, which is one of the oldest and most distinguished programs of its kind in the nation, boasts unmatched opportunities to hone your craft and enjoy career success in a variety of fields. This highly selective program admits just 10 applicants each year (five in fiction and five in poetry) to ensure an intimate, highly engaging graduate experience.

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (Public)

KENNETH P. DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Pittsburgh, PA

Also offers: BA in Writing (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction) (on-campus)

• Ranked as the top university in the Northeast U.S. by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education
• Outstanding opportunities to learn from esteemed, visiting writers through the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series
• MFA features your choice of focus in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry

The University of Pittsburgh is home to a BA in Writing and an MFA in Writing, both of which are housed in the university’s famed Writing Program – a large and diverse community of artists who explore both traditional and emerging media. It’s where you’ll find students lending their talents to esteemed literary journals and digital publications and where visiting writers come to educate and inspire through the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series. At the graduate level, the Writing Program admits nine students across the genres each year for a fully funded course of study in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. We love the many exciting opportunities to expand your college experience through internships and study abroad experiences to places like London, Sydney, Berlin, Dublin, Paris, and Madrid.

Cedar Crest College (Private)

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE

Allentown, PA

Pan-European Creative Writing MFA (low-residency)

• Options to focus on poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or travel writing
• Home to the first pan-European graduate-level writer’s program offered by an American university
• MFA boasts an award-winning internationally acclaimed faculty of writers
• Exciting European residencies are complemented with online study for a flexible, versatile course of study

Cedar Crest is where you’ll find a superb course of graduate study in creative writing that comes complete with your choice of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or travel writing focus… a low-residency model that delivers outstanding flexibility and convenience… and an unmatched opportunity to be inspired as you travel across Europe! The MFA in Creative Writing features an in-depth exploration of the craft of creative writing that culminates in the creation of your own original work of literature. Choose a focus (or two) and learn to refine your skillset under the guidance of an award-winning faculty of writers. This truly unique course of study brings together talented writers from around the world for three, 15-day intensive workshops held in superb European locations that are sure to spark your creativity. Residencies here are held in July and rotate between Dublin, Ireland; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Australia. You’ll complete the rest of your program requirements through convenient online study.

Brown University (Private)

THE COLLEGE

Providence, RI

MFA in Literary Arts (on-campus)

Also offers: BA in Literary Arts (on-campus)

• Outstanding, student-centered learning environment features a low, 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio
• Superb record of student success – 96% of all graduates are employed or in grad school within six months of graduation
• Home to exciting, dynamic creative writing workshops for outstanding, hands-on learning

Brown University’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Literary Arts offer a deep dive into the craft of writing. Choose the undergraduate program and you’ll develop your skills in one or more genres through four creative writing workshops and six, reading-intensive courses. This unique course of undergraduate study (it’s one of just a few in the nation) is where emerging writers in fiction, poetry, electronic writing (hypertext), and mixed media gather to elevate and refine their creative skillset. The MFA program welcomes just 12 graduate student writers annually for an in-depth exploration of creative writing and a choice of focus in fiction, poetry, or digital-cross-disciplinary. This innovative program is focused on student-centered learning and features a rigorous curriculum that’s delivered by a faculty of internationally acclaimed writers.

University of South Carolina-Columbia (Public)

Columbia, SC

Also offers: BA in English-Writing concentration (on-campus)

• Fully funded, highly selective MFA program accepts just eight students annually – four poets and four fiction writers
• Ranked among the nation’s institutions with the best first-year experience by U.S. News & World Report
• Highly versatile BA allows students to create a personalized program through their choice of writing courses

The University of South Carolina – Columbia’s BA and MFA programs are designed to inspire the emerging writer for an exciting pathway to careers in publishing, journalism, editing, marketing, business, and beyond! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a core of literature courses that are complemented with creative writing courses. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, you’ll create a personalized course of study that best matches your personal interests and professional goals. We love the small class sizes and the superb faculty that’s dedicated to your success. The fully funded MFA program here is chocked full of features that are sure to align with your career goals. You’ll appreciate the intimate learning environment that comes complete with an award-winning faculty of writers, world-class visiting writers, and plenty of exciting opportunities to flex your creative skillset through hands-on experiences. The highly selective Creative Writing MFA accepts just four poets and four fiction writers each year and caps workshops at just 12 students for a truly engaging, dynamic program of study. Interested in pursuing education after you graduate? You’ll love the MFA program’s signature writing outreach program, Split P, which allows MFA students to hone their teaching skills in local public elementary schools.

Vanderbilt University (Private)

Nashville, TN

• Ranked among the top 15 MFA programs in the country by Poets and Writers magazine
• All MFA students receive a three-year, 12-month funding package
• Highly selective MFA accepts students in poetry and prose

Vanderbilt University offers emerging and practicing writers their choice of an undergraduate or graduate-focused course of study in creative writing, both of which are built on the university’s longstanding reputation as a world-renowned institution. Both programs are delivered in small, seminar-style classes that encourage creativity, collaboration, and outstanding constructive feedback. The Creative Writing MFA program, which has been part of Vanderbilt’s fabric for nearly a century, features a three-year, fully funded course of graduate study that brings together emerging writers of fiction and poetry. This highly selective program is home to just 18 students at any time (nine in poetry and nine in prose), which ensures a truly tightknit, supportive learning environment. Just some of the unique opportunities available to students of the MFA include serving on the editorial board of the Nashville Review ; studying under distinguished, visiting writers-in-residence; and teaching introductory creative writing workshops.

University of Texas at Austin (Public)

New Writer’s Project – MFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)

Michener center for writers – mfa in writing (on-campus).

*Both MFA options are fully funded  with absolutely no tuition costs for students accepted into the programs

• Home to the Oxford Summer Program – an exciting exploration of life and literature at Oxford University in England
• Features two, world-class MFA programs – one in creative writing and one in writing – both offer fully funded programs of study
• Outstanding opportunities to learn from esteemed, working authors, attend events, and become immersed in the writing community, both on-campus and throughout Austin

The University of Texas at Austin plays host to both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing that are expertly designed to inspire and prepare emerging writers for a host of outstanding professional opportunities in fields like marketing, publishing, business, editing, education, and beyond! The Major in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a solid foundation in British, American, and world literature alongside focused courses in the art and craft of creative writing. The New Writer’s Project – MFA in Creative Writing and the Michener Center for Writers – MFA in Writing boast fully funded programs of study that are delivered in tightknit learning environments under close faculty mentorship. The three-year studio MFA in Creative Writing program features opportunities to study and practice fiction and poetry and connect with students and faculty of its partner MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers. This MFA in Writing program features a three-year program of study that admits writers in a primary genre (fiction, poetry, playwriting, or screenwriting) yet also provides them with ample opportunities to study a second genre. While the MFA in Creative Writing offers teaching experiences, the MFA in Writing funds students through fellowships alone, thereby requiring no teaching requirements.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Public)

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Blacksburg, VA

• Exciting, study abroad opportunities include a faculty-led trip to London (offered through an exchange program with Loughborough University)
• Fully funded MFA provides equal funding to all students
• MFA program has been consistently ranked among the top 30 programs in the nation by Poets & Writers magazine
• Highly selective MFA program admits just 4-5 students annually in each genre (fiction and poetry)

Virginia Tech is home to both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing and a rich learning environment that opens the door to a superb exploration of your creative interests. The BA program features an examination of major writers and literary traditions and a faculty of published writers that provide unmatched support and guidance as you work toward producing a portfolio of your own creative work. Explore your interests by choosing among the program’s more than 100 English courses (you’ll have 36 credits of free electives to personalize your course of study); study modern and contemporary literature; and dive deep into playwriting, nonfiction, or writing fiction for young people! The three-year, fully funded MFA features your choice of focus in poetry or fiction, a faculty of esteemed, published writers and scholars, and plenty of opportunities to explore your craft across genres.

Hollins University (Private)

JACKSON CENTER FOR CREATIVE WRITING

Roanoke, VA

Also offers:

• BA in Creative Writing (on-campus)
• Superb undergraduate record of success – 95% of all graduates are employed or in graduate school within a year of graduating
• MFA program features a personalized curriculum and outstanding faculty support
• Hollins’ Creative Writing MFA has one of the highest publishing records of any graduate school in the nation
• Hollins University has long been called “Pulitzer U” for its award-winning faculty and alumni

Hollins University’s Jackson Center for Creative Writing is where you’ll find exciting pathways to rewarding, writing-intensive careers in a variety of fields! Hollins’ multi-genre approach allows students to study and explore their craft in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction while also gaining a valuable foundation of knowledge in literature. Creative writing here is supported by a faculty of esteemed, award-winning writers and scholars and marked by outstanding, hands-on learning experiences both within and outside the walls of the classroom. At the undergraduate level, you’ll choose from a Major in Creative Writing or an English Major with a concentration in Creative Writing, while at the graduate level, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue the two-year MFA program, which is home to a versatile and personalized curriculum and the type of support that creates the most successful writers. This small program enrolls just 20-24 students at any given time, thereby keeping the learning environment small and highly engaging. This program includes funding opportunities that include travel and research funding.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus (Public)

Seattle, WA

MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry, Prose) (on-campus)

• Fully funded MFA – students funded through teaching assistantships, fellowships, and through the Amazon Literary Partnership
• Home to an esteemed faculty of award-winning authors
• Highly selective MFA program admits just 8-10 students annually

Creative writing is part of the fabric of the University of Washington – Seattle’s English Department, long offering outstanding courses of undergraduate and graduate study to produce competent, talented writers with skills that transcend career fields. The English major with a Creative Writing option is your opportunity to grow as a communicator and artist! This program features a small, student-centered learning environment that’s marked by writing workshops that are designed to spark your creativity and hone your skills. The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year program of poetry and prose that boasts an outstanding faculty of award-winning writers (many of whom have been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts). This highly selective, fully funded course of study admits just 8-10 students each year, thereby ensuring outstanding support and collaboration. Students here participate in literary seminars and workshops and round out their graduate study by completing a creative manuscript of original work.

University of Washington-Bothell Campus (Public)

SCHOOL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS AND SCIENCES

Bothell, WA

MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics (on-campus)

• Versatile and flexible MFA encourages writing across the genres and exploring hybrid genres
• Evening courses accommodate the lives of today’s busy, working students
• Lively, on-campus gatherings bring together students, faculty, and renowned writers and artists

The University of Washington (Bothell campus) offers an esteemed MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics – a program rich in exploration and discovery. This uniquely structured program is structured according to areas of inquiry instead of genres, which allows students to explore and experiment across genres. You’re free to hone your craft here as you see fit, with experimentation with hybrid genres encouraged. Each year, students meet at the Fall Convergence, which brings together internationally renowned writers and artists. And the school year closes with the Spring Festival, a place for students to share their thesis work and get inspired by a student-nominated speaker. This program features evening courses that are designed to accommodate the busy lives of working students.

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

Master of fine arts in creative writing and poetics (low-residency).

Our low-residency MFA provides the structure, support, and professional development you need to take your writing to the next level .

Program Overview

Naropa’s Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing is designed for writers ready to hone their craft and earn their Master of Fine Arts degree through rigorous, cross-genre study. Students who can’t relocate to our Colorado Campus can acquire a quality asynchronous education with in-person residencies.

Whether you have a novel in progress, are preparing for a PhD program, or looking to strengthen your prose, poetry, and hybrid writing, our low-residency creative writing MFA program provides you with resources, accountability, and inspiration that fit your schedules.

Naropa takes traditional low-residency MFA programs a step further with our history of experimental and innovative writing, critical study, and cross-genre publishing. Our unique cross-genre online writing courses, generative residencies, and one-on-one mentorship provide students with a writing community, no matter where they live.

Cross-Genre Curriculum

Unlike other Creative Writing MFA programs, our low-residency MFA is open-genre. This means that writers can work in fiction, poetry, prose, non-fiction, playwriting, and hybrid forms throughout their degree program. Students experiment with narrative structures and forms that fit their unique voices. Writers develop their unique style, critical ear, and vast knowledge of contemporary trends across literary genres.

One-on-One Mentorship

One-on-one mentorship and small online writing classes help writers develop their style, refine their editing skills, and publish their work. Each writer dedicates their final semester to a thesis manuscript. Working one-on-one with their thesis mentor and workshopping with classmates through written exchange, students finish their MFA with a completed manuscript in the genre of their choice.

Generative Residencies

Every semester, our Low-Residency MFA students gather in Boulder, Colorado, for enriching and energizing residencies. MFA students meet one-on-one with mentors, enjoy master classes with guest writers, attend readings, and bond with writers. Residencies also overlap with our spring and fall symposiums, providing students with a rich 4-days of community and inspiration. Each academic year culminates in a week-long writing intensive at Naropa’s Summer Writing Program. This annual festival brings over 60 artists, writers, and thinkers to Boulder, for workshops, readings, panels, and professional development.

Quick Facts

• Fifteen annual days of residency in Boulder, CO
• Open-genre curriculum
• One-on-one mentorship with accomplished faculty
• Unique Experimental Approach
• Participation in the Summer Writing Problem
• Cohort model developing a strong sense of community among MFA students
• Several Scholarship and Financial Aid Opportunities
• Applications open for August 2024

Program Format

Naropa’s Creative Writing MFA is a rigorous, generative, low-residency two-year program with 4 writing residencies in beautiful Boulder Colorado. The program combines asynchronous craft courses with on-campus residencies. 

Annual fall and spring residencies allow writers to connect with other writers and faculty , deepen their craft, and participate in symposium readings and panels with other MFA students in Boulder, CO. Spring and Fall Residencies run from Saturday through Tuesday during the Spring and Fall JKS Symposiums.

The summer residency immerses writers in a full week of the Jack Kerouac School’s world-renowned Summer Writing Program . Here, students attend workshops, lectures, panels, and readings by numerous visiting writers to hone their craft, make connections, speak on student panels, and prepare for the next step in their writing career.

Course Spotlight

Craft of writing: rooting in the archive.

This course delves into the Naropa University Archive and its rich offerings to explore traditions, movements, and/or schools of writing that inform or extend the aesthetic vision of the Jack Kerouac School toward mindful writing. Possible recent historical examples include New American Poetry, the Beats, San Francisco Renaissance, the New York School, Black Mountain Poetics, the Black Arts Movement, and Language poetry, among others.

Degree Requirements

Unlike many online creative writing MFA programs, our asynchronous classes build community through writer-to-writer feedback and a structured curriculum.

26 credits of online asynchronous craft courses

Students work one-on-one with a mentor, exchanging packets —consisting of letters, bibliographies, contemplative reflections, creative manuscripts, and critical essays—throughout the semester.

• WRI-631E Craft of Writing: Rooting in the Archive(6)
• WRI-648E Craft of Writing: Contemplative Experiments(6)
• WRI-678E Craft of Writing: Cultures & Communities(4)
• WRI-735E Craft of Writing: Contemporary Trends(6)
• WRI-700E Professional Development: Writing Pedagogy (4)
• WRI-755E Craft of Writing: Professional Development (4)

6 credits of MFA Thesis

6 credits of MFA Thesis (faculty mentorship on a book-length creative manuscript)

4 credits of the Summer Writing Program

Two eight-day summer residencies are completed at Naropa’s Boulder campus. Choose two of the following:

• WRI-751 Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-752 Week Two Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-753 Summer Writing Program(2)

4 credits of fall and spring residencies in Boulder, CO.

• WRI-789WE Fall Residency(1)
• WRI-791WE Spring Residency(1)

Why Choose Naropa?

Strong writing tradition.

Founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics encourages experimental forms across genres , pushing for innovation inside and outside the classroom.

Career Readiness

Whether a student plans to teach, write, edit, or work in publishing, our low-residency program provides the framework they need to develop their professional skills alongside a vibrant and supportive writing community.

In-house Publishing

The Kerouac School’s student-run Bombay Gin literary journal publishes work from promising students and distributes it nationally through Small Press Distribution. Students interested in fine-craft letterpress printing can learn at Naropa’s Harry Smith Print Shop and Kavyayantra Press.

How this Program Prepares You

Professional dossier.

Graduates from our low-residency Creative Writing MFA emerge from the program with a solid record of written work . The pieces that make up their dossier are workshopped with peers and perfectioned with guidance from their tutor.

Critical Analysis

You’ll emerge from the program with critical analysis skills that go beyond reading between the lines of a written work. The program will teach you to recognize the role of intersectionality in the literary arts, looking at the wider spectrum that surrounds a piece, and identifying bias, assumptions and stereotypes.

Unleashing creativity

Our workshops, classes and Summer Writing Program encourage students to harness their creativity by exploring experimental forms . Low-residency students receive on-on one mentoring to help them develop their creative writing skills to the fullest, as well as feedback from their writing community, be it online or during their residency.

What You'll Learn

Highly developed writing craft.

Hone your voice in every step of the writing process.

Skill in Critical Analysis

Learn to discuss literary works through a variety of critical lenses.

Contemplative Writing Practice:

Use your writing practice as a tool for self-inquiry and discovery.

Social and Cultural Awareness

Recognize the role of race, class, and gender in literary history and works.

Career Preparedness

Graduate with a publishable manuscript and/or professional dossier.

Career Opportunities with a Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

• Lyricist: write words for songs, matching melody and rhyme.
• Poet: use language to creatively express emotion, ideas and experiences.
• Proofreader: check written work for errors and inconsistencies.
• English Teacher: teach at the postsecondary level.
• Author: craft and publish original material.
• Editor: review and improve written work for publication.

Hear from a Graduate

Jackie henrion, faqs about the low-residency mfa in creative writing, what is a low residency mfa in creative writing, why choose a low residency mfa creative writing program, how long does it take to complete a low residency mfa in creative writing, how is naropa’s low residency mfa in creative writing different from other programs, what types of funding are available.

Students in the low-residency version of the MFA program may receive partial funding by applying for scholarships and Graduate Assistantships. Visit our Graduate Scholarship page for details.

Learn More About the Program

Connect with your counselor

Olivia phipps.

Graduate Admissions Counselor

• [email protected]
• Schedule an Appointment
• Attend An Info Session

Ready to Apply?

Admission requirements.

Naropa University values both academic excellence and critical self-reflection . Our application process not only evaluates academic performance but also candidates’ openness and willingness to engage in contemplation.

Learn more about admission requirements and the application process for our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA.

Graduate Students

Prospective students who have completed an undergraduate degree are welcome to apply to Naropa. When applying, candidates must submit a transcript of their undergraduate coursework, a statement of interest, a resume, two letters of interest and a creative writing sample. They may also apply for financial aid at this stage. Discover all admission requirements.

International Students

If you obtained your undergraduate diploma from a non-US university, we require additional documentation to review your application. Learn how to apply to Naropa as an international student.

Costs and Financial Aid

Naropa University students have access to several financial aid opportunities and scholarships – over 75% of our graduate students receive some sort of financial support to pursue their studies. Use our calculator to estimate your tuition, housing, materials and other costs.

Graduate Scholarship Opportunities

Interested in our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA?

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Naropa campuses closed on friday, march 15, 2024.

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.

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Ellen Bryant Voigt speaking at the MFA Program’s 40th Anniversary Gala

The mfa program for writers.

In 1976, Ellen Bryant Voigt, renowned poet and master teacher, founded the nation’s first low-residency creative writing program. In 1981, the program relocated from Vermont’s Goddard College to one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, Warren Wilson College.  Today, forty-five years after its inception, the prestigious MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College remains one of the top writing programs in the nation.  Students of the program range in age from their early twenties to mid-sixties, in profession from teacher and journalist, doctor and bartender, to lawyer and lumberjack, and join us from all over North America, Europe, and Asia.  Our faculty have won virtually every major honor in the country, including MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, Pulitzer Prizes, and the National Book Award.  Several have served as state poets laureate, and two have been named national poets laureate.  Our alumni have published hundreds of books, and their work has been featured in The New Yorker  and on the front page of  The New York Times   Book Review .

About the Program

An alternative to the wholly residential workshop, the program is structured to meet students’ needs, to help them recognize specific strengths and address specific weaknesses in their work, and to encourage them to see themselves as active participants in the creation and study of literature.

Every six months, students from across the globe gather here on campus to form a cohesive, non-competitive community that offers camaraderie, direction, and inspiration. The four-semester course of study toward the Master of Fine Arts degree is carried out by alternating on-campus residency sessions with semesters of independent study under close faculty supervision.  The residencies, attended by all faculty and students, are ten days long and take place two times a year, once in early January, and once in early July.

Readings, lectures, classes, workshops, meetings, informal exchange, and conferences all aide in fostering a strong sense of community among peers.  In the classes and team-taught workshops, students will find an environment that is non-competitive, while our low student-faculty ratio (never more than 5:1) ensures that each student will receive personalized attention that will help provide direction for the semester.

Following the residency, correspondence between the student and  the faculty supervisor occur at regular, contracted intervals. This individualized course of study and thorough engagement with faculty, occurring within the context of one’s ongoing adult life, make the Program useful to writers at all stages of their development.

The Master of Fine Arts degree at Warren Wilson represents the study of literature from within the writer’s perspective.  It is not, however, a technical or narrow degree.  The reading and analytical components of each Semester Project, and the variety of classes and workshops offered during the residency periods, provide opportunities for unusually well-integrated, humanities-based curricula–without sacrifice of direct manuscript, work, and criticism.

The Program’s commitment to active teaching and active learning is unshakeable.  While the balanced study of literature and the craft of writing does make its graduates attractive candidates for teaching positions, no one should apply to the program if he/she seeks the degree mainly for employment purposes.  Likewise, while our graduates publish their work widely, no one should apply seeking only an editor for projects in progress.  Our goal is not to supply credentials or technical support but to assist students with their education and their development as writers.

Degree Requirements

The student’s record must indicate the following:.

• Full participation in five residency sessions
• Successful completion of four semester projects, with a minimum accumulation of 60 graduate hours
• Work with at least four different faculty supervisors
• Broad reading in literature and contemporary letters, as demonstrated by a comprehensive bibliography of usually at least 50-60 entries
• The ability to write clear prose, and to articulate cogent response to work by other writers, as demonstrated every semester in brief bibliographical annotations or their approved equivalent
• A substantial analytical essay (30-50 pp.) of intelligence and insight
• A Thesis Manuscript of poetry (30-50 pp.) or fiction (70-100 pp.) of high quality
• An objective assessment of that manuscript by faculty and peers in a one-hour Thesis Interview
• A one-hour graduate class taught to peers during a residency period
• A public reading of his/her work during residency

The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College

701 Warren Wilson Rd. Swannanoa, NC 28778 [email protected]     (828) 771-3715

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The MFA Program for Writers

The Nation’s Premier Low-Residency MFA Program

Now in its fifth decade, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College , established in 1976 by master poet and teacher Ellen Bryant Voigt, continues to set the standard for the innovative model it pioneered. This rigorous, nurturing, and highly-selective four – semester graduate program, with study tracks in fiction and poetry, combines ten-day residencies on campus each January and July with five-month nonresident semesters in which students work individually with the country’s finest fiction writers and poets.

Our nationally-recognized MFA faculty encompass a range of aesthetics, and include Pulitzer and National Book Award winners, national and state poets laureate, and NEA, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and MacArthur fellows. Residency lectures and readings are free and open to the public.

Our diverse and close-knit student body come from all over the world, and from a variety of disciplines and occupations. MFA program alumni have won countless major awards and have published well over a thousand books . Application deadlines are March 1 and September 1 via Submittable on the MFA program website .

I am grateful for what the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson offers all its students: the knowledge that allows us to become better and more ambitious readers and writers, and the connection to a community of other writers who will help us continue pursuing our interests throughout our lives. Rose McLarney (Warren Wilson BA, 2003; MFA 2010; Beebe Fellow 2010-11)

An Advantage for Undergraduates

Creative Writing majors at the undergraduate level benefit from the opportunity to attend January residency lectures and readings and to work with graduate-student mentors.

And each academic year, an MFA faculty member is in residence on the Warren Wilson campus for a week to teach undergraduate classes, present a workshop and a reading, and to meet with senior creative majors one-on-one.

More Information

Learn More About the MFA Program Requirements

Rose McLarney (BA ’03; MFA ’10; Beebe Fellow 2010-11), pictured with Matthew Olzmann (MFA ’09; 2012-13 Beebe Fellow) in Pew Library on the Warren Wilson campus

I am honored to serve as Director of the MFA Program for Writers, which has such an illustrious history and has launched the careers of so many talented writers worldwide, and which offers a vibrant, world-class education focused on artistry, rigor, community, and the possibilities of the imagination.

Dr. Gary Hawkins (MFA, 1995)

Gary Hawkins is a 1995 alumnus of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Dr. Hawkins writes poems, writes on modern and contemporary poetry, and writes and presents on the scholarship of teaching and learning. His debut book of poems, Worker, was published in 2016.

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The 10 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in the US

The talent is there. 

But the next generation of great American writers needs a collegial place to hone their craft. 

They need a place to explore the writer’s role in a wider community. 

They really need guidance about how and when to publish. 

All these things can be found in a solid Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree program. This degree offers access to mentors, to colleagues, and to a future in the writing world. 

A good MFA program gives new writers a precious few years to focus completely on their work, an ideal space away from the noise and pressure of the fast-paced modern world. 

We’ve found ten of the best ones, all of which provide the support, the creative stimulation, and the tranquility necessary to foster a mature writer.

We looked at graduate departments from all regions, public and private, all sizes, searching for the ten most inspiring Creative Writing MFA programs. 

Each of these ten institutions has assembled stellar faculties, developed student-focused paths of study, and provide robust support for writers accepted into their degree programs. 

To be considered for inclusion in this list, these MFA programs all must be fully-funded degrees, as recognized by Read The Workshop .

Creative Writing education has broadened and expanded over recent years, and no single method or plan fits for all students. 

Today, MFA programs across the country give budding short story writers and poets a variety of options for study. For future novelists, screenwriters – even viral bloggers – the search for the perfect setting for their next phase of development starts with these outstanding institutions, all of which have developed thoughtful and particular approaches to study.

So where will the next Salinger scribble his stories on the steps of the student center, or the next Angelou reading her poems in the local bookstore’s student-run poetry night? At one of these ten programs.

Here are 10 of the best creative writing MFA programs in the US.

University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)

Starting off the list is one of the oldest and most venerated Creative Writing programs in the country, the MFA at the University of Oregon. 

Longtime mentor, teacher, and award-winning poet Garrett Hongo directs the program, modeling its studio-based approach to one-on-one instruction in the English college system. 

Oregon’s MFA embraces its reputation for rigor. Besides attending workshops and tutorials, students take classes in more formal poetics and literature.  

A classic college town, Eugene provides an ideal backdrop for the writers’ community within Oregon’s MFA students and faculty.  

Tsunami Books , a local bookseller with national caché, hosts student-run readings featuring writers from the program. 

Graduates garner an impressive range of critical acclaim; Yale Younger Poet winner Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Cave Canem Prize winner and Guggenheim fellow Major Jackson, and PEN-Hemingway Award winner Chang-Rae Lee are noteworthy alumni. 

With its appealing setting and impressive reputation, Oregon’s MFA program attracts top writers as visiting faculty, including recent guests Elizabeth McCracken, David Mura, and Li-young Lee.

The individual approach defines the Oregon MFA experience; a key feature of the program’s first year is the customized reading list each MFA student creates with their faculty guide. 

Weekly meetings focus not only on the student’s writing, but also on the extended discovery of voice through directed reading. 

Accepting only ten new students a year—five in poetry and five in fiction— the University of Oregon’s MFA ensures a close-knit community with plenty of individual coaching and guidance.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell University’s MFA program takes the long view on life as a writer, incorporating practical editorial training and teaching experience into its two-year program.

Incoming MFA students choose their own faculty committee of at least two faculty members, providing consistent advice as they move through a mixture of workshop and literature classes. 

Students in the program’s first year benefit from editorial training as readers and editors for Epoch , the program’s prestigious literary journal.

Teaching experience grounds the Cornell program. MFA students design and teach writing-centered undergraduate seminars on a variety of topics, and they remain in Ithaca during the summer to teach in programs for undergraduates. 

Cornell even allows MFA graduates to stay on as lecturers at Cornell for a period of time while they are on the job search. Cornell also offers a joint MFA/Ph.D. program through the Creative Writing and English departments.

Endowments fund several acclaimed reading series, drawing internationally known authors to campus for workshops and work sessions with MFA students. 

Recent visiting readers include Salman Rushdie, Sandra Cisneros, Billy Collins, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limón, and others. 

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

Arizona State’s MFA in Creative Writing spans three years, giving students ample time to practice their craft, develop a voice, and begin to find a place in the post-graduation literary world. 

Coursework balances writing and literature classes equally, with courses in craft and one-on-one mentoring alongside courses in literature, theory, or even electives in topics like fine press printing, bookmaking, or publishing. 

While students follow a path in either poetry or fiction, they are encouraged to take courses across the genres.

Teaching is also a focus in Arizona State’s MFA program, with funding coming from teaching assistantships in the school’s English department. Other exciting teaching opportunities include teaching abroad in locations around the world, funded through grants and internships.

The Virginia C. Piper Center for Creative Writing, affiliated with the program, offers Arizona State MFA students professional development in formal and informal ways. 

The Distinguished Writers Series and Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference bring world-class writers to campus, allowing students to interact with some of the greatest in the profession. Acclaimed writer and poet Alberto Ríos directs the Piper Center.

Arizona State transitions students to the world after graduation through internships with publishers like Four Way Books. 

Its commitment to the student experience and its history of producing acclaimed writers—recent examples include Tayari Jones (Oprah’s Book Club, 2018; Women’s Prize for Fiction, 2019), Venita Blackburn ( Prairie Schooner Book Prize, 2018), and Hugh Martin ( Iowa Review Jeff Sharlet Award for Veterans)—make Arizona State University’s MFA a consistent leader among degree programs.

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

The University of Texas at Austin’s MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers, maintains one of the most vibrant, exciting, active literary faculties of any MFA program.

Denis Johnson D.A. Powell, Geoff Dyer, Natasha Trethewey, Margot Livesey, Ben Fountain: the list of recent guest faculty boasts some of the biggest names in current literature.

This three-year program fully funds candidates without teaching fellowships or assistantships; the goal is for students to focus entirely on their writing. 

More genre tracks at the Michener Center mean students can choose two focus areas, a primary and secondary, from Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, and Playwriting.

The Michener Center for Writers plays a prominent role in contemporary writing of all kinds. 

The hip, student-edited Bat City Review accepts work of all genres, visual art, cross genres, collaborative, and experimental pieces.  

Recent events for illustrious alumni include New Yorker publications, an Oprah Book Club selection, a screenwriting prize, and a 2021 Pulitzer (for visiting faculty member Mitchell Jackson). 

In this program, students are right in the middle of all the action of contemporary American literature.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

The MFA in Creative Writing at Washington University in St. Louis is a program on the move: applicants have almost doubled here in the last five years. 

Maybe this sudden growth of interest comes from recent rising star alumni on the literary scene, like Paul Tran, Miranda Popkey, and National Book Award winner Justin Phillip Reed.

Or maybe it’s the high profile Washington University’s MFA program commands, with its rotating faculty post through the Hurst Visiting Professor program and its active distinguished reader series. 

Superstar figures like Alison Bechdel and George Saunders have recently held visiting professorships, maintaining an energetic atmosphere program-wide.

Washington University’s MFA program sustains a reputation for the quality of the mentorship experience. 

With only five new students in each genre annually, MFA candidates form close cohorts among their peers and enjoy attentive support and mentorship from an engaged and vigorous faculty. 

Three genre tracks are available to students: fiction, poetry, and the increasingly relevant and popular creative nonfiction.

Another attractive feature of this program: first-year students are fully funded, but not expected to take on a teaching role until their second year. 

A generous stipend, coupled with St. Louis’s low cost of living, gives MFA candidates at Washington University the space to develop in a low-stress but stimulating creative environment.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)

It’s one of the first and biggest choices students face when choosing an MFA program: two-year or three-year? 

Indiana University makes a compelling case for its three-year program, in which the third year of support allows students an extended period of time to focus on the thesis, usually a novel or book-length collection.

One of the older programs on the list, Indiana’s MFA dates back to 1948. 

Its past instructors and alumni read like the index to an American Literature textbook. 

How many places can you take classes in the same place Robert Frost once taught, not to mention the program that granted its first creative writing Master’s degree to David Wagoner? Even today, the program’s integrity and reputation draw faculty like Ross Gay and Kevin Young.

Indiana’s Creative Writing program houses two more literary institutions, the Indiana Review, and the Indiana University Writers’ Conference. 

Students make up the editorial staff of this lauded literary magazine, in some cases for course credit or a stipend. An MFA candidate serves each year as assistant director of the much-celebrated and highly attended conference . 

These two facets of Indiana’s program give graduate students access to visiting writers, professional experience, and a taste of the writing life beyond academia.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)

The University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program cultivates its students with a combination of workshop-driven course work and vigorous programming on and off-campus. Inventive new voices in fiction and poetry consistently emerge from this two-year program.

The campus hosts multiple readings, events, and contests, anchored by the Zell Visiting Writers Series. The Hopgood Awards offer annual prize money to Michigan creative writing students . 

The department cultivates relationships with organizations and events around Detroit, so whether it’s introducing writers at Literati bookstore or organizing writing retreats in conjunction with local arts organizations, MFA candidates find opportunities to cultivate a community role and public persona as a writer.

What happens after graduation tells the big story of this program. Michigan produces heavy hitters in the literary world, like Celeste Ng, Jesmyn Ward, Elizabeth Kostova, Nate Marshall, Paisley Rekdal, and Laura Kasischke. 

Their alumni place their works with venerable houses like Penguin and Harper Collins, longtime literary favorites Graywolf and Copper Canyon, and the new vanguard like McSweeney’s, Fence, and Ugly Duckling Presse.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)

Structure combined with personal attention and mentorship characterizes the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing MFA, starting with its unique program requirements. 

In addition to course work and a final thesis, Minnesota’s MFA candidates assemble a book list of personally significant works on literary craft, compose a long-form essay on their writing process, and defend their thesis works with reading in front of an audience.

Literary journal Great River Review and events like the First Book reading series and Mill City Reading series do their part to expand the student experience beyond the focus on the internal. 

The Edelstein-Keller Visiting Writer Series draws exceptional, culturally relevant writers like Chuck Klosterman and Claudia Rankine for readings and student conversations. 

Writer and retired University of Minnesota instructor Charles Baxter established the program’s Hunger Relief benefit , aiding Minnesota’s Second Harvest Heartland organization. 

Emblematic of the program’s vision of the writer in service to humanity, this annual contest and reading bring together distinguished writers, students, faculty, and community members in favor of a greater goal.

Brown University (Providence, RI)

One of the top institutions on any list, Brown University features an elegantly-constructed Literary Arts Program, with students choosing one workshop and one elective per semester. 

The electives can be taken from any department at Brown; especially popular choices include Studio Art and other coursework through the affiliated Rhode Island School of Design. The final semester consists of thesis construction under the supervision of the candidate’s faculty advisor.

Brown is the only MFA program to feature, in addition to poetry and fiction tracks, the Digital/Cross Disciplinary track . 

This track attracts multidisciplinary writers who need the support offered by Brown’s collaboration among music, visual art, computer science, theater and performance studies, and other departments. 

The interaction with the Rhode Island School of Design also allows those artists interested in new forms of media to explore and develop their practice, inventing new forms of art and communication.

Brown’s Literary Arts Program focuses on creating an atmosphere where students can refine their artistic visions, supported by like-minded faculty who provide the time and materials necessary to innovate. 

Not only has the program produced trailblazing writers like Percival Everett and Otessa Moshfegh, but works composed by alumni incorporating dance, music, media, and theater have been performed around the world, from the stage at Kennedy Center to National Public Radio.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

When most people hear “MFA in Creative Writing,” it’s the Iowa Writers’ Workshop they imagine. 

The informal name of the University of Iowa’s Program in Creative Writing, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was the first to offer an MFA, back in 1936. 

One of the first diplomas went to renowned writer Wallace Stegner, who later founded the MFA program at Stanford.

 It’s hard to argue with seventeen Pulitzer Prize winners and six U.S. Poets Laureate. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is the root system of the MFA tree.

The two-year program balances writing courses with coursework in other graduate departments at the university. In addition to the book-length thesis, a written exam is part of the student’s last semester.

Because the program represents the quintessential idea of a writing program, it attracts its faculty positions, reading series, events, and workshops the brightest lights of the literary world. 

The program’s flagship literary magazine, the Iowa Review , is a lofty goal for writers at all stages of their career. 

At the Writers’ Workshop, tracks include not only fiction, poetry, playwriting, and nonfiction, but also Spanish creative writing and literary translation. Their reading series in association with Prairie Lights bookstore streams online and is heard around the world.

Iowa’s program came into being in answer to the central question posed to each one of these schools: can writing be taught? 

The answer for a group of intrepid, creative souls in 1936 was, actually, “maybe not.” 

But they believed it could be cultivated; each one of these institutions proves it can be, in many ways, for those willing to commit the time and imagination.

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15 Best Low Residency MFA Programs

Author: Natalie Harris-Spencer Updated: February 18, 2023

The best low residency MFA programs offer you a more cost-effective way to complete a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. The difference between a low residency and a fully remote program is that you’ll be expected to stay on campus for short periods throughout the year, giving you greater flexibility than if you’d have either been living on campus, or full-time in front of a computer screen.

What can you expect from the best low residency MFA programs?

These programs will force you to juggle your writing time around your day job , family, and cats, while still plunging you into that writers’ life you so crave. In many ways, they’re harder than the traditional brick-and-mortar school program, in that they give you a truer flavor of what it’s like to pursue a writing career with a million other things going on in your life. They’re also far more immersive than an online-only program.

You’ll be hit with a combination of remote and in-person learning. A typical school year comprises two semesters, of which there is usually a 10-day intensive residency on campus per semester (so, two residencies per year, for two years). The time in between residencies is remote i.e. spent from your writing desk at home, where you will be paired with a mentor or smaller groups of writers. In fact, the 1:1 mentorship is a huge benefit of a low residency MFA program ; you’ll get closer attention than you would if you were in a traditional college class.

The best low residency MFA programs will offer a variety of genres , including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, popular fiction, scriptwriting, literary translation, graphic novels and comics, and writing for young people, while some allow for a dual-genre path.

While MFAs are not cheap, low residency programs are certainly on the more affordable side. Read on for 15 best low residency MFA programs, listed in alphabetical order.

1. Antioch University

Offered by AU Los Angeles, Antioch University’s low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program is dedicated to the education of literary and dramatic artists, community engagement, and the pursuit of social justice. It offers two, 10-day residencies in June and December.

2. Bard College

Bard College offers MFAs for artists in a variety of disciplines, not just writing. Each summer session runs for eight intensive weeks (there is no winter residency), and does not follow the traditional semester schedule. Most students receive some amount of financial aid, making it an attractive option for candidates.

3. Bennington College

Bennington College is widely regarded as one of the best low residency MFA programs in the United States. Residencies take place in picturesque Vermont, and their prestigious faculty includes many multi-published authors and literary prizewinners. You can elect to pursue a dual-genre path. Bennington’s residencies take place in January and June.

4. Cedar Crest College

This pan-European MFA offers a single 15-day residency at the beginning of July that rotates between Dublin, Ireland, Barcelona, Spain, and Vienna, Austria, with new locations coming soon. Unlike other programs, you’ll only attend three residencies in total, and you won’t go to the university campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania. But…you get to travel to Europe.

5. Goucher College

The only program dedicated solely to nonfiction writing, this low residency MFA attracts applicants and faculty interested in pursuing narrative, memoir, personal essay, and literary journalism. Literary agents and editors attend the two 10-day residencies in Baltimore, Maryland, and there are sponsored trips to New York to meet top publishing professionals.

6. Institute of American Indian Arts

Now in its tenth year, the emphasis with this particular Creative Writing MFA is on Native writers, voices, texts, and experience, although applications are open to all. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, it offer two 8-day residencies in January and July.

7. Lesley University

While the nine-day residencies take place in the “literary mecca” of Cambridge, Massachusetts, there’s also the opportunity for students to study abroad at a 12-day residency in rural Wales. Lesley has relationships with literary agencies and presses , so that you get a fast-track into publishing on submitting your thesis when you graduate.

8. Lindenwood University

Located in St. Charles, Missouri, Lindenwood University is unique in that there is no formal residency requirement: you can take classes fully on campus, online, or choose the low residency model. The program is more affordable than others due to its flexibility, and offers financial aid to teachers and candidates over the age of sixty.

9. New York University

Based on NYU’s campus in Paris, France, there are five, 10-day residencies held in January and July. This is one of the more expensive programs, with limited funding available. However, its faculty line-up is always incredible, and you’re paying for the prestige of Paris.

10. Pacific University

Based in Portland, Oregon, Pacific University’s MFA program places a strong emphasis on craft . It offers multiple full and partial merit-based scholarships to qualifying candidates. Residencies are in January and June.

11. Sewanee School of Letters

The model at Sewanee School of Letters in Tennessee is slightly different: you complete a single, six-week residency over the summer , which in turn is spread over the course of three to five summers, making it more affordable than other low residency programs.

12. University of New Orleans

Despite positioning itself as online MFA, the University of New Orleans is actually low residency, in that it offers a month-long residency every summer at various international locations, including Ireland and Italy.

13. University of Southern Maine (Stonecoast)

My alma mater . Stonecoast at USM offers two 10-day residencies in January and July, alongside a concurrent writers’ conference, in the picturesque town of Freeport, Maine. Its popular fiction program is especially popular with writers of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, and its WISE program (writing for inclusivity and social equity) is at the heart of its ethos. In my humble opinion, it will always be one of the best low residency MFA programs.

14. Vermont College of Fine Arts

Another Vermont entry: proof that this beautiful state inspires creativity. Residencies are nine days and take place in December and July, with past residencies going further afield: Slovenia, Puerto Rico, Cozumel, Mexico, Rome, and Asheville, North Carolina. Literary translation and dual-genre paths are available.

15. Warren Wilson College

Established in 1976, Warren Wilson is the original low residency MFA program, introducing the format to North America and the rest of the world. Consequently, it’s on the pricier end, but there are multiple grants and financial aid available. It offers two, 10-day residencies in January and July near the wonderful town of Asheville, North Carolina, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Here at Aspiring Author , we love recommending bestsellers and fawning over hot new releases. On this real time recommended reading list, you will find a list of top rated books on the publishing industry, craft, and other books to help you elevate your writing career.

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The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition) (Writers Helping Writers Series)

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Master of Fine Arts – MFA in Writing

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What should you look for when choosing an MFA program? What makes Spalding’s graduate writing programs unique? Sign up today to reserve your spot for our virtual info session on July 16!

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MFA Virtual Open House

Welcome to spalding’s flagship graduate writing program..

Our low-residency MFA in Writing program is a nationally recognized leader in graduate writing education. Founded in 2001, it’s one of the oldest and best-regarded programs of its kind. But the Spalding MFA is more than an outstanding creative writing education in a noncompetitive, supportive literary community. For our students, alums and faculty, it’s home. As the flagship program of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, it’s also sister to three additional low-residency programs: the 35-credit Master of Arts in Writing (MAW), 15-credit graduate certificate in writing , and the post-master’s certificate .

At a substantial 65 credits, the MFA program creates space for creative writers to thrive. Over four semesters plus a graduation residency, students write prolifically in their own area of concentration, explore across genres, examine the interrelatedness of the arts, gain editorial experience on a literary journal, learn about career options with our virtual Business of Writing Seminars and complete a creative thesis — all while becoming part of a lasting community.

Each semester begins with a week-long residency . Whether you attend virtual or on-campus residencies or a mix of both over the course of your studies, you’ll find that residency days are filled with learning opportunities: workshops led by our actively publishing and producing faculty members, genre-specific and cross-genre lectures, panel discussions, readings and more. At on-campus residencies, you’ll discover Louisville’s downtown arts scene and stay in the four-star Brown Hotel. At virtual residencies, you’ll engage with the same immersive curriculum as you would on campus, taught live in real time by the same outstanding faculty. MFA students can opt to spend a residency in a teaching seminar, a book-length manuscript workshop or a workshop in translation, adaptation or another creative writing genre.

Explore our literary journal and catch up with the latest faculty news at Good River Review!

Back at home, a one-on-one mentored independent study course rounds out the semester. During independent study, you’ll exchange five full packets of material with your mentor. That’s more writing and more expert feedback than most other programs can offer. Students produce a creative thesis; playwriting students also develop their creative thesis with a professional theater company. Students can take an entire semester in another area and still graduate on time.

Every writer has work or family obligations. While you could push aside those commitments for a couple of years of grad school, you can’t keep life at bay forever. Much better to build a sustainable writing practice into your daily life. Our low-residency model teaches you to do just that — and to make it easier, we offer flexibility in scheduling your weekly workload and charting your course of study. For added inspiration, we also offer students and alumni the option of enrichment travel.

We accept transfer credit from other MFA programs. Students with a published book or produced script may apply for acceleration .

We invite you to explore our program , meet alumni and learn why Spalding is the choice for serious writers . Then, we invite you to apply .

“I have SUCH fond memories of my time at Spalding. The faculty was smart and engaged. The students were diverse and eager — and thoughtful. The conversations we had made me remember again why I do the work I do. The vibe was like family. I felt SO at home there, I have to say. All these years later, it really stays with me.”

– Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming , winner of the National Book Award, Newbery Honor Medal and Coretta Scott King Award

Concentrations

• Creative Nonfiction
• Playwriting
• Screenwriting
• Writing for Children & Young Adults

“Am I Too Old to Get an MFA?” & Other Common Questions

Is an MFA in writing worth it? How hard is it to get into a creative writing MFA program? Is an MFA a professional degree? Do you need an MFA to be a writer? Check out our MFA FAQ for answers to these and other questions. And if you’re wondering whether you’re too old for an MFA — you’re not. Check out the video below to learn why.

Recent Faculty Publications

• Fall: November 9 – 16, 2024
• Spring: May 24 – 31, 2025
• Summer (virtual): June 21 – 28, 2025
• Named a top 10 low residency MFA program by Poets & Writers .
• March 1: application deadline for spring semester, starting in May with residency on campus
• April 1: application deadline for summer semester, starting in June with a virtual residency
• August 1: Application deadline for fall semester, starting in November with residency on campus
• MFA alumni have garnered top national honors while publishing and producing more than 500 books, plays and films. To read about alumni successes, click on the concentrations listed above.
• Recent visiting writers include Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Natasha Trethewey, Kiki Petrosino, Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Randy Ribay, Kevin Willmott, Sheila Callaghan, Ann Patchett, Tim O’Brien, Terese Marie Mailhot, Pico Iyer, Doug Wright, John Patrick Shanley and more.
• Tuition is affordable , and financial aid is available.
• We are members of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs , SCBWI and the Playwrights’ Center .
• Spalding is the world’s first certified Compassionate University.
• We welcome veterans.
• You can get to know our faculty and directors on our blog .

For more information, email [email protected] .

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Online MFA in Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts

Earn an MFA in Creative Writing Online

• $637/credit (48 credits total)
• Transfer up to 12 graduate credits
• 100% online – no residency required
• Four fiction genres to choose from
• Career-focused certificate included
• No application fee or GRE/GMAT scores required

Online MFA in Creative Writing Program Overview

Share your story with the world and let the power of storytelling take your career to new heights with an online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing . As one of the only programs available that encourages a focus on genre fiction, our online MFA lets you hone your craft in an area specific to your strengths and interests. You'll also learn about the business side of creative writing, preparing you to market your work in the real world.

While most MFA programs require a residency, Southern New Hampshire University's online MFA in Creative Writing can be completed entirely online, with no travel necessary.

“Traditional MFA programs, whether full-time or low residency, are out of reach for many writers,” said Paul Witcover , associate dean of creative writing. “The SNHU online MFA was designed to make the MFA experience accessible to all fiction writers, opening the door to diverse voices excluded for too long from the literary conversation. Our program is dedicated to giving writers the tools to succeed on the page and beyond it.”

Graduates leave the program with a completed and revised novel in one of our four offered genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance and Speculative. With the included certificates in either online teaching of writing or professional writing , you'll have the skills to support your writing career, no matter where it takes you.

.st0{fill:#21386D;} What You'll Learn

• The business and technical sides of professional writing
• How to navigate the publishing ecosystem, identify agents and editors, and market your work to appeal to decision-makers
• Using social media to gain a following and build your brand
• How to teach writing in a classroom setting

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } How You'll Learn

At SNHU, you'll get support from day 1 to graduation and beyond. And with no set class times, 24/7 access to the online classroom and helpful learning resources along the way, you'll have everything you need to reach your goals.

The Value of an Online MFA

Emily Jones ’20 embraced a transformational experience through the online MFA in Creative Writing program, which supported her in taking her writing career to the next level. “I can now say, without even a hint of imposter syndrome, that I am a writer,” said Jones. “And that is because of Southern New Hampshire University.”

Career Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, writers and authors made a median annual salary of $69,510 in 2021, while editors made $63,350. 1

“Our mission is to give students a degree and associated practical skills they can use to forge successful pathways in academia, business, or by blazing their own career trail,” said Paul Witcover , associate dean of creative writing.

Earning one of the included certificates in online teaching of writing or professional writing will also be an invaluable addition to your resume for part-time, full-time and freelance jobs in a variety of fields, including:

• Higher education. Instruct writing courses in higher education settings. In 2021, postsecondary teachers made a median annual wage of $79,640, and you can expect to see a 12% growth in available positions through 2031, according to the BLS. 1
• Advertising. Use your storytelling skills in a way that influences consumer action. As a copywriter, you could find yourself doing any number of writing projects from crafting emails and ads to writing entire commercials.
• Marketing. If you're more comfortable with long-form prose, many businesses have invested in content writers who create quality content such as blog posts, ebooks and podcasts to attract and retain customers.
• Entertainment. Good at building suspense or setting up punchlines? From movies and plays to comedy and podcasts, being a good storyteller and writer is important to finding success in the entertainment industry.
• History. Every person's life has a plot, but it takes writers like you to tell their stories in a compelling way. Help readers relive the experiences of historic figures and pop culture icons as a biographer.

Higher Education

Instruct writing courses in higher education at a college or university, either in-person or online.

Advertising

Influence consumer action through copywriting, from print ads to digital advertising and broadcast commercials.

Create written content such as blog posts, ebooks and podcasts to attract and retain customers.

Entertainment

From movies and plays to comedy and podcasts, writers often find success in the entertainment industry.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts favorable job growth in postsecondary education. And while statistics are not available for all job settings mentioned above, the BLS reports the following:

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } Job Growth

The BLS predicts an 8% growth in available postsecondary teaching positions through 2032. 1

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } Potential Salary

Writers and authors made a median annual salary of $73,150 in 2022, while editors made $73,080 and postsecondary teachers made $80,840. 1

Understanding the Numbers When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors — like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.

Start Your Journey Toward an Online MFA in Creative Writing

If you're looking to earn your Master of Fine Arts online, you've found the right program. Even though there are no residency requirements, you'll still interact frequently with other students and faculty members in asynchronous discussions, critique workshops and within our online writer’s community, where students come together to share industry news, extend writing tips and develop critique partnerships.

"I liked MFA-514 (Advanced Studies in Genre Literature) best," said student Jamilla Geter . "It was a great look into the different genres. It really helped me narrow down what genre I wanted to write in."

"Though it was not writing exactly, its connection to it – especially in our digital world – was made clear almost immediately," she said. "Writing is not just providing content of value to your readers, but also creating avenues of access so those readers can find your content. This course helped me to understand that and to learn how I can create those avenues."

Besides allowing you to focus on your own creative interests, part of our 48-credit online MFA curriculum requires you to choose from 2 certificate offerings designed to round out your education and better prepare you for a multitude of writing-related careers.

The first choice is a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching of Writing , which is tailored to those who see themselves teaching in an online classroom setting as a supplement to their writing careers. Students practice approaches to editing and coaching, learning how to establish a virtual instructor presence and cultivate methods for supporting and engaging students within online writing communities.

Learn more about the online teaching of writing graduate certificate .

Students can also choose the Graduate Certificate in Professional Writing , which highlights the technical and business opportunities available to writers. Students will develop a range of skills, such as copywriting, social media, marketing principles and/or content generation, learning many of the freelancing skills integral to today’s project-driven economy.

Learn more about the professional writing graduate certificate .

All of our courses are taught by accomplished authors and industry professionals who know both the craft and business of creative writing. They will work closely with you to develop both your creative and professional skill set.

"All instructors within my program were extremely knowledgeable and helpful," Warden said. "I learned a lot about the different career paths my instructors chose. ... The course instruction, along with their anecdotal experiences, helped in offering knowledge in different areas of our field.

MFA Program Thesis

The thesis for the Online MFA in Creative Writing is required to be a novel of at least 50,000 words in one of the four genres the program offers: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, and Speculative.

Every Southern New Hampshire University online MFA student who graduates from the program will do so with a revised novel manuscript in their chosen genre, which is completed in a three-course thesis series. Throughout your tenure in the program, you can either work on a singular idea that you will develop during the three thesis courses, or you can begin a new project for your thesis. You can also combine elements of the four genres offered in the program for your thesis. For example, your thesis might be a YA Speculative Fiction novel.

"My three thesis classes for the MFA degree were the most helpful," said Kathleen Harris '21 . "I was actually writing a book as my thesis, so it was both enjoyable and advantageous for the degree. And it was the end of a very long milestone of accomplishments."

Minimum Hardware Requirements Component Type PC (Windows OS) Apple (Mac OS) Operating System Currently supported operating system from Microsoft. Currently supported operating system from Apple. Memory (RAM) 8GB or higher 8GB or higher Hard Drive 100GB or higher 100GB or higher Antivirus Software Required forcampus students. Strongly recommended for online students. Required forcampus students. Strongly recommended for online students. SNHU Purchase Programs Visit Dell Visit Apple Internet/ Bandwidth 5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100ms Latency 5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100ms Latency Notes:   Laptop or desktop?   Whichever you choose depends on your personal preference and work style, though laptops tend to offer more flexibility.  Note:   Chromebooks (Chrome OS) and iPads (iOS) do not meet the minimum requirements for coursework at SNHU. These offer limited functionality and do not work with some course technologies. They are not acceptable as the only device you use for coursework. While these devices are convenient and may be used for some course functions, they cannot be your primary device. SNHU does, however, have an affordable laptop option that it recommends: Dell Latitude 3301 with Windows 10.  Office 365 Pro Plus  is available free of charge to all SNHU students and faculty. The Office suite will remain free while you are a student at SNHU. Upon graduation you may convert to a paid subscription if you wish. Terms subject to change at Microsoft's discretion. Review system requirements for  Microsoft 365 plans  for business, education and government.  Antivirus software:  Check with your ISP as they may offer antivirus software free of charge to subscribers.  if (typeof accordionGroup === "undefined") { window.accordionGroup = new accordion(); } accordionGroup.init(document.getElementById('f756dce5bd874c61855f6f6e92d88470')); University Accreditation

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually. *Note: students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.

Additional Costs: Course Materials ($ varies by course). Foundational courses may be required based on your undergraduate course history, which may result in additional cost.

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Master of Fine Arts

MFA in Creative Writing

Alumni Publications and Projects

Learn about our student-run literary journal, Lunch Ticket

Learn about our podcast, LitCit: Antioch’s Literary Citizen

Prepare for a Life as a Literary and Dramatic Artist

Antioch University’s low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program is devoted not only to the education of literary and dramatic artists but to community engagement and the pursuit of social justice. The program features one-on-one mentoring with a variety of successful publishing writers and includes instruction in craft, revision, and critical reading and thinking skills. The rights and ethical responsibilities of creative writers are also addressed, along with practical career concerns related to the business of writing and publishing. The MFA program prepares students for careers and meaningful lives as writers, editors, teachers, and engaged literary citizens.

This low-residency degree is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

Antioch University’s MFA in Creative Writing is comprised of hybrid residencies—which include seminars, readings, and workshops—complemented by five-month online project periods during which students live and write in their home communities. The hybrid residency allows students to attend fully online, in-person, or a combination of both. We believe a flexible learning environment allows our students to flourish personally and creatively.

The low-residency model supports and mirrors the lives that professional writers actually live. The Antioch’s MFA program provides both the nurturing literary community and the solitary discipline of writing that working writers need. An MFA semester consists of an intensive 10-day hybrid residency, followed by a five-month online project period during which each student writes fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, young people, writing for the screen, playwriting, and literary translation, as well as scholarly work, under the supervision of a faculty mentor each term. Students also participate in online discussions covering assigned readings and literary issues, and produce other work specified in their individualized Project Period Contract.

MFA students are admitted in a single genre (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, young people, writing for the screen, and playwriting), but can write and study more than one genre including literary translation—and even challenge the notion of genre itself. Our faculty members publish successfully in multiple genres and are often glad to support students in their cross-genre explorations.

The MFA Field Study is what sets this creative writing program—and the people who graduate from it—apart from others. The Field Study asks students to put their knowledge and skills as writers to work in service of something they personally value in their local communities. Each Field Study must address at least two of the three aspects of the MFA program’s unique purpose: the education of literary and dramatic artists, community engagement or service, and the pursuit of social justice. MFA Field Studies have changed the lives not only of the students but of those their efforts have served.

Degree Requirements

Core requirements are completed during the 10-day hybrid residencies or the 5-month online project periods that follow each residency.

Residency Core Requirements

MFA students participate in a 10-day hybrid residency which includes an assigned genre writing workshop and 7+ learning activities such as faculty seminars, guest speakers, and graduating student presentations.

Explore Residency Requirements, Speakers, and Seminars

Online Project Period Core Requirements

• Monthly packets of student creative work and book annotations
• Participation in Book Circles ( group book discussions)
• Art of Translation Course
• Field Study
• Critical Paper
• Final Manuscript
• Cumulative Annotated Bibliography

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AU Catalog .

Antioch MFA Honored for “Outstanding Screenwriting Training” on 25 Best Film Schools List

Antioch University’s MFA in Creative Writing has received the honor of being named one of MovieMaker’s 25 Best Film Schools , with the magazine recognizing it as one of three standouts for the category of Outstanding Screenwriting Training. Read the full article here.

A Low Residency MFA

The low residency model supports and mirrors the lives that professional writers actually live.

It provides both a nurturing literary community, as well as time to write independently, inspired by real-world engagement. The two years in Antioch’s MFA in Creative Writing program will be spent alternately in two rhythms:

• Five 10-day hybrid Residencies – Students attend classes online, in-person, or a combination of both at Antioch University Los Angeles’ campus in Culver City, California, and form a collective of working writers. The residency builds a strong literary community around engagement with language, literature, and social and aesthetic issues that working writers confront.
• Four 5-Month-Long Online Project Period – Spent in your home city (or the location of your choice), students will write and read extensively, examining and confronting issues of tradition and craft. The online project period pairs you with an assigned mentor (an actively publishing writer who is also an excellent teacher) and a small group of other MFA students with whom you will read and discuss a variety of books and other publications. The online project period provides you with a dedicated apprenticeship in words and craft, a time of exploration and risk-taking in your developing life as a writer.

10-Day Residencies

• Faculty and guest seminars and graduating student presentations: Small and large classes on craft taught by graduating students, faculty, and visiting faculty.
• Writing workshops: 10 hours of intensive peer and faculty review of student work.
• One-on-one meetings with your assigned mentor: Plan out your individual study with your faculty mentor for the term.
• Community: Meet with students and faculty in your class and genre.
• Readings: Experience new work by faculty and students.

5-Month Project Periods

• Mentor correspondence: During your time at Antioch, you will select 4 to 5 different faculty mentors with whom to work.
• Reading and writing: You’ll turn in new and revised creative work, and read to explore issues of craft.
• Narrative critiques: Your work will receive constructive feedback from your instructors and peers.
• Special projects: These may include translation projects, field study, and independent research.

New Student Orientation

Creative writing mfa – new student orientation dates.

Although MFA students are accepted into the program in a single genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, young people, writing for the screen, or playwriting), they have many opportunities to read, write, and study multiple genres, as well as to explore the relationships among them.

Lectures and faculty-led seminars often pull material from two or more disciplines—for instance, poets might talk about rhythm in fiction; creative nonfiction writers might address the importance of staging a scene. Our faculty members publish successfully in multiple genres and are often glad to support students in their cross-genre explorations.

Reading assignments during the project period may pull from any genre, or film and music—if relevant to the student’s exploration of craft. Every seminar and lecture during the residency is open to all students, regardless of the genre they are studying during the ensuing project periods.

The fiction program is staffed by well-published short story writers and novelists who participate in small workshops during each residency and mentor a different group of students during each online project period. Our mentors represent a wide range of aesthetics and interests, and are committed to the mentorship process. Students in fiction submit new and revised pages each month, along with book annotations and ongoing craft dialogue.

Poetry students work with risk-taking faculty who offer diverse perspectives on what poems are and how to write them. Poetry students write and rewrite. In their assigned readings they engage issues of contemporary literature and craft, as well as develop knowledge of poetic traditions. Monthly packets of writing range in size from 7-20 pages, with numerous book or craft-focused annotations.

Creative Nonfiction

Our creative nonfiction program admits students who are committed to writing compelling, energetic work in this innovative genre, which includes literary reportage, memoir, biography, travel writing, magazine writing, and the essay. Students read widely, exploring the techniques that make creative nonfiction resonate and signify. Our outstanding and generous faculty provide detailed critiques on new and revised work, annotations, and craft considerations each month.

Young People

Young People students learn the craft of writing for children and young adults and explore the art of creative collaboration. Illustrators, editors, and agents serve as MFA guest faculty during each 10-day residency, as well as mentors during the 5-month online Project Periods.

Writing for the Screen

Writing for the Screen students explore the ever-changing landscape of storytelling through writing screenplays for film and television.

Screenwriters, producers, and other film industry experts serve as MFA guest faculty during each 10-day residency, as well as mentors during the Project Periods. Through intensive study and mentorship, students strengthen their creative thinking and writing skills, applying those skills to their chosen focus. With this balance of creative expression and practical application, our students learn how to employ a full range of story-crafting techniques in various professional settings, match the right creative goal with the right genre and media platform, and how to market and sell their own creative product.

Playwriting

Playwriting students receive expert instruction in writing for the stage, learning from internationally renowned playwrights, theatre directors, dramaturgs, and other theatre professionals.

Genre Jumping—Mixed Genre Experience

During a student’s second or third term at AULA, they may transfer into a second genre for the length of the semester—while still completing the program on time.

Dual Concentration—Double-Genre

Students may choose to spend an extra semester at AULA so that they may graduate with a dual concentration, spending three terms in the primary genre, and two terms in the alternate genre.

Learning Outcomes

Some MFA programs are designed to help aspiring writers complete a manuscript and find a publisher. The goals of Antioch’s program are much broader. We place an emphasis on preparing writers for the complete life of a literary artist. Our MFA in Creative Writing graduates will demonstrate:

• Proficiency in at least one of the following genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, young people, writing for the screen, and playwriting.
• Critical reading, writing, and thinking skills are required of a literary and dramatic artist.
• Knowledge of ethical dilemmas and social values of the literary and dramatic arts.
• Commitment to a broad range of issues and activities associated with a literary writer and the communities in which the writer lives and works.

Professional Development Semester

Designed to further the professional aspirations of MFA students and alumni at affordable prices. The Professional Development Semester is offered exclusively for continuing MFA students and returning alumni, the Professional Development Semester (5 units) offers an additional semester of mentoring to help begin or complete a manuscript, work in a new genre, or consult with a trusted mentor about matters of writing, career, and publication.

Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing

In a single semester, our low-residency Post-MFA Certificate program takes aspiring teachers from theory to practice, focusing on methods of teaching writing and allowing the student to gain practical classroom experience through either a face-to-face or an online supervised teaching placement. Experienced writing instructors may pursue the certificate for professional development purposes, as well as to improve their personal classroom pedagogy.

Learn More About the Certificate

Take  your  next step – talk to our admissions team.

Lisa Locascio Nighthawk

Program Chair

Meet all the Creative Writing Faculty

Are you an International Student? Get more International student information here.

Are you a Military-Connected Student? Get more Military-Connected student information here.

Download our MFA brochure (PDF, new window)

Admissions / Cost / Aid

Application Deadlines

***All application requirements (all unofficial or official transcripts, admissions essay(s), and  program-specific requirements) must be submitted for the application to be reviewed.

How to Apply

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA) program seeks applicants who want to participate effectively as writers in professional, academic, and community settings; want to develop their skills in the craft of writing; care deeply about the role of the arts and artists in society, and share a commitment to and appreciation for culturally diverse writers and traditions. The program upholds Antioch University Los Angeles’s tradition of honoring both academic and experiential learning. Applicants must be self-motivated individuals who are able to work independently in a distance-learning format. Program participants must have access to a computer, Microsoft Word, and the Internet.

• Complete the  Online Application  and the  Admissions Dialogue Essay.
• Submit the $50 non-refundable Application Fee.
• Send in an official transcript indicating Bachelor’s degree conferral from a regionally accredited college or university. The requested copy of official transcripts must be sent directly to the Admissions Office at Antioch University Los Angeles from the institution from which you received your accredited bachelor’s degree. A student copy of a transcript may be submitted with your application, but official transcripts are required upon admission.
• Submit all supplemental materials: Samples of your creative work in the genre in which you are applying for admission (Poetry: 10-page maximum, Fiction: 20-page maximum, Creative Nonfiction: 20-page maximum, Young People: 20-page maximum, Writing for the Screen: 20-page maximum, Playwriting: 20-page maximum). For prose, work samples should be typed and double-spaced with your name at the top of each page. The 20 pages can be from different pieces. For poetry, work samples should be single-spaced with one poem on each page. For writing for the screen and playwriting: Use the standard format appropriate for the genre. Use of FinalDraft is strongly encouraged as industry-standard with default margins; other options include Celtx, Trelby, and WriterDuet.
• Recommendations: Please provide the names and contact information (email and phone) of two references whom we may contact during our admissions process (you will be prompted to do so during the application process).  If you would like to turn in recommendations voluntarily, please have your recommender(s) send them to  [email protected] .

Please submit all materials to Antioch University Los Angeles, Admissions Office, 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA 90230 or [email protected] . All application materials submitted become part of an applicant’s file and cannot be returned.

Cost & Aid

Please note: Additional fees for all Antioch University Los Angeles programs may include (but are not necessarily limited to) charges for materials, late registration, enrollment maintenance, parking, graduation, transcripts, tuition payment plan, late payments, late registration, and returned checks.

 Financial Aid

A majority of AULA students finance their education through some form of financial aid. You may not be sure which federal, state, public and private aid packages – such as loans, scholarships, and grants—are right for you. Our staff is here to help you, so you can focus on what’s most important: beginning your academic program at AULA. Returning to school is a big decision, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful one.

Scholarships

The MFA Program has numerous scholarships available for students based on factors such as merit and need. Once you are accepted into our program, you will receive additional information about how to apply for these scholarships. Each application cycle, we offer two $10,000 scholarships for UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Certificate holders, three to four $10,000 merit, and need-based scholarships, along with other scholarships of varying amounts through the Eloise Klein Healy Scholarship Fund.

Start your application

Upcoming Events

Mfa in creative writing info session | aula, post-mfa in the teaching of creative writing info session | aula, recent news.

• Cathy Linh Che Joins Antioch MFA as Core Faculty in Poetry on June 25, 2024
• Tom Pyun to Publish Debut Novel on June 20, 2024
• Andromeda Romano-Lax Publishes “The Deepest Lake” on June 11, 2024

View More…

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Thank you for your interest in the Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Idaho: the premier fully funded, three-year MFA program in the Northwest. Situated in the panhandle of Northern Idaho in the foothills of Moscow Mountain, we offer the time and support to train in the traditions, techniques, and practice of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Each student graduates as the author of a manuscript of publishable quality after undertaking a rigorous process of thesis preparation and a public defense. Spring in Moscow has come to mean cherry blossoms, snowmelt in Paradise Creek, and the head-turning accomplishments of our thesis-year students. Ours is a faculty of active, working writers who relish teaching and mentorship. We invite you in the following pages to learn about us, our curriculum, our community, and the town of Moscow. If the prospect of giving yourself three years with us to develop as a writer, teacher, and editor is appealing, we look forward to reading your application.

Pure Poetry

A Decade Working in a Smelter Is Topic of Alumnus Zach Eddy’s Poems

Ancestral Recognition

The region surrounding the University of Idaho is the ancestral land of both the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce peoples, and its campus in Moscow sits on unceded lands guaranteed to the Nez Perce people in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. As a land grant university, the University of Idaho also benefits from endowment lands that are the ancestral homes to many of the West’s Native peoples. The Department of English and Creative Writing Program acknowledge this history and share in the communal effort to ensure that the complexities and atrocities of the past remain in our discourse and are never lost to time. We invite you to think of the traditional “land acknowledgment” statement through our MFA alum CMarie Fuhrman’s words .

Degree Requirements

Three years to write.

Regardless of where you are in your artistic career, there is nothing more precious than time. A three-year program gives you time to generate, refine, and edit a body of original work. Typically, students have a light third year, which allows for dedicated time to complete and revise the Creative Thesis. (48 manuscript pages for those working in poetry, 100 pages for those working in prose.)

Our degree requirements are designed to reflect the real-world interests of a writer. Students are encouraged to focus their studies in ways that best reflect their artistic obsessions as well as their lines of intellectual and critical inquiry. In effect, students may be as genre-focused or as multi-genre as they please. Students must remain in-residence during their degrees. Typically, one class earns you 3 credits. The MFA requires a total of 54 earned credits in the following categories.

12 Credits : Graduate-level Workshop courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction. 9 Credits: Techniques and Traditions courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction 3 Credits : Internships: Fugue, Confluence Lab, and/or Pedagogy 9 Credits: Literature courses 12 Credits: Elective courses 10 Credits: Thesis

Flexible Degree Path

Students are admitted to our program in one of three genres, Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction. By design, our degree path offers ample opportunity to take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses in any genre. Our faculty work and publish in multiple genres and value the slipperiness of categorization. We encourage students to write in as broad or focused a manner as they see fit. We are not at all interested in making writers “stay in their lanes,” and we encourage students to shape their degree paths in accordance with their passions. 

What You Study

During your degree, you will take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses.

Our workshop classes are small by design (typically twelve students or fewer) and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. No two workshop experiences look alike, but what they share are faculty members committed to the artistic and intellectual passions of their workshop participants.

Techniques studios are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These popular courses are dedicated to the granular aspects of writing, from deep study of the poetic image to the cultivation of independent inquiry in nonfiction to the raptures of research in fiction. Such courses are heavy on generative writing and experimentation, offering students a dedicated space to hone their craft in a way that is complementary to their primary work.

Traditions seminars are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These generative writing courses bring student writing into conversation with a specific trajectory or “tradition” of literature, from life writing to outlaw literature to the history of the short story, from prosody to postwar surrealism to genre-fluidity and beyond. These seminars offer students a dynamic space to position their work within the vast and varied trajectories of literature.

Literature courses are taught by core Literature and MFA faculty. Our department boasts field-leading scholars, interdisciplinary writers and thinkers, and theory-driven practitioners who value the intersection of scholarly study, research, humanism, and creative writing.

Award-Winning Faculty

We teach our classes first and foremost as practitioners of the art. Full stop. Though our styles and interests lie at divergent points on the literary landscape, our common pursuit is to foster the artistic and intellectual growth of our students, regardless of how or why they write. We value individual talent and challenge all students to write deep into their unique passions, identities, histories, aesthetics, and intellects. We view writing not as a marketplace endeavor but as an act of human subjectivity. We’ve authored or edited several books across the genres.

Learn more about Our People .

Thesis Defense

The MFA experience culminates with each student writing and defending a creative thesis. For prose writers, theses are 100 pages of creative work; for poets, 48 pages. Though theses often take the form of an excerpt from a book-in-progress, students have flexibility when it comes to determining the shape, form, and content of their creative projects. In their final year, each student works on envisioning and revising their thesis with three committee members, a Major Professor (core MFA faculty) and two additional Readers (core UI faculty). All students offer a public thesis defense. These events are attended by MFA students, faculty, community members, and other invitees. During a thesis defense, a candidate reads from their work for thirty minutes, answers artistic and critical questions from their Major Professor and two Readers for forty-five minutes, and then answer audience questions for thirty minutes. Though formally structured and rigorous, the thesis defense is ultimately a celebration of each student’s individual talent.

The Symposium Reading Series is a longstanding student-run initiative that offers every second-year MFA candidate an opportunity to read their works-in-progress in front of peers, colleagues, and community members. This reading and Q & A event prepares students for the third-year public thesis defense. These off-campus events are fun and casual, exemplifying our community centered culture and what matters most: the work we’re all here to do.

Teaching Assistantships

All students admitted to the MFA program are fully funded through Teaching Assistantships. All Assistantships come with a full tuition waiver and a stipend, which for the current academic year is roughly $15,000. Over the course of three years, MFA students teach a mix of composition courses, sections of Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 290), and additional writing courses, as departmental needs arise. Students may also apply to work in the Writing Center as positions become available. When you join the MFA program at Idaho, you receive teacher training prior to the beginning of your first semester. We value the role MFA students serve within the department and consider each graduate student as a working artist and colleague. Current teaching loads for Teaching Assistants are two courses per semester. Some members of the Fugue editorial staff receive course reductions to offset the demands of editorial work. We also award a variety of competitive and need-based scholarships to help offset general living costs. In addition, we offer three outstanding graduate student fellowships: The Hemingway Fellowship, Centrum Fellowship, and Writing in the Wild Fellowship. Finally, our Graduate and Professional Student Association offers extra-departmental funding in the form of research and travel grants to qualifying students throughout the academic year.

Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

Each year, we bring a Distinguished Visiting Writer to campus. DVWs interface with our writing community through public readings, on-stage craft conversations hosted by core MFA faculty, and small seminars geared toward MFA candidates. Recent DVWs include Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Tyehimba Jess, Claire Vaye Watkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, William Logan, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Gabino Iglesias, and Marcus Jackson, among several others.

Fugue Journal

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, the writers we publish, and the presentation of both print and digital content. We hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers. Past judges include Pam Houston, Dorianne Laux, Rodney Jones, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Jo Ann Beard, Rebecca McClanahan, Patricia Hampl, Traci Brimhall, Edan Lepucki, Tony Hoagland, Chen Chen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, sam sax, and Leni Zumas. The journal boasts a remarkable list of past contributors, including Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Stephen Dunn, B.H. Fairchild, Nick Flynn, Terrance Hayes, Campbell McGrath, W.S. Merwin, Sharon Olds, Jim Shepard, RT Smith, Virgil Suarez, Melanie Rae Thon, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, Anthony Varallo, Robert Wrigley, and Dean Young, among many others.

Academy of American Poets University Prize

The Creative Writing Program is proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets to offer an annual Academy of American Poets University Prize to a student at the University of Idaho. The prize results in a small honorarium through the Academy as well as publication of the winning poem on the Academy website. The Prize was established in 2009 with a generous grant from Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett. Many of our nation’s most esteemed and celebrated poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Gregory Orr, Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Fellowships

Centrum fellowships.

Those selected as Centrum Fellows attend the summer Port Townsend Writers’ Conference free of charge. Housed in Fort Worden (which is also home to Copper Canyon Press), Centrum is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering several artistic programs throughout the year. With a focus on rigorous attention to craft, the Writers’ Conference offers five full days of morning intensives, afternoon workshops, and craft lectures to eighty participants from across the nation. The cost of the conference, which includes tuition, lodging, and meals, is covered by the scholarship. These annual scholarship are open to all MFA candidates in all genres.

Hemingway Fellowships

This fellowship offers an MFA Fiction student full course releases in their final year. The selection of the Hemingway Fellow is based solely on the quality of an applicant’s writing. Each year, applicants have their work judged blind by a noted author who remains anonymous until the selection process has been completed. Through the process of blind selection, the Hemingway Fellowship Fund fulfills its mission of giving the Fellow the time they need to complete a substantial draft of a manuscript.

Writing in the Wild

This annual fellowship gives two MFA students the opportunity to work in Idaho’s iconic wilderness areas. The fellowship fully supports one week at either the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), which borders Payette Lake and Ponderosa State Park, or the Taylor Wilderness Research Station, which lies in the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Both campuses offer year-round housing. These writing retreats allow students to concentrate solely on their writing. Because both locations often house researchers, writers will also have the opportunity to interface with foresters, geologists, biologists, and interdisciplinary scholars.

Program History

Idaho admitted its first class of seven MFA students in 1994 with a faculty of four: Mary Clearman Blew, Tina Foriyes, Ron McFarland (founder of Fugue), and Lance Olsen. From the beginning, the program was conceived as a three-year sequence of workshops and techniques classes. Along with offering concentrations in writing fiction and poetry, Idaho was one of the first in the nation to offer a full concentration in creative nonfiction. Also from its inception, Idaho not only allowed but encouraged its students to enroll in workshops outside their primary genres. Idaho has become one of the nation’s most respected three-year MFA programs, attracting both field-leading faculty and students. In addition to the founders of this program, notable distinguished faculty have included Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, Daniel Orozco, Joy Passanante, Tobias Wray, Brian Blanchfield, and Scott Slovic, whose collective vision, rigor, grit, and care have paved the way for future generations committed to the art of writing.

The Palouse

Situated in the foothills of Moscow Mountain amid the rolling terrain of the Palouse (the ancient silt beds unique to the region), our location in the vibrant community of Moscow, Idaho, boasts a lively and artistic local culture. Complete with independent bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries, (not to mention a historic art house cinema, organic foods co-op, and renowned seasonal farmer’s market), Moscow is a friendly and affordable place to live. Outside of town, we’re lucky to have many opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting, biking, camping, and general exploring—from nearby Idler’s Rest and Kamiak Butte to renowned destinations like Glacier National Park, the Snake River, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and Nelson, BC. As for more urban getaways, Spokane, Washington, is only a ninety-minute drive, and our regional airline, Alaska, makes daily flights to and from Seattle that run just under an hour.

For upcoming events and program news, please visit our calendar .

For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Department of English University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, ID 83844-1102 208-885-6156

Free or Low-Cost Residency Programs from Around the World to Apply to in 2024

Reading Lists

Working on your craft doesn't have to break the bank.

Residency programs provide a myriad of benefits to writers and artists: the chance to escape  the pressing obligations of everyday life, to have a quiet space to work, to find inspiration in a new environment, and to draw on the cultural milieu of being surrounded by fellow artists. It’s an opportunity to turn inwards and reflect on the work in progress, a chance to grow personally and artistically. 

These international programs have different criteria, costs, and application processes, listed below. Some require residents to take part in shared dinners, present talks, engage in events with the local community, or participate in a literary festival; while others emphasize solitude and productivity. 

Here are 17 free or low-cost writing residencies from around the world: 

Latin America

Pocoapoco in Oaxaca, Mexico

Pocoapoco is a non-profit organization dedicated to experimentation, education and relation through artistic & social practices. With a focus on intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange, the program aims to generate, strengthen & connect initiatives & practices that further collective reflection, knowledge & change. Pocoapoco (Spanish for little by little) is both a name and an approach, representing the organization’s guidance from its home in Oaxaca and the global south. From September to April, Pocoapoco hosts 5-week residencies made up of international and local residents who come together to think, work, discuss and collaborate. With a focus on shared practice & dialogue, the residency works to support and connect individuals, ideas and practices catalyzing social discourse, understanding and change. 

Artists and non-artists across all fields are welcome. Pocoapoco considers active observation, dialogue and reflection as essential to building new ways of coming together and creating together across locations, disciplines and practices.

Housing, studio space, and all meals are provided to residents. Sliding scale fees are offered to all accepted residents: the actual cost of each residency is $500 per week but sliding scale fees beginning at $200 week are offered for each resident. Residency fees cover minimal program costs and support for local artists and public programs. Residents are asked to pay what they are able. Sliding scale fees are offered in lieu of partial scholarships to select residents. 

• Cost: Sliding scale fees beginning at $200 to $500 a week
• Application Fee: None
• Deadline: TBD

Under the Volcano in Tepoztlán, Mexico

Founded in 2003 to identify talented writers from across the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds, Under the Volcano is a 2-week international residency that convenes every January in Tepoztlán, Mexico, an hour from Mexico City in the foothills of the great volcanoes. A third optional week is available to those able to stay on in the village to write. The residency program’s master classes are open to emerging and accomplished fiction writers, poets, essayists and journalists, and offer high-level feedback and mentorship from master writers. A roster of distinguished guests joins the residency’s core faculty in a program designed to take each participant’s voice to the next level. The program’s diverse, carefully curated community is recreated each year on the principles of mutual support and respect for differences of nationality, character, opinion, identity, age and life choices. The program is priced in three different currencies based on where you earn and work, and payment plans are available on request. Full Named Fellowships are also available, and cover tuition for the program, accommodation in the village, and roundtrip transportation to Mexico City from a single point of origin in either Mexico or the U.S. Fellows are responsible for their transportation to Tepoztlán and should expect to pay for their own meals except for breakfast. If needed, a modest stipend is available to fellowship recipients to cover daily expenses during the program. Limited financial aid is also offered based on applicants’ proof of their past three months of monthly income and expenses.

• Cost: Several pricing plans available, as well as full-named fellowships and limited financial aid
• Deadline: Applications open yearly on July 1, and regular acceptances are made until all slots are filled.

Instituto Sacatar in Itaparica, Brazil

The non-profit Instituto Sacatar provides artists from around the world with 7- to 9-week residencies at the beachside estate on the island, to create new works within an international community of artists, many of whom explore the unique cultural heritage of Bahia, Brazil. Sacatar Foundation places creative individuals in immersive intercultural experiences at its international artist residency program. According to its website, “While we sometimes use the word ‘artist,’ we interpret ‘creativity’ in the broadest possible sense. We seek creative individuals of all disciplines and backgrounds, without regard to race, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability or HIV status.” Housing, studio space, and food are provided, at no cost. 

• Application Fee: $25

Bogliasco Foundation in Bogliasco, Italy

Located in the fishing village of Bogliasco near Genoa, the Bogliasco Foundation offers one-month residencies to individuals who can demonstrate notable achievement in the Arts and Humanities. Taking inspiration from the ancient port of Genoa, which has brought global travelers together throughout the ages, the Foundation strives to foster productive exchange by composing intimate groups of 8-10 residents who represent a diversity of disciplines, ages, and nationalities. During their month long stay at the Center, Bogliasco Fellows are provided with living quarters (bedroom with private bath), full board, and a workspace or separate studio, depending on the discipline. All meals are shared, and every evening, Fellows come together for a served dinner featuring typical local cuisine from the region of Liguria. Special Fellowships are also offered, some of which offer a stipend and/or travel support. 

• Application Fee: $30 up to one week before each final deadline, then $45 from that date onward
• Deadline: December 1st, 2023 for Fall 2024, and March 14th, 2024 for Spring 2025. 

The Bellagio Center Residency Program in Bellagio, Italy

Located in Lake Como, the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency Program offers academics, artists, policymakers, and practitioners with the opportunity to unlock their creativity and advance groundbreaking work through the completion of a specific project in a residential group setting during 4 weeks of focused time. Rather than a retreat for private reflection, the Bellagio Center Residency offers an opportunity to advance a specific breakthrough project and a stimulating environment to forge cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural connections with other residents that can strengthen their work, shift their perspectives, and spur new ideas. Those invited to apply include artists and writers, including but not limited to composers, fiction and non-fiction writers, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers, dancers, musicians, and visual artists who share in the Foundation’s mission of promoting the well-being of humankind, and produce work that enhances our shared understanding of pressing global or social issues. Residents are provided with room and board, studio space, the opportunity to bring a partner/significant other to join the residency for all or a portion of their stay, travel funding (based on financial need), and “future participation in an international network of Bellagio Center leaders, united in the shared purpose of creating a better world.”

• Application Fee: TBD
• Deadline: February

Jan Michalski Foundation in Montricher, Switzerland

At the foot of the Swiss Jura Mountains, approximately 30 minutes from Lausanne and one hour from Geneva, the Jan Michalski Foundation’s residency for writers features a group of seven cabins that hang from an openwork “canopy” running above the foundation’s campus. Offering ideal conditions for writers and translators, six of these cabins provide stunning views of Lake Geneva and the Alps, while a seventh is oriented towards the forested slopes of the Jura. Residencies vary in length, from 2 weeks to 3 months, and include housing, studio space, breakfast and lunch, and a weekly stipend. Residents are also given access to the residency library and are welcome to participate in cultural activities organized by the Foundation. Writer-pairs working on a collaborative project are also welcome to apply.  

Nancy B. Negley Artists Residency Program in Ménerbes, France

Based at the Dora Maar House, the Nancy B. Negley Artists Residency Program offers residencies of one to two months to mid-career arts and humanities professionals. After serving as the summer home of the surrealist artist and photographer Dora Maar, who was once a companion and muse to Picasso, the Dora Maar House was purchased in 1997 by Nancy Brown Negley, an American arts patron who renovated the house to create a residency for writers, academics, and artists. Most of its fellows have completed and published at least one work, or have had at least one solo exhibition, or have completed a full-length film, and are professionals established in their field of expertise. The residency is free to attend and includes private bedroom and bath, private studio, roundtrip travel to and from the Dora Maar House, and a grant based on one’s length of stay. 

• Application Fee: $25 
• Deadline: Applications open in February, ending in October

Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France

Founded by American artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill, the Camargo Foundation fosters creativity, research, and experimentation through its international residency program for artists, scholars, and thinkers. Located on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, the Foundation offers time and space in a contemplative and supportive environment, giving residents the freedom to think, create, and connect. The residencies are programmed either by the Foundation, as in the case of the  Camargo Core Program , or in partnership. The Camargo Core Program consists of a 10-week fellowship for scholars, thinkers, and artists’ in all disciplines, and provides housing, studio space, a weekly stipend, and transportation to and from Cassis (for air travel, basic coach class booked in advance is provided). Spouses/adult partners and dependent minor children (at least six years old) are welcome to accompany fellows for short stays or for the duration of the residency. Regular project discussions give fellows the opportunity to share their work, and all Fellows are required to be present at these discussions. These project discussions serve as an opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange.

Hawthornden Castle in Midlothian, Scotland

Established by Drue Heinz, the noted philanthropist and patron of the arts, the Foundation is named after Hawthornden Castle where an international residency program provides month-long retreats for creative writers from all disciplines and languages to work in peaceful surroundings. Located 7 miles from Edinburgh, Hawthornden Castle stands on an isolated rock above the gorge of the river North Esk, and is entirely surrounded by woods. As guests of the retreat, residents receive full bed and board, and have use of communal facilities including an extensive library as well as the castle garden and grounds. Though Hawthornden Castle will be closed for the entire year in 2024 to undergo extensive repairs and renovation, applications will reopen the same year for residencies in 2025. 

Nawat Fes in Fes, Morocco

Nawat Fes offers funded residencies of roughly two months in duration to U.S. and international creators in multiple disciplines. Hosted by the American Language Center Fes / Arabic Language Institute in Fez, a member of the American Cultural Association, this residency strives to employ artmaking as a means to cultivate understanding across cultures. Nawat Fes offers residencies in multiple disciplines, including Literature (Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting, and Literary Translation); Visual and Performance Art; and Music Composition and Performance. The program also accepts artist collaboratives of up to three people. Two Nawat Fes artist residents at a time live and work in the ancient medina of Fes, which is considered one of the most extensive and best conserved historic cities of the Arab-Muslim world. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Fes medina is one of the world’s largest pedestrian zones, containing narrow alleyways leading to ancient architectural treasures, traditional houses, artisan workshops and open-air markets. The residency provides housing and a stipend. In exchange, residents will be expected to offer two opportunities for the community to engage with their work. These could be public programs such as a talk, performance, reading, lecture, workshop or concert, or an exhibition of their work during the residency. These programs are intended for local students of English and/or international students of Arabic, as well as the local community. Artists should be prepared to engage with our community in English or Arabic.

• Deadline: Feb 15

Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in Stellenbosch, South Africa

Situated in a university town in the Western Cape province, about 31 miles east of Cape Town, the STIAS Individual Fellowships aim to provide and maintain an independent “creative space for the mind” to advance the cause of science and scholarship across all disciplines. It is global in its reach and local in its African roots, and values original thinking and innovation in this context. No restriction is placed on the country of origin, discipline, or academic affiliation when STIAS considers a fellowship invitation. It encourages the cross-pollination of ideas and hence gives preference to projects that will tap into, and benefit from, a multi-disciplinary discourse while also contributing unique perspectives to such a discourse. This interaction is fostered by inviting individual fellows or project teams where each team member is evaluated individually. Under its artists-in-residence program, creative writers are welcome to apply for these semester-long fellowships. Residents receive full funding and are housed, at no cost, at the Wallenberg Research Centre, a state-of-the-art conference and research facility overlooking vineyards, gardens, and mountains. 

• Deadline: April 30th

Sangam House in Bangalore, India

Located at The Jamun, a spacious bungalow on a quiet, green lane, Sangam House provides 4- and 2-week residencies for writers from India and around the world who have published to some acclaim but have not yet enjoyed substantial commercial success. Sangam House seeks to give writers a chance to build a solid and influential network of personal and professional relationships that can deepen their own work. The word sangam in Sanskrit literally means “going together.” In most Indian languages, sangam has come to mean such confluences as the “flowing together of rivers” and “coincidence.” The intention of Sangam House is to bring together writers from around the world to live and work in a safe, peaceful setting, a space made necessary on many levels by the world we now live in. Residents are provided with large private bedrooms in shared living quarters, studio space, and all meals. There is no cost to attend. 

• Deadline: Applications open in March

Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China

Located in a converted luxury hotel along the Bund in Shanghai’s former financial district, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel artist residency invites artists from across the globe to immerse themselves in the city’s unique cultural environment while creating new work. Dancers, musicians, photographers, filmmakers, writers, painters, conceptual artists, and many more creative individuals from around the world live and work in this historic landmark once known as the Palace Hotel from a period of three to six months. Accepted fellows are provided with assistance towards applying for a Chinese Business Visa (up to 300 Swiss Francs), a roundtrip economy ticket to Shanghai, accommodation, studio space, housekeeping service, and breakfast. 

• Application Fee: 30 Swiss Francs (to be donated in full to Doctors Without Borders)
• Deadline: Currently accepting applications

International Writers’ Workshop at Hong Kong Baptist University in Hong Kong

IWW is a self-funded, non-profit program supported solely by donations. Its goal is to invite writers from around the world to visit HKBU and engage in creativity-inspiring activities with local students, writers, and the Hong Kong community in general, providing opportunities for cultural exchange within and outside the university campus. Writers in residence stay on campus and interact with university students and staff, as well as with Hong Kong writers and the public. For its Writers-in-Residence Programme, a group of international writers are selected from a competitive pool of applicants each spring and invited to stay on campus for 4 weeks. Applicants must have at least one published book; currently reside outside Hong Kong; and have a functional command of English or Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese). Accommodation on the HKBU campus, roundtrip economy airfare, and a pier diem are provided. 

Patricia Kailis International Writing Fellowship, Centre for Stories in Perth, Australia

Offered by the Centre for Stories in Perth, Western Australia, the Patricia Kailis International Writing Fellowship is a 9-week fellowship that is open to writers living outside Australia. It aims to support the work of talented individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to ideas and practices that foster belonging and better cross-cultural understanding. The Fellowship is open to fiction, non-fiction, poetry and short story writers who work in English and whose work is available in Australia. Applicants must have at least two full-length publications published by a trade publisher. Applicants currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate (including higher degree by research) university course are not eligible. The fellowship will take place over any nine-week period between March 2024 and July 2024. 

The value of the fellowship is AUD $35,000 which will cover the following expenses: Living allowance of $15,000, accommodation will be provided for 8 weeks in Perth, return economy airfare, travel expenses and accommodation for a week in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. 

• Deadline: January 9th

NZ Pacific Studio in Wairarapa, New Zealand

Located in the beautiful Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island, the New Zealand Pacific Studio is an award-winning residency program that hosts creative practitioners from Aotearoa/New Zealand and abroad. It currently operates through a network of hosts, most of whom are artists themselves, who accommodate artists-in-residence on their properties. Through the generosity of individuals and institutions in the local community, several supported residencies are offered each year—for writers, there is RAK Mason Residency, and the Ema Saiko Poetry Fellowship. 

Usually 2 to 3 weeks long, these opportunities vary according to funding periods and may not be offered annually. They cover accommodation, a stipend, access to the residency library, and local transportation. Residents provide for their own meals—though there are often shared meals with hosts—and arrange for their own transportation to and from Wairarapa. Most come with the request to offer a community activity, for which the residency organizers can assist with logistics. 

Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency in Caselberg, New Zealand

Run jointly by the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature, the Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency aims to provide international and New Zealander writers with the opportunity to work on a substantial piece of creative writing and to foster connections among creative writers in Aotearoa/New Zealand and internationally. There are no limits in terms of genre, language, or length of writing, and completion of the project during the Residency is not a requirement. This residency is offered annually for a period of 6 weeks to writers from other UNESCO Cities of Literature and to New Zealand writers in alternating years. All residents receive a stipend of NZ$4,000, and international residents also receive up to NZ$3,000 towards travel costs. Accommodation is provided rent-free at the Caselberg House for the six-week duration of the Residency, and power and heating costs are to be met by the resident. The resident may be expected to attend Residency-related events conducted in English during the Residency period such as a welcoming evening, sponsor events, interviews, and community events related to Residency project/theme.

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Clear Submit Wilkes University is within a few hours’ drive from the biggest population centers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. 2023 Wilkes University
	Wilkes University
	Jul 02, 2024   2024-2025 Graduate Bulletin (DRAFT)     2024-2025 Graduate Bulletin (DRAFT) David Hicks, Ph.D., Program Director Bonnie Culver, Ph.D. and J. Michael Lennon, Ph.D., Program Co-Founders Master of Arts in Creative Writing (low residency or weekend version) Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (low residency) Accreditation In October 2004, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Schools and Universities approved the Wilkes proposal for the M.A. program. The University graduated its first class in June 2006. In September 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved the addition of the Master of Fine Arts to the graduate creative writing degree offerings at Wilkes University. Students will be accepted into the Master of Arts in Creative Writing based almost entirely upon the application essay and creative writing sample. Students applying to this program should hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; however, students without a bachelor’s degree may apply. (Such applicants must provide a very strong writing sample and writing history.) No GREs are required. Applicants must submit the following for consideration: Completed Application. $35 non-refundable application fee. Official transcript of all college work, undergraduate and graduate. Two letters of recommendation Creative writing sample.(a 15-25 page writing sample from any genre or genres of published/unpublished work that best demonstrates your creative ability) Where are you with regard to your writing and how did you get here? Why Wilkes? What do you hope to accomplish in our program? What will you do with your program accomplishments following graduation? Students may enter the program in either the winter (early January) or summer (late June) residency, followed by a 15-week spring or fall semester. Students selecting the “Weekender” version of the MA (winter only) will receive online instruction over two or three weekends following each residency instead of attending the weeklong residencies in January. Weekender study is allowed in lieu of the winter residency, but for the summer residency, in-person attendance is required. Students interested in the Master of Fine Arts must first complete the Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Students completing the M.A. may apply for admission into the M.F.A. no earlier than the last term of the M.A. To be accepted into the M.F.A., students must have at least a 3.5 in every M.A. course, write a letter of interest to the Program Director, and be approved by the CW faculty to continue into the M.F.A. Once in the program, students must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA. Transfer Credits Students who have earned credits from another accredited graduate program in creative writing, or who have published extensively in a particular genre, may apply for 3-9 transfer credits into the Wilkes program. In addition, Wilkes M.A. alums can transfer up to 12 credits if they wish to earn a second MA in a different genre, leaving them with 18 credits to earn for that second Master of Arts degree. An applicant with a master’s degree in Creative Writing at an accredited university and/or book publications/produced work with reputable publishers/producers may petition for a direct admission into our MFA program (requiring 30 total credits). Requirements for the MA in Creative Writing (30 credit hour minimum) The Master of Arts in Creative Writing is a 30-credit, low-residency program in seven tracks, one of which will appear on the graduate’s M.A. diploma: fiction / poetry / screenwriting / playwriting / creative nonfiction / publishing / spoken word. The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (49 credit hours minimum = 30 credits MA course + 19 credits MFA courses). Thesis Requirements To satisfy the Masters of Arts in Creative Writing thesis requirement: Students graduating with a Master of Arts in Creative Writing will produce and present a full-length text with support materials that demonstrate the mastery of requisite standards, processes, and procedures for bringing that project into its appropriate public venue. The diploma will specify which area of study the student pursued and include the following options: poetry, spoken word, fiction, screenwriting, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and publishing. Capstone Requirements The Master of Arts in Creative Writing Capstone is where students have a chance to demonstrate their full mastery of their major area, meeting all of the student learning outcomes listed above. All Master of Arts creative projects, no matter which track, will be evaluated by an outside reader who is an industry expert–an experienced editor, literary agent, publisher, producer, or director. The student’s work comes together in the final residency by way of a capstone presentation of their work.. All capstones, no matter which area the graduate selects, must have both a written and spoken component and must also meet specified graduation criteria. (The Creative Writing Program Handbook contains details of the capstone requirements for individual genres.) The following are the area-specific requirements for the Master of Arts in Creative Writing capstone: During the final residency ( CW 525   ) poets will present a formal reading from their finished poetry chapbook or poetry collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes followed by a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students. Some or all work must be recited.) THESIS/Support materials will include: THESIS (24-50 pages, chapbook; 50+ pages., collection) A query letter (1-2 pages) Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan Artist’s statement (1 page.) Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520. During the final residency ( CW 525   ), fiction writers will present a formal reading from their manuscript, which will be either a novel or short story collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes, followed by a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students. THESIS/Support materials will include: THESIS- (Novella, novel, or short story collection- 120page minimum) Jacket blurb (bio) (1 page.) Playwrights will work before their capstone residency with an assigned director to cast and to prepare the play for a formal staged reading that will be held during the residency or off-campus at a designated theater. Experienced actors, appropriate to the work, will be utilized. Playwrights will be prepared to answer questions about their work and processes, following the staged reading. THESIS-(Full-length play, collected one-acts, or performance piece 80+ pages) •A query letter (1-2 pages.) Playwright’s bio (1 page.) Play synopsis (1-2 pages.) Screenplays Screenwriters will work with their writer mentors in the pre-residency to prepare their script for a table reading during their final residency ( CW 525   ). Readers will include actors, cohort members, and other available readers. Screenwriters must be prepared to present a “pitch” to a film producer, agent, or director before the reading and to answer process questions, following the table reading. THESIS-(Full-length screenplay, collected feature shorts,80+ pages.) The “pitch” A query letter (1-2 pages.) Screenplay treatment (2-4 pages.) Creative Nonfiction During the final residency ( CW 525   ), creative nonfiction writers will present a formal reading from their completed full-length manuscript, which will be either a memoir or essay collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes, followed a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students. THESIS-(Full-length manuscript or collection of short works) Back flap copy (bio) (1 page.) During the final residency ( CW 525   ), students in the publishing track will present their new e-zine, small press, journal as if they are actually launching this new company. These students will make a formal presentation to a panel of publishers, editors, and agents. Additionally, they will create materials that will be included in a M.A. book fair. The first creative work to be launched by the student’s new company The portfolio of work leading to the student’s decisions: Business plan, vision/mission statement, etc. Marketing materials for launch Self-analysis essay, including the Writing Life Plan Final annotated bibliography of all readings, interviews leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520. Spoken Word During the final residency ( CW 525   ), students in the Spoken Word track will present a ten-minute live performance of their work, followed by a Q&A. THESIS (either 25-50 page transcript of their performance pieces or a one-hour Youtube video of their performances. A short (three minutes max) video to serve as a “query” for a Spoken Word organization or contest. Final annotated bibliography/videography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520 Learning Outcomes Students will demonstrate the mastery of one’s major area of study through the practice of writing in various forms, including the demonstrable and proven ability to employ the generic elements (e.g. setting, point of view, rhythm and meter) of their genre, and to critique one’s own work and that of others honestly and vigorously. At the completion of this program, students will be able to: Describe the breadth and depth of knowledge of the historical context and tradition of the range of forms, conventions, and styles within their selected genre. Demonstrate competency in the technology of their major genre area. Demonstrate mastery of the industry-specific formatting and presentation of creative work by genre. Through the week-long residencies and online writing classes (in which students use our online learning system to dialogue with one another), students will bond with the other students in their cohort, with their faculty, and with the program administrators, creating their own writing community. Together they will build a thorough understanding of the discipline, habits, and support mechanisms required for the writing life. Articulate the strengths and weaknesses of, and discriminate between, the archetypal models of writerly lives as they build a writing life plan of their own design. Articulate the strengths and address the weaknesses of the work of their peers, as well as their own work and their writing process. Articulate the ways in which the student will be able to create and sustain a writing practice and support for that practice. Students will study the multiple and appropriate pathways in which one’s creative work becomes public, including research methods, business practices, and genre-specific conventions. This program strand addresses the business, economic, and genre-specific opportunities for your work. Faculty panels from each genre will introduce this idea to students in the first residency. As students move through the program, the faculty and their mentors will work with students to understand both the business practices and the appropriate pathway for their work. Understand the legal and ethical standards and the practical issues of their profession, and demonstrate that knowledge through the residencies and portfolio work of the program.  Communicate knowledgeably with professionals in their field. Articulate, both in writing and orally, their own creative work, using genre-specific methods of presenting their work. MA Degree Requirements 30 credits First residency. CW 501 - R. Foundations of Creative Writing First Project Semester: The First Residency (a combination of workshops, craft lessons, panels, and readings) is followed by the First Project Semester : Students select any two of the following foundation courses, delivered online by faculty from each genre. Students should choose the genre in which they expect to write their thesis along with a second genre of their choice. Those who expect to enter the publishing track may select from any two of the five foundations courses before specializing in Publishing courses in their second and third semesters. CW 502 - Writing Fiction CW 503 - Writing Poetry CW 504 - Writing Screenplays CW 505 - Writing Plays CW 506 - Writing Creative Non-Fiction Total Credits: 6 Second residency, second project semester:. Prior to this residency, each student will select which genre they are pursuing, request three mentors in that genre, and be assigned one of those mentors. They will then meet with their mentors during the residency to form a study plan for the upcoming semester. The Second Residency is followed by the Second Project Semester: Students will be registered in two of the courses listed below according to their chosen area of study: CW 512, a reading-intensive course, and CW 514, a writing-intensive course: CW 512F - Genre and Context in Fiction CW 512P - Genre and Context in Poetry CW 512S - Genre and Context in Screenwriting CW 512L - Genre and Context in Playwriting CW 512N - Genre and Context in Nonfiction. CW 512U - Genre and Context in Publishing. CW 514F - Drafting Project in Fiction CW 514P - Drafting Project in Poetry CW 514S - Drafting Project in Screenwriting CW 514L - Drafting Project in Playwriting CW 514N - Drafting Project in Nonfiction CW 514U - Drafting Project in Publishing Third Residency CW 516 - R. Project/Thesis Plan Third Project Semester: FINAL WRITING TERM-STUDENTS SELECT COURSE BY AREA OF STUDY (6 credit courses): CW 520F - Final Project/Fiction Thesis CW 520P - Final Project/Poetry Thesis CW 520S - Final Project/Screenwriting Thesis CW 520L - Final Project/Playwriting Thesis CW 520N - Final Project/Nonfiction Thesis CW 520U - Final Project/Publishing Thesis Fourth Residency All students present capstone projects by area of study CW 525 - R. Masters Capstone Total Credits: 3 Total credits: 30. Optional CW 530   . Continuous registration (one - six credits) optional course used to complete capstone coursework or an independent study in a secondary genre. What are your chances of acceptance? Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance. Your chancing factors Extracurriculars. List of All U.S. Colleges with a Creative Writing Major Writing has been my passion practically since I learned to read in kindergarten. I would write stories about princesses and my family dog, Gansett. When it came time to look at colleges, I was set on attending one with a strong creative writing program. Ultimately, I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. Today, colleges across the country offer creative writing as a major. Because writing skills are essential for a wide range of careers, and because most curricula emphasize broad liberal arts competencies, a degree in creative writing can set you up for success in numerous fields, whether you want to be an editor or a lawyer. Interested in majoring in creative writing? Learn which schools offer the major and what to look for in a program. Overview of the Creative Writing Major Creative writing is about more than spinning tales. For your major, you’ll generally need to pursue a curriculum grounded in literature, history, foreign language, and other humanities courses, along with distribution courses, if the college requires them. Most creative writing majors must participate in workshops, in which students present their work and listen to peer critiques, usually with a certain number of advanced courses in the mix. In some cases, colleges will ask you to specialize in a particular genre, such as fiction, poetry, or playwriting.  To succeed in creative writing, you’ll need to have a tough spine, in order to open yourself up to feedback from your classmates and instructors. You may need to give readings in public — if not as an undergraduate, certainly during your career. Of course, a passion for creating is essential, too, as is a willingness to revise your work and learn from the greats and your peers. A creative writing major opens up doors to many careers, including journalism, content marketing, copywriting, teaching, and others. Even careers that don’t center around writing often have a strong writing component: you’ll need to write reports, deliver presentations, and so on. Some writers go on to earn an MFA, which will help you hone your craft. It’s also often a prerequisite for teaching creative writing at the college level. What to Look for in a College as a Creative Writing Major Published authors on faculty. Many world-renowned authors have another claim to fame: professorships. Writers who have taught their craft include (among many others): Maya Angelou (Wake Forest University) Colson Whitehead (many colleges, including Vassar College and Columbia University) Stephen Dixon (Johns Hopkins University) Viet Thanh Nguyen (University of Southern California) Eula Biss (Northwestern University) Toni Morrison (Princeton University) Be aware that as an undergraduate, you may not be able to learn from the greats. That’s why it’s important to look into which courses these faculty teach before you have dreams of being mentored by Salman Rushdie — who is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU. Genres Offered While many schools that have creative writing majors offer fiction and poetry courses and tracks, there are some niche genres that could be more difficult to find. If you’re interested in playwriting, for example, you won’t find that at every school. Before you decide on a program, be sure it includes the genres you’d like to explore further, whether that’s flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or something else. Workshopping Opportunities The core of most quality creative writing curriculum is workshopping. This means sharing your work in your classes and listening to your peers discuss and critique it. While this may sound intimidating, it can do a lot to help you hone your work and become a better writer. Look for colleges that make this the bedrock of their curriculum. Showcasing Opportunities Are there opportunities to present your work, such as college-sponsored readings where undergraduates can participate? Or, perhaps the school has a great literary journal. At my school, students could submit their plays and have them performed by fellow students.  List of All U.S. Colleges With a Creative Writing Major Agnes Scott College Decatur Georgia Ashland University Ashland Ohio Augustana College Rock Island Illinois Austin College Sherman Texas Baldwin Wallace University | BW Berea Ohio Beloit College Beloit Wisconsin Bennington College Bennington Vermont Berry College Mount Berry Georgia Bowling Green State University | BGSU Bowling Green Ohio Bradley University Peoria Illinois Brandeis University Waltham Massachusetts Brooklyn College Brooklyn New York Brown University Providence Rhode Island Bucknell University Lewisburg Pennsylvania Butler University Indianapolis Indiana California College of the Arts | CCA San Francisco California Capital University Columbus Ohio Carnegie Mellon University | CMU Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Catawba College Salisbury North Carolina Central Michigan University | CMU Mount Pleasant Michigan Central Washington University | CWU Ellensburg Washington Chapman University Orange California Coe College Cedar Rapids Iowa Colby College Waterville Maine College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross Worcester Massachusetts Colorado College Colorado Springs Colorado Columbia College Chicago Chicago Illinois Columbia University New York New York Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire Eastern Michigan University | EMU Ypsilanti Michigan Eckerd College Saint Petersburg Florida Emerson College Boston Massachusetts Emory University Atlanta Georgia Fitchburg State University Fitchburg Massachusetts Franklin and Marshall College | F&M Lancaster Pennsylvania George Mason University Fairfax Virginia George Washington University | GW Washington Washington DC Hamilton College Clinton New York Huntingdon College Montgomery Alabama Ithaca College Ithaca New York Johns Hopkins University | JHU Baltimore Maryland Knox College Galesburg Illinois Laguna College of Art and Design | LCAD Laguna Beach California Lesley University Cambridge Massachusetts Lindenwood University Saint Charles Missouri Linfield College McMinnville Oregon Loyola University Maryland Baltimore Maryland Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans Louisiana Macalester College Saint Paul Minnesota Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT Cambridge Massachusetts Mercer University Macon Georgia Miami University Oxford Ohio Millikin University Decatur Illinois Millsaps College Jackson Mississippi New School New York New York Northwestern University Evanston Illinois Oakland University Rochester Hills Michigan Oberlin College Oberlin Ohio Ohio Northern University | ONU Ada Ohio Ohio University Athens Ohio Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware Ohio Oklahoma Baptist University | OBU Shawnee Oklahoma Otterbein University Westerville Ohio Pacific University Forest Grove Oregon Pepperdine University Malibu California Portland State University | PSU Portland Oregon Pratt Institute Brooklyn New York Principia College Elsah Illinois Providence College Providence Rhode Island Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana Rhode Island College | RIC Providence Rhode Island Rocky Mountain College | RMC Billings Montana Roger Williams University | RWU Bristol Rhode Island Saint Mary’s College (Indiana) Notre Dame Indiana School of the Art Institute of Chicago | SAIC Chicago Illinois Seattle University Seattle Washington Seton Hall University South Orange New Jersey Simmons College Boston Massachusetts Southern Methodist University | SMU Dallas Texas Southern Oregon University | SOU Ashland Oregon Spalding University Louisville Kentucky State University of New York at Purchase | SUNY Purchase Purchase New York Stephens College Columbia Missouri Suffolk University Boston Massachusetts Texas Christian University | TCU Fort Worth Texas Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth Texas The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton Vestal New York The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo Buffalo New York The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook Stony Brook New York Truman State University | TSU Kirksville Missouri University of Arizona Tucson Arizona University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside Riverside California University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio University of Evansville Evansville Indiana University of Houston Houston Texas University of Idaho Moscow Idaho University of La Verne La Verne California University of Maine at Farmington | UMF Farmington Maine University of Miami Coral Gables Florida University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO Omaha Nebraska University of New Mexico | UNM Albuquerque New Mexico University of North Carolina at Wilmington | UNC Wilmington Wilmington North Carolina University of Pittsburgh | Pitt Pittsburgh Pennsylvania University of Puget Sound Tacoma Washington University of Redlands Redlands California University of Rochester Rochester New York University of Southern California | USC Los Angeles California University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Saint Paul Minnesota University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP El Paso Texas University of the Arts | UArts Philadelphia Pennsylvania University of Tulsa Tulsa Oklahoma University of Washington Seattle Washington Valparaiso University | Valpo Valparaiso Indiana Washington University in St. Louis | WashU Saint Louis Missouri Wellesley College Wellesley Massachusetts Western Michigan University | WMU Kalamazoo Michigan Western New England University | WNE Springfield Massachusetts Western Washington University | WWU Bellingham Washington Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton Massachusetts Wichita State University | WSU Wichita Kansas Widener University Chester Pennsylvania Wofford College Spartanburg South Carolina Yeshiva University New York New York Youngstown State University Youngstown Ohio What Are Your Chances of Acceptance? No matter what major you’re considering, the first step is ensuring you’re academically comparable to students who were previously accepted to the college or university. Most selective schools use the Academic Index to filter out applicants who aren’t up to their standards. You’ll also want to demonstrate your fit with the school and specific major with the qualitative components of your application, like your extracurriculars and essays. For a prospective creative writing major, the essay is particularly important because this is a way to demonstrate your writing prowess. Activities might include editing your school’s newspaper or literary journal, publishing your work, and participating in pre-college writing workshops. Want to know your chances of being accepted to top creative writing schools? Try our Chancing Engine (it’s free). Unlike other calculators, it takes your individual profile into account, including academic stats and qualitative components like your activities. Give it a try and get a jumpstart on your journey as a creative writing major! Related CollegeVine Blog Posts More From Forbes A writing room: the new marketplace of writer classes, retreats, and collectives. Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A Writing Room is one of the fast-growing writer collectives. The four co-founders (left to right): ... [+] Reese Zecchin, Director of Production; Jacob Nordby, Director of Writer Development; A. Ashe, Creative Director; Claire Giovino, Community Director. The past decade has brought an explosion in the number of books published each year in the United States (an estimated three to four million annually). In turn, this explosion is bringing a growing and evolving marketplace of writer classes, retreats and collectives. It is a marketplace creating new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities—both for mainstream tech, marketing and managerial workers, as well as for writer/artist denizens of America’s bohemia. The Drivers of Growth in Book Publishing The number of book sales in the United States remains healthy, though it has leveled off in the past four years. In 2020, 756.82 million book unit sales were made in the US alone. This number climbed to 837.66 million in 2021, before falling slightly to 787.65 million units in 2022 and 767.36 million units in 2023. What has changed dramatically has been the number of books published. Steve Piersanti of Berrett-Koehler Publishers estimates that three million books were published in the US, up 10 times from the number only 16 years ago . Other estimates put the number of published books annually at closer to four million . The main driver of this growth in books published has been self-publishing. According to Bowker , which provides tools for self-publishing, an estimated 2.3 million books were self-published in 2021. Up through the 1990s (now the distant past in publishing), writers of all types of books, fiction and nonfiction, were dependent on convincing publishing houses to publish their work. As the technology for self-publishing and print on demand grew in the early 2000s, writers could publish on their own, and a very large number of Americans began to do so. Fueling growth also is the level of affluence and discretionary income that an increasing segment of American society is reaching. For centuries, theorists across the political spectrum have envisioned a society, freed from basic economic needs, pursuing creative activities, with writing as a primary activity. In The German Ideology , Karl Marx could write about the economy of abundance in which individuals pursue writing as one of a series of daily activities—hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, write criticism in the evening. John Maynard Keynes in a 1930 essay, “ Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren” , envisions a time a hundred years forward (2030) in which writing is no longer the province of the upper classes. Contemporary theorists on the future of work, such as John Tamny, similarly see a blooming of creative and artistic activities by the average citizen. Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024 Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, a writing room, and the emerging marketplace of writer training. A marketplace of writing coaches, classes and retreats expanded throughout the late twentieth century and first years of the twentieth century. Published authors and even recently-minted graduates of MFA programs hung out shingles for individual coaching and small classes. Colleges expanded their writing programs and certifications, and writer retreats multiplied. Co-working and literary event spaces were established in major cities ( The Writers Room in New York, The Writers Grotto in San Francisco). But the marketplace continued to bump up against geographic and logistical limitations. Then, along the came the internet, and its evolution. Today, hundreds of businesses throughout the country offer assistance to aspiring writers. Many continue to offer some in-person assistance through coaching, classes or retreats. But as in other fields, the internet has allowed for a nationwide (worldwide) reach that these businesses are taking advantage of to scale. The major pre-internet writer assistance companies, such as The Writers Studio , added online courses and instruction, and the early internet-based companies from the 1990s, such as Writers.com (a pioneer in the internet field), steadily expanded their offerings. New enterprises are springing up on a regular basis, including the writer collectives. A Writing Room is one of the fastest growing of the writer collectives, and its suite of services illustrate the how the field is evolving. A Writing Room has its roots in the writing classes that novelist Anne Lamott had been teaching for some years, and her interest by the early 2020s in creating a larger on-going community of writers. Lamott connected with a team of four entrepreneurs who had experience with previous start-ups and expertise in online tools. In early 2023 they set out to develop A Writing Room. Novelist Anne Lamott, one of the partners in A Writing Room. A Writing Room launched in June 2023, and followed a few months later with an inaugural writers retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though hastily arranged, the retreat attracted more than 400 in person attendees and over 1600 attendees online. In the first half of 2024, the company set up a membership structure of monthly and annual memberships. Within months, over 550 writers had joined. The products that members can access are aimed in part at teaching the craft of writing. In a recent author discussion (with close to 400 participants joining online) Lamott discussed the craft of writing with novelist Donna Levin . Both started publishing in the 1980s. They noted how much publishing and the role of the writer have changed, but emphasized the fundamentals that have remained over their forty years, related to craft and the responsibility of the writer: the daily commitment, the careful development of plot and characters, the numerous rewrites (as many as you think you need, and one more). A Writing Room offers a series of on-demand courses, online discussions with authors and publishing professionals, and daily writing prompts, built around writing as craft. It further offers instruction on the paths to and options for publication, building a following of readers. At its center, A Writing Room is about being part of a community of writers, giving and receiving regular feedback from other members, as well as feedback from writing mentors and coaches. In an interview earlier this year, Lamott explained: The great myth about writing is that it's an entirely solitary activity. This really isn't true. Every book I've ever written has been with a lot of help from my community. I wouldn't be the writer I am today — and wouldn't even want to write — without people to share the process and finished work. Writing is a process, but it doesn't have to (and really shouldn't be) done in total isolation. The writing process can feel overwhelming. It often does for me. Believe me, a trusted writing friend is a secret to life. Other emerging writing collectives also emphasize community and cooperation. Levin underscored this point in the recent online discussion: “Writing can be such an isolated activity, and to some extent needs to be. You want to seek out a community that can give you the support you need and also the honest feedback.” How the New Marketplace Is Evolving And Jobs Created The founders of A Writing Room know that the marketplace for writer assistance is fast changing, and they need to be quick to adapt to increased competition. Already, several developments are driving change in the field: · The entrance of major online education companies (i.e. Masters Class , Coursera, Udemy ). · Faculty recruitment of writers with built-in audiences of sizable twitter and other social media followings. · Partnerships with the major publishers and agencies, who hold out the promise of publication to participants of the classes, retreats and collectives. · Specializations by race and ethnicity, gender, geography and genre. · Market segmentation, and attention to higher income consumers. A number of these developments reflect the changes in the broader publishing world and are likely to continue. Overall, the marketplace itself will be expanding, as publishing technology advances, along with discretionary income. The jobs being generated by this new marketplace are a mix of tech, administrative, and writing coach positions. At A Writing Room, recent hires include a community liaison, video editor, customer support, and a “beta reader” providing feedback to writers on their drafts. The hiring process is sweeping up into jobs not only workers who have been in the regular economy, but also residents of America’s bohemia: writers and artists who previously were outside of (and often scornful of) the market system. What can be better than that. In his 2023 book, The Novel, Who Needs It , Joseph Epstein, former editor of American Scholar , offers a paean to fiction as above all other intellectual endeavors that seek to understand human behavior. But what he says of fiction is true of other writing (memoir, history, even forms of self-help) that arouses the mind. Yes, there are way too many books published each year, and yes only a very small percentage of writers will earn any significant income from their writing. But who knows what individual book will succeed commercially or critically, or add to our shared knowledge or wisdom. And really, why not encourage the craft of writing. How much does America benefit from most of the paper-pushing, meetings and e-mails that now pass for work in our economy of affluence. Editorial Standards Reprints & Permissions Join The Conversation One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.  Forbes Community Guidelines Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. 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Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service. 304 IMAGES 13 Unique Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2020/2021 Aurora’s first creative writing residency in Tarragona showcases Creative Writing Residency Solstice 2014 Summer Residency My Creative Writing "Residency" Workshop Experience MFA Creative Writing VIDEO Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Faculty Voices: Lidia Yuknavitch Solstice MFA Program: Growing As Artists Emory Continuing Education Creative Writing Certificate Program Graduate What is Camperdown Writers' Kiln? COMMENTS 34 Amazing Writing Residencies You Should Apply for This Year There's a $45 application fee. 24. The Edith Wharton Writers-in-Residence Program. Each March, three women — who identify as poets, fiction or creative nonfiction writers — are awarded this residency that offers two and three week retreats at Edith Wharton's former Georgian revival mansion in Lenox, Massachusetts. Conferences and Residencies Database Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. ... The 2023 General Artist Residency Program offers residencies of two weeks or one month during July, September, October, and ... 15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024 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. MFA Programs Database: 256 Programs for Creative Writers Our list of 256 MFA programs for creative writers includes essential information about low-residency and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply. It also includes MA programs and PhD programs. Fully Funded MFA Programs in Creative Writing 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 ... Best Writing Residencies in 2024 for Emerging Writers New York, USA. Apr-Oct, 2024. $30 application fee. The Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency, administered by PEN Northwest, offers a seven-month residency from April through October to a poet or prose writer, or pair of writers, at Dutch Henry Homestead in the Rogue River Canyon of southwest Oregon. Best MFA Creative Writing Programs Online and On-Campus The low-residency Creative Writing MFA program offers students a deep dive into writing in multiple genres and features a convenient and flexible format that blends online study with summer residencies. Students of this program hone their skillset in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting over the course of three years to ... MFA in Creative Writing Programs Guide Creative writing degrees represent one of the fastest growing university programs in the U.S. According to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) 2015 report, 30% of MFA full-residency programs enjoyed an enrollment increase. Low Residency MFA Creative Writing Naropa's Creative Writing MFA is a rigorous, generative, low-residency two-year program with 4 writing residencies in beautiful Boulder Colorado. The program combines asynchronous craft courses with on-campus residencies. Annual fall and spring residencies allow writers to connect with other writers and faculty, deepen their craft, and ... Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Degree Drexel University's two-year, low-residency MFA in Creative Writing is designed with the university's commitment to experiential and career-focused education in mind. Online workshops, reading tutorials, and one-on-one packet exchanges with notable published writers will help you deepen your understanding of your craft, while residencies ... Program Overview The MFA Program for Writers. In 1976, Ellen Bryant Voigt, renowned poet and master teacher, founded the nation's first low-residency creative writing program. In 1981, the program relocated from Vermont's Goddard College to one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, Warren Wilson College. The MFA Program for Writers The Nation's Premier Low-Residency MFA Program. Now in its fifth decade, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, established in 1976 by master poet and teacher Ellen Bryant Voigt, continues to set the standard for the innovative model it pioneered.This rigorous, nurturing, and highly-selective four - semester graduate program, with study tracks in fiction and poetry, combines ... The 10 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in the US University of Oregon (Eugene, OR) Visitor7, Knight Library, CC BY-SA 3.0. Starting off the list is one of the oldest and most venerated Creative Writing programs in the country, the MFA at the University of Oregon. Longtime mentor, teacher, and award-winning poet Garrett Hongo directs the program, modeling its studio-based approach to one-on ... 15 Best Low Residency MFA Programs The best low residency MFA programs offer you a more cost-effective way to complete a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. The difference between a low residency and a fully remote program is that you'll be expected to stay on campus for short periods throughout the year, giving you greater flexibility than if you'd have either been living on campus, or full-time in front of a computer ... Master of Fine Arts As the flagship program of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, it's also sister to three additional low-residency programs: the 35-credit Master of Arts in Writing (MAW), 15-credit graduate certificate in writing, and the post-master's certificate. At a substantial 65 credits, the MFA program creates space for creative writers to ... Online MFA in Creative Writing Program "Traditional MFA programs, whether full-time or low residency, are out of reach for many writers," said Paul Witcover, associate dean of creative writing. "The SNHU online MFA was designed to make the MFA experience accessible to all fiction writers, opening the door to diverse voices excluded for too long from the literary conversation. MFA in Creative Writing › Antioch University Antioch University's low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program is devoted not only to the education of literary and dramatic artists but to community engagement and the pursuit of social justice. The program features one-on-one mentoring with a variety of successful publishing writers and includes instruction in craft, revision, and ... M.F.A. Creative Writing For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at: [email protected]. Department of English. University of Idaho. 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102. Moscow, ID 83844-1102. 208-885-6156. The Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at the University of Idaho is an intense, three-year course of study that focuses on the ... Free or Low-Cost American Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2024 Fellowships for Native American visual artists and writers are also available; these fellowships come with a stipend and an opportunity to present work publicly. There are two residency sessions per year, and except for Native American Fellowships, there is a $40 fee to apply. Cost: Free. Application Fee: $40. Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Low Residency) The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year co-educational low residency program designed for serious, independent writers seeking advanced instruction in poetry, fiction, young adult fiction, and creative nonfiction through a non-traditional course of graduate study. Converse University is home to the only low-residency MFA in SC. MFA Creative Writing Programs: Is Low Residency for You? MFA in creative writing is considered a "terminal degree" in creative writing, which means that you're allowed to teach at accredited MFA programs once you have a degree. Students complete most coursework online under the guidance of a series of mentors—typically a faculty member. During the twice annual "residency," an intensive 6 ... Free or Low-Cost Residency Programs from Around the World to Apply to The residency is free to attend and includes private bedroom and bath, private studio, roundtrip travel to and from the Dora Maar House, and a grant based on one's length of stay. Cost: Free. Application Fee: $25. Deadline: Applications open in February, ending in October. Program: Creative Writing, M.A. Requirements for the MA in Creative Writing (30 credit hour minimum) The Master of Arts in Creative Writing is a 30-credit, low-residency program in seven tracks, one of which will appear on the graduate's M.A. diploma: fiction / poetry / screenwriting / playwriting / creative nonfiction / publishing / spoken word. List of All U.S. Colleges with a Creative Writing Major I would write stories about princesses and my family dog, Gansett. When it came time to look at colleges, I was set on attending one with a strong creative writing program. Ultimately, I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. Today, colleges across the country offer creative writing as a major. A Writing Room: The New Marketplace Of Writer Classes ... Colleges expanded their writing programs and certifications, and writer retreats multiplied. Co-working and literary event spaces were established in major cities ( The Writers Room in New York ... case study cover letter presentation problem solving rewiew prompts websites tips