Low Res Creative Writing MFA Programs in the U.S.

Introduction to the Database of American MFA Programs in Creative Writing

2007-05-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

This website contains a database of Creative Writing MFA programs across the country that includes the following information for each program:

-name of institution
-the genres of specialization
-faculty roster
-length of the program
-tuition
-materials required of applicants and departments to which they should be sent
-deadline for fall admission (and spring admission, if applicable)
-financial aid options offered by the program
-program website

What is an MFA in Creative Writing?

The MFA in Creative Writing is called the terminal degree because it is the highest degree that one can possess in the field. Coupled with a good publications record, it can land you a job teaching creative writing at a college/university.

What’s the difference between Traditional and Low-Residency MFA’s?

In a Traditional MFA program, you would spend two or three years at a college or university, taking creative writing courses that culminate in a thesis. In a Low-Residency program, which usually lasts 4 semesters, you spend 7 to 14 days on campus (depending on the program) at the beginning of each semester, participating in intensive workshops; then you go back to your regular work life for the rest of the semester and correspond online with a faculty advisor (and sometimes your peers as well, depending on the program). Low-Residency MFA’s are usually for working adults who can’t interrupt their careers to earn the degree.

What are the subject areas defined below?

1) Location: Self-explanatory.

2) Program length: It's usually 4 semesters, but some Low-Res programs run on a yearly as opposed to a semesterly basis, and some require extra semesters for multiple genres of specialization or a special concentration (e.g. in translation).

3) Genres of focus: Usually a program only lets you concentrate in one genre. Poetry and Fiction are in virtually all the programs; genres such as Playwriting, Screenwriting and Creative Nonfiction are rarer, and are sometimes the focus of MFA programs that concentrate exclusively on one of those genres.

4) Faculty roster: When you apply to an MFA program, it is essential to find out whether it involves individuals that you want to be mentored by. In other words, read their stuff. There’s nothing worse than entering a program for its reputation only to find that you don’t care much for the work of anyone who teaches there—chances are, they won’t be your biggest fan either. Faculty rosters range from a couple of permanent instructors to a long list; I only include permanent faculty, as visiting faculty lists can deceive and disappoint, but it is always interesting to examine them, as it can give one an idea of the connections that can be established by participating in a certain program.

5) Tuition costs: There really is no way one can generalize tuition costs--not when a school in Alaska or Alabama charges less than two or three thousand per semester, while Columbia, Brown, and Cornell charge $35K, $34K, and $33K per annum. Keep in mind that the fourth field is labeled “tuition costs” and not “cost of attendance.” This is how much it will cost to get educated. It does not cover room and board, transportation, course expenses, health insurance, miscellaneous university fees, or personal expenses.

Low-Residency programs are an exception; I include the cost of both tuition and accommodation because you’re pretty much expected to board with your fellow writers—like a summer camp, only sometimes it’ll be winter and in Vermont!—and certain Low-Residency programs don’t even separate the cost of tuition from room and board.

6) Application materials and application deadline. It is unusual for all materials to be sent to either the graduate school admissions office or the department itself. For most programs, some (such as the application form and fee) must be sent to the admissions office, whereas others (usually the personal statement and writing portfolio) must be sent directly to the department for faculty evaluation. GRE scores, transcripts, and recommendations (of which 3 are often required, sometimes 2) can swing either way.

Certain programs may require additional materials apart from these usual seven, such as a resume or vitae, a critical writing sample, or a list of works that the applicant has read; you may also encounter things such as an idiot’s checklist of materials (that you must mail in as verification that they’re all there!), an application for reducing out-of-state tuition to resident tuition, a declaration that one has been immunized against a particular disease, a form that has something to do with a military draft, etc.—which you will no doubt run across for certain programs, though I’ve left them out so as not to sound ridiculously anal.

For your convenience, I have specified not only what is required for each program but what goes where; however, please do double-check, as some schools provide information that is either hard to dredge up or contradictory. The same goes for application deadlines: when in doubt, I always went for the earliest deadline. Most programs will not accept applicants in the spring.

7) For the moment, we’ll skip over the second-to-last field, financial aid, and on to the last: the department website. The links that I have provided will take you directly to the main page of each program, and you can either fiddle with the URL or use Google to get the home page of the institution.

8) Now let’s get to financial aid: the last and most important issue. I challenge you to find a database that states, in such detail, what financial aid packages are offered by each program and how much they are worth in terms of stipend value and tuition remission. This does not include financial aid options that are available to all students at all institutions—such as the FAFSA, Pell Grants and Stafford Loans from the government, independent scholarships, and any awards that the school in question might offer to graduate students. The financial aid section is dedicated solely to what financial aid packages are offered by each particular MFA.

Some will bluntly state that they offer fellowships (not tied to employment) or assistantships (in which one teaches undergraduate courses or helps a professor with research) in exchange for tuition waivers and stipends of a specified value to all accepted students: these are the best packages, but the institutions that offer them tend to accept only 8 to 14 applicants per year. Others will be vaguer about the percentage of students who get financial aid, and the amount of financial aid itself. Some will offer nothing but the defaults applicable in every case; most Low-Residencies are like this (though it’s perfectly understandable, since people only spend a week to two on campus at the beginning of each semester, then go back to their full-time jobs). In what other database would you find such straightforward answers to the all-important question: “Which programs are generous and which aren’t?”

If you are interested in financial aid, you must do your own research on the application procedures and materials for the options that apply to you. In the case of financial aid offered by the program itself, you might need to submit your admissions application earlier, include additional materials, or file a separate fellowship and/or assistantship application under a separate deadline.

Best of luck to everyone. Questions and comments regarding this blog can be addressed to amendoza@brynmawr.edu. And of course, the dedication: Publius Kirchwey, Jane-Circe, Libby, E. + C., Meg, Eileen, Kemp, Maggie, and the rest of the Mawrtyr muses.

AVM ’08

New England Programs (New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut)

2007-05-30T15:41:00.004-07:00

NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE
Location: Henniker, New Hampshire
Length: 4 semesters, each consisting of a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with a faculty mentor; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Poetry
Faculty: Chard deNiord, Jeff Friedman, Ross Gay, Judith Hall, Joan Larkin, Anne Marie Macari, Paula McLain, Jane Mead, Alicia Ostriker, Ira Sadoff, Anne Waldman, Michael Waters, Maxine Kumin, Gerald Stern
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program: $29 422. This includes the cost of residencies and tuition for the whole 5 residencies and 4 semesters.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Application for Admission—Graduate Program, $35 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, personal statement, manuscript, resume, critical essay re: poem by another author, and list of 10 most influential books; GRE not required
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling admissions basis for residencies in January and July
Financial Aid: Merit-based scholarships are awarded to incoming students on the basis of academic achievement or artistic accomplishment with consideration for financial need. These annually renewable awards vary from $1 K to the full cost of tuition.
Web address: http://www.nec.edu/grad/servlet/faqservlet?action=TreeACT&id=421&increment=Y&page_action=main

BENNINGTON COLLEGE
Location: Bennington, Vermont
Length: four semesters, each consisting of a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty member for rest of semester; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
Faculty: Martha Cooley, Elizabeth Cox, Amy Hempel, Sheila Kohler, Alica Mattison, Jill McCorkle, Askold Melnyczuk, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Virgil Suarez, April Bernard, Henri Cole, Amy Gerstler, Major Jackson, Timothy Liu, Ed Ochester, Liam Rector, Jason Shinder, Sven Birkerts, Tom Bissell, Susan Cheever, Philip Lopate, Bob Shacochis
Tuition per year: The annual fee (including 2 residencies) is $13 400. The final graduation residency is $550.
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Bennington College, Writing Seminars Office: MFA in Writing and Literature Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, 3 copies of essay re: “reading life,” 3 copies of writing sample; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Mar. (June residency); 15 Sept. (January residency)
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.bennington.edu/acad_grad_writ.asp

GODDARD COLLEGE
Location: Plainfield, Vermont
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with an 8-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty advisor
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Playwriting, Screenwriting, or Cross-Genre
Faculty: Deborah Brevoort, Rebecca Brown, Alex Chee, Jan Clausen, Kenny Fries, Beatrix Gates, Elene Georgiou, Neil Landau, Leslie Lee, Jeanne Mackin, Douglas A. Martin, Nicola Morris, Richard Panek, Rachel Pollack, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, Jacquelyn Reingold, Mariana Romo-Carmona, Sarah Schulman, Paul Selig, Alison Smith, Juliana Spahr, Darcey Steinke, Jane Wohl
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $6 495. Room and board per semester is $499.
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: MFA in Creative Writing Application for Admission (online version only), $20 application fee, 3 recommendations (sent directly from recommenders), transcript (sent directly from institution), personal statement, study plan including (“focus and goals,” and “methods of study”), preliminary bibliography of works to study, writing sample; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: Residencies take place in July (fall semester) and February (spring semester). Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but those received less than 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester will be deferred to the next.
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.goddard.edu/academic/MFAWplainfield.html

VERMONT COLLEGE (Program 1)
Location: Montpelier, Vermont
Length: 4 semesters, each consisting of 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty advisor and peers for rest of semester; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency; students who wish to do 2 subject areas or a secondary concentration in Translation complete 5 semesters and 6 residencies
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry; secondary concentration in Translation
Faculty: Laurie Alberts, Phyllis Barber, Abby Frucht, Douglas Glover, Philip Graham, Robin Hemley, David Jauss, Diane Lefer, Ellen Lesser, Christopher Noel, Pamela Painter, Sue William Silverman, Domenic Stansberry, Larry Sutin, Nance Van Winckel, Xu xi, Ralph Anger, Robin Behn, Nancy Eimers, Jody Gladding, Richard Jackson, William Olsen, Clare Rossini, Mary Ruefle, Natasha Saje, Betsy Sholl, Lesie Ullman, Roger Weingarten, David Wojahn, Suzanne Paola, Mark Cox
Length: 4 or 5 semesters
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $6 652. Room and board per semester is $432; final residency costs $595.
Application requirements: Submit to Office of Admissions: Application—MFA in Writing, $50 application fee, personal statement, critical essay, and manuscript. Submit to MFA in Writing Office: 2 recommendations and transcript. GRE not required.
Deadline: 1 Mar. (fall); 1 Sept. (spring)
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.tui.edu/mfaw

VERMONT COLLEGE (Program 2)
Location: Montpelier, Vermont
Length: 4 semesters, each consisting of 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty advisor and peers for rest of semester; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Juvenile/YA Fiction
Faculty: M.T. Anderson, Kathi Appelt, Marion Dane Bauer, Margaret Bechard, Carolyn Coman, Sharon Darrow, Louise Hawes, Ellen Howard, Liza Ketchum, Ron Koertge, Laura Kvasnosky, Ellen Levine, Alison McGhee, Norma Fox Mazer, Phyllis Root, Jane Resh Thomas, Tim Wynne-Jones
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $6 652. Room and board per semester is $432; final residency costs $595.
Application requirements: Submit to Office of Admissions: Application—MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, $50 application fee, personal statement (2 copies), critical essay (2 copies), and manuscript (2 copies). Submit to MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Office: 2 recommendations and transcript. GRE not required.
Deadline: 1 Mar. (fall); 1 Sept. (spring)
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.tui.edu/programs/masters_mfawc.asp

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE
Location: Portland, Maine
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty mentor for the rest of the semester; 4th semester concludes with a 5th and final graduation residency
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Joan Connor, Ray Gonzalez, Richard Hoffman, Barbara Hurd, Joyce Maynard, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Baron Wormser, Brad Barkley, Alan Davis, David Anthony Durham, Ann Hood, James Patrick Kelly, Clint McCown, Lesléa Newman, Lewis Robinson, Elizabeth Searle, Michael White, Theodore Deppe, Annie Finch, Jeffrey W. Harrison, Gray Jacobik, Charles Martin, Shara McCallum, Carol Moldaw, Dennis Nurkse, Timothy Seibles, Crystal Williams
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $4 990, plus a tuition cost of $425 for the final residency. There’s an additional $625 board cost per residency.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application Form (2 copies), $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, 2 transcripts, personal statement, writing sample; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Sept. (winter residency) and 1 Feb. (summer residency)
Financial Aid: The program offers 4 partial scholarships of unspecified value—Maine Resident, Cultural Diversity, Social Action, and Academic Merit. To apply for one or more of these, submit a scholarship application form specifying the scholarships you’re applying for and write a 500-word essay that describes how your credentials fit the nature of the scholarship(s). Deadline is 5 May.
Web address: http://www.usm.maine.edu/stonecoastmfa/index.html

LESLEY UNIVERSITY
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 10-day residency, followed by correspondence with a faculty mentor for the rest of the semester
Subject areas: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Children’s LiteratureFaculty: Stephen Cramer, Anne Bernays, Wayne Brown, Jane Brox, Teresa Cader, Rafael Campo, Pat Lowery Collins, David Elliott, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Tony Eprile, Laurie Foos, Indira Ganesan, Susan Goodman, Alexandra Johnson, Rachel Kadish, Hester Kaplan, Justin Kaplan, Michael Lowenthal, Rachel Manley, M. Elaine Mar, Cate Marvin, Kyoko Mori, Anita Riggio, Don Share, Christina Shea, Janet Sylvester, A.J. Verdelle
Tuition per year: Tuition is $6 500 per semester. For each residency, there is also an additional residency fee of $300 (tuition/coursework/activities) plus an accommodation fee of $350 (summer) or $500-$700 (winter).
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Admissions: Application for Graduate Admission, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, personal statement, 3 copies of writing sample; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Apr. for Fall semester (residency in June); 1 Oct. for Spring semester (residency in January)
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Your options include the usual defaults: filing a FAFSA for a need-based financial package; investigating federal loans, institutional grants, and private grants/scholarships; applying for on-campus employment. There are Graduate Assistants, but only for on-campus programs.
Web address: http://www.lesley.edu/gsass/creative_writing

WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: Danbury, Connecticut
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 1-week residency followed by correspondence with instructor and peers for rest of semester (but a student can take up to 8 semesters: if he/she doesn’t want to do the program in 4 consecutive semesters, he/she can pick 4 of 8 semesters since matriculation in which to complete it)
Subject areas: Students are taught the history, conventions, tone, and content of a number of “genres.” Basically, it teaches you how to write stuff that sells. Innovative, one-of-a-kind, and absolutely beneath contempt—at least in my view. But since it is unique, and since it is a member of the AWP, and since you might be interested in it, voilà.
Faculty: John P. Briggs, Brian Clements, Oscar De Los Santos, Edward Hagan, Shouhua Qi, James R. Scrimgeour, Abbey Zink
Tuition per year: Program is 60 credits at $408 per credit; in all, the degree should cost $24 480. Each residency costs $700.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Division of Graduate Studies: Application for Admission (Graduate Studies), Application for Admission (MFA in Professional Writing), genre and schedule questionnaire, $50 application fee, transcript, 5-page personal essay, portfolio, vitae; phone interview likely; recommendations not required but may be sent; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Just need-based aid from filing a FAFSA, plus federal grants and loans.
Web address: http://www.wcsu.edu/english/mfa

Eastern Programs (Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia)

2007-05-30T15:41:00.001-07:00

GOUCHER COLLEGE
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Length: 2 years, each beginning with a 2-week summer residency followed by correspondence with faculty mentor; 2nd year concludes with 3rd and final residency; students must also complete a 45-contract hour internship with a journal, magazine, newspaper, publishing house or web-based publisher—or work with a published writer, agent, or editor
Subject areas: Narrative Nonfiction, Personal Essay, Memoir, Literary Journalism, Travel/Nature/Science Writing, Biography/Profiles
Faculty: Thomas French, Diana Hume George, Philip Gerard, Kevin Kerrane, Suzannah Lessard, Joe Mackall, Leslie Rubinkowski, Richard Todd, Laura Wexler
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition is $620 per credit; degree is 36 credits—in all, it should cost $22 320. Each summer residency costs $67.50 per night, or $945 for 2 weeks.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies: MFA Creative Nonfiction Application for Admission, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, 3 copies of personal statement (should address expectations for the program, professional writing goals and interests, and reasons for seeking MFA degree in creative nonfiction), 3 copies of writing sample; GRE optional
Deadline: 23 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: At least the degree website is frank: “No program scholarships or teaching assistantships are currently available.” But that is not unusual for a low-residency degree.
Web address: http://www.goucher.edu/x1166.xml

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
Location: Madison, New Jersey
Length: Each year is divided into 4 “modules”--a module is a 10-week online course in a certain genre. Since the program is 2 years long, you will participate in 8 modules. There is also a 10-day residency every August and January; you are expected to participate in at least 3 residencies throughout the course of your program)
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Jeffery Renard Allen, Renée Ashley, Walter Cummins, David Daniel, Martin Donoff, Samantha Gillison, David Grand, Thomas E. Kennedy, René Steinke, William Zander, Linh Dinh, Victor Rangel-Ribeiro, Bino Realuyo
Tuition per year: The program cost is $2 822 per module—remember to multiply it by 8. This will also cover the cost of the 3 residencies.
Application materials: Submit to Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application, $40 application fee, and transcript. Contact the Director of the MFA in Creative Writing to request an application for the MFA (may include personal statement), and return it with 3 copies of a writing sample. Recommendations not mentioned; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Apr. (fall); 15 Sept. (spring)
Financial Aid: The department has not yet set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students, probably because this is a low-residency program. Which leaves you with the usual options: FAFSA, federal grant or loan, etc.
Web address: http://alpha.fdu.edu/becton/writeMFA/overview.html

HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Location: Roanoke, Virginia
Length: 3 to 5 summers to complete ten courses, thesis, and final examination
Subject areas: Juvenile/YA Fiction
Faculty: Amanda Cockrell, Michelle Ann Abate, Brian Attebery, Susan Campbelle Bartoletti, Rhonda Brock-Servais, Lisa Rowe Fraustino, Tina Hanlon, Hillary Homzie, Len Hatfield, Alexandria LaFaye, William Miller, Han Nolan, Julie Pfeiffer, Klaus Phillips, Ruth Sanderson, J.D. Stahl, Karen Adams Sulkin, Ann B. Sullivan, C.W. Sullivan III, Ernest Zulia
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition is $550 per credit; program is 48 credits. In all, the degree should cost $26 400. Housing for each 6-week summer term is $820.
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Graduate Center: Application for Graduate Admission, $40 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, manuscript; GRE optional
Deadline: 15 Feb. for the next summer
Financial Aid: It’s a low-residency degree, so you shouldn’t expect the department to have set up any assistantship or fellowship programs, but the degree website states that “Hollins may offer partial tuition remission to certain qualified students, and student loans are also available.”
Web address: http://www.hollins.edu/grad/eng_writing/eng_writing.htm

Southern Programs (Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee)

2007-05-30T15:40:00.003-07:00

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN COLLEGE DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Length: 3 summer residencies in Spain, France, and Italy plus online classes during spring and fall; program outline is 1st Summer, 1st Fall, 1st Spring, 2nd Summer, 2nd Fall, 2nd Spring, 3rd Summer
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting
Faculty: Fredrick Barton, Joseph Boyden, Amanda Boyden, Moira Crone, John Gery, Peter Gizzi, Rodger Kamenetz, Bill Lavender, Hank Lazer, Deborah Meadows, Dinty W. Moore, Christine Pountney, Michael Winter, John Gery, Kay Murphy, Susan Schultz
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program, which is $22 666. This includes residency and tuition costs for summer—fall & spring—summer—fall & spring—summer.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application for Admission, $40 application fee, GRE scores and transcript to Office of Admissions; submit Application to Low-Residency MFA Program, $25 application fee, 3 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript, statement of purpose, and portfolio to Low-Residency MFA Program
Deadline: 15 Feb. for the next summer
Financial Aid: Ambassador Awards are partial fee waivers solely for summer study. The amount and number of awards varies from year to year, but are normally valued from between $100-$250.
Web address: http://www.lowres.uno.edu/lowres.htm

QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Length: 4 semesters beginning with 7-day residency followed by online correspondence with instructor and 2-3 other students for rest of semester; 4th semester followed by 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Writing for Stage and Screen
Faculty: Fred Leebron, Jane Alison, Pinckney Benedict, Ann Cummins, Jonathan Dee, Daniel Jones, Helen Elaine Lee, Daniel Mueller, Naeem Murr, Jenny Offill, David Payne, Susan Perabo, Patricia Powell, Steven Rinehart, Elissa Schappell, Elizabeth Strout, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Abigail Thomas, Ashley Warlick, Cathy Smith Bowers, Cathy Park Hong, Major Jackson, Sally Keith, Rebecca McClanahan, James McKean, Alan Michael Parker, Robert Polito, Claudia Rankine, J.D. Dolan, Suzannah Lessard, Andrew Levy, Kathryn Rhett, Peter Stitt, Emily White, Khris Baxter, Brighde Mullins
Tuition per year: Tuition is $5 400 per semester, with a tuition cost of $1000 for 5th residency paid in installments of $500 each with tuition for 3rd and 4th semesters. For accommodation during each residency, it’s $25/night or $175 for the week (May residency); $55/night or $385 for the week (January residency).
Application materials: Submit all materials to MFA program: MFA Application Form, $45 application fee, recommendation, transcript, 2 copies of statement of purpose, 3 copies of portfolio; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Mar. (for May residency that begins Summer—Fall term); 15 Oct. (for January residency that begins Winter—Spring term)
Financial Aid: The department has not yet set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. On the program website, under the heading “Is financial aid available?” the only answer they give is the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.queens.edu/graduate/programs/creative_writing.asp

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty supervisor; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Joan Aleshire, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Stuart Dischell, Reginald Gibbons, Brooks Haxton, A. Van Jordan, Thomas Lux, Heather McHugh, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Alan Williamson, C. Dale Young, Dean Young, Andrea Barrett, Charles Baxter, Robert Boswell, Robert Cohen, Judy Doenges, David Haynes, C.J. Hribal, Kai Maristed, Grace Dane Mazur, Kevin McIlvoy, T.M. McNally, Steven Schwartz, Megan Staffel, Peter Turchi, Diana Wagman
Tuition per year: Tuition is $6 000 per semester, plus $475 for each residency.
Application materials: Submit all materials to MFA Program: MFA Application Form, $70 application fee, 2 recommendations (sent directly from recommenders), transcript (sent directly from institution), 2 essays (one “in response to some recently read piece of literature” and one “assessing your own writing, the reasons for wanting to enter the program, and a general sense of goals”), 3 copies of manuscript; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Sept. (winter semester); 1 Mar. (summer semester)
Financial Aid: Because it is a low residency program, there are no teaching/research assistantships. You have to turn to the FAFSA to get a need-based financial aid package, but minority students can submit a Holden Minority Scholarship application along with their FAFSA. This scholarship awards full tuition and fees for 4 semesters and 5 residencies to an outstanding entering student.
Admission rate: 10%-15%
Web address: http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~mfa/index.shtml

SEWANEE SCHOOL OF LETTERS in SEWANEE: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH
Location: Sewanee, Tennessee
Length: 4 or 5 summer sessions of coursework, each running for 6 weeks in early June to mid-July; during your final year, you will work on a thesis at home while corresponding with a faculty advisor
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Angus Fletcher, John Gatta, Andrew Hudgins, Erin McGraw
Tuition per year: $5 500 per summer session (includes both tuition and board)
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Sewanee School of Letters: Application for Admission (with personal statement a few sentences long detailing why you want to attend the SSL), $40 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, writing sample; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: Applications reviewed beginning 28 Feb. until entering class for next summer is filled
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.sewanee.edu/SL/SLDegreePrograms.htm

Midwest Programs (Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska)

2007-05-30T15:40:00.001-07:00

MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: Murray, Kentucky
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with mentor for the rest of the semester
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Brian Barker, Fred Haefele, Lynn Pruett, Philip Stephens, Leah Stewart, Squire Babcock, Ann Neelon, George Hovis
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $2839.50 (residents) or $7983.00 (non-residents). Students from Illinois and Indiana may qualify for tuition that is the same as Kentucky residents’, depending on their geographical area. Board for each residency will cost $150.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Graduate Admissions: Graduate Admission Application, $25 application fee, 2 recommendations (sent directly from recommenders), transcript (sent directly from institution), personal statement, and writing sample; GRE recommended but not required
Deadline: 15 May for study beginning with Summer Residency (fell on 14-23 July in 2006); 15 October for study beginning with Winter Residency (fell on 5-14 January in 2006)
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. You have to look into the university’s scholarships and on-campus employment, file a FAFSA for a need-based aid package, apply for a federal grant or loan, etc.
Web address: http://www.murraystate.edu/chfa/english/mfa

SPALDING UNIVERSITY
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 10-day intensive residency followed by correspondence with a faculty mentor for the rest of the semester; the 4th semester concludes with a 5th and final residency and graduation
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Writing for Children, Playwriting, Screenwriting
Faculty: Dianne Aprile, Rane Arroyo, Julie Brickman, Louella Bryant, Richard Cecil, K.L. Cook, Debra Kang Dean, Philip F. Deaver, Kathleen Driskell, Robert Finch, Connie May Fowler, Charles Gaines, Kirby Gann, Richard Goodman, Roy Hoffman, Silas House, Claudia Hunter Johnson, Robin Lippincott, Joyca McDonald, Cathleen Medwick, Maureen Morehead, Sena Jeter Naslund, Greg Pape, Molly Peacock, Candice Ransom, Eric Schmiedl, Charles Schulman, Jeanie Thompson, Neela Vaswani, Luke Wallin, Mary Yukari Waters, Brad Watson, Crystal Wilkinson, Sam Zalutsky
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $5 840. Accommodation per residency is $180-$700.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Graduate Admissions: Application for Graduate Admission, $30 application fee, application checklist form (asks you to list publications and prizes at the end), 2 recommendations, transcript, essay outlining applicant’s interest in writing (4 copies), and writing sample (4 copies); GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Jul. (Fall entry) or 1 Feb. (Spring entry)
Financial Aid: Merit- and need-based scholarships (some geared towards minorities, i.e. people of color) range from $500-$1 000. For students not in their first semester, several graduate assistantships are available, which result in tuition remission (the amount depending on the nature of the assistantship and the hourly commitment). An assistantship for a student who works 5 hours a week during the semester carries $1.2 K. Assistantships include editorial and administrative duties.
Web address: http://www.spalding.edu/content.aspx?id=1912&cid=686

HAMLINE UNIVERSITY
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with an 11-day residency followed by correspondence with advisor; last semester concludes with 5th and final graduation residency
Subject areas: Juvenile/YA Fiction
Faculty: Carolyn Coman, Kate DiCamillo, Liza Ketchum, Ron Koertge, Alexandria LaFaye, Alison McGhee, Marsha Qualey, Phyllis Root, Jane Resh Thomas, Marsha Wilson Chall
Tuition per year: Tuition is $5 800 per semester, plus a $2 000 tuition cost for the final residency. These costs do not cover accommodation—you must find your own.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Online application (application fee waived because it’s online), 2 recommendations, transcript (to be submitted directly from undergraduate institution), personal statement, writing sample; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Aug. (January admission), 1 Mar. (July admission)
Financial Aid: The department has not yet set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students, probably because this degree is new. The first residency was in January 2007. So you’re left with the FAFSA, federal loans, outside scholarships, etc.
Web address: http://www.hamline.edu/gls/academics/degree_programs/mfa_cl

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty mentor; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Pope Brock, David Carkeet, Richard Duggin, Beth Ann Fennelly, Charles Fort, Tom Franklin, Teri Youmans Grimm, Amy Hassinger, Patricia Henley, Art Homer, Ted Kooser, Steve Langlan, Patricia Lear, Anna Monardo, John Price, Richard Robbins, Catie Rosemurgy, Karen Gettert Shoemaker, William Trowbridge, Leigh Allison Wilson, Charles Wyatt
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $2 730.00 (residents) or $7177.50 (non-residents). Each residency costs an additional $1 000 (double room) to $1 400 (single room).
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application, $45 application fee, and 2 transcripts (mailed directly from institution) to Office of Graduate Studies; submit 3 recommendations (mailed directly from recommenders), statement of purpose, and portfolio to MFA program office; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Sept. (winter residency + spring semester); 15 Mar. (summer residency + fall semester)
Financial Aid: The department has not yet set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students, probably because this is a low-residency program. Which leaves you with the usual options: FAFSA, federal grant/loan, institutional scholarship, work-study, etc.
Web address: http://www.unomaha.edu/unmfaw

Northwest Programs (Washington, Oregon, Alaska)

2007-05-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

RAINIER WRITING WORKSHOP—PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
Location: Tacoma, Washington
Length: 3 years, each beginning with a 10-day summer residency followed by correspondence with faculty mentor throughout the rest of the year; 3rd year concludes with 4th and final residency; participants who already have an MA may be allowed to complete the program in 2 years and 3 residencies
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Stan Sanvel Rubin, Linda Bierds, Charles Bergman, Mary Clearman Blew, Fleda Brown, Sharon Bryan, Kevin Clark, Stephen Corey, Justin Cronin, Scott Ely, Greg Glazner, Albert Goldbarth, Lola Haskins, Robin Hemley, David Huddle, Judith Kitchen, Stephen Kuusisto, Susan Ludvigson, Kent Meyers, Brenda Miller, Ann Pancake, Lia Purpura, Marjorie Sandor, Peggy Shumaker, Sherry Simpson
Tuition per year: Cost is $7 250 per year for each of the 2 or 3 years spent in the program, plus a final residency at $1 700.
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application Form, $40 application fee, 2 recommendations (note: if one of the faculty members has agreed to vouch for the applicant, simply indicate that and he/she will be contacted), transcript (sent directly from institution), personal statement, review/critique of a book, and portfolio; GRE not required
Deadline: Nov. 30 (early action); Feb. 15 (regular admission). There will be ongoing consideration of applicants for remaining places, but when all places are filled, subsequent applicants will be considered for admission to the next year’s class.
Financial Aid: All that the program website states regarding financial aid is as follows: “Aid is available in the form of substantial student loans. There are also some limited scholarship and fellowship opportunities. Please contact us for further information at mfa@plu.edu.”
Web address: http://www.plu.edu/~mfa

SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
Location: Seattle, Washington
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with faculty mentor; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency; students who wish to study 2 genres will do 6 semesters and 7 residencies
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Gregory Wolfe, Robert Clark, Deborah Joy Corey, B.H. Fairchild, Leslie Leyland Fields, Paul Mariani, Sandra Scofield
Tuition per year: $11 040 per year for 2 or 3 years, plus $1 472 for final residency.
Application requirements: Submit all materials to the Graduate Center: Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations (“two should be focused on the applicant’s abilities as a writer” and “one should touch on the applicant’s academic achievements”—though I can’t see why all three shouldn’t do both!), transcript, personal statement, manuscript, and resume; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Oct. (March residency); 15. Feb (August residency)
Financial Aid: Because of its low-residency nature, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—you must turn to your friend the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.spu.edu/prospects/grad/academics/mfa/index.asp

WHIDBEY WRITERS WORKSHOP
Location: Langley, Washington
Length: 4 semesters, each beginning with 10-day residency followed by online correspondence with faculty and peers; 4th semester concludes with 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction (for both adults and children)
Faculty: Stephanie Bodeen, Christopher Howell, Kirby Larson, Lisa Dale Norton, Bruce Holland Rogers, Wayne Ude, David Wagoner, Carolyne L. Wright, Susan Zwinger
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $5 500. Each residency costs $400. Total cost of program (4 semesters, 5 residencies) is $24 000.
Application requirements: Send all materials to Whidbey Writers Workshop: MFA Program Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations (sent directly from recommenders), transcript (sent directly from institution), personal statement, manuscript (3 copies); GRE not required
Deadline: Applications are accepted at any time of the year, but may not be considered for the next term if they arrive later than 90 days before the beginning of that term (residencies are in August and January)
Financial Aid: There are no assistantships or fellowships to provide funds for graduate students, not only because this is a low-residency program, but because it is not even run in a school. The degree is offered but by a non-profit literary organization called the Whidbey Island Writers Association (WIWA). In this case, not even the FAFSA can help you. You might try taking out a loan from a financial institution or getting a scholarship from a private organization.
Web address: http://www.writeonwhidbey.com/mfa

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon
Length: four semesters, each beginning with a 10-day residency followed by correspondence with advisor for the rest of the semester; 4th semester concludes with a 5th and final residency
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
Faculty: Sandra Alcosser, Marvin Bell, Judy Blunt, Sharon Bryan, Claire Davis, Madeline DeFrees, Jack Driscoll, Debra Magpie Earling, Pete Fromm, William Kittredge, Elinor Langer, Dorianne Laux, Craig Lesley, David Long, Joseph Millar, Valerie Miner, John Rember, Pattiann Rogers, Peter Sears, Kathleen Tyau
Tuition per year: For each academic year, there’s $11 800 in tuition and $1 300 for two residencies. Allow $650 for the last residency.
Application materials: Submit all materials directly to the MFA Program in Writing. Materials to be submitted by the applicant: MFA in Writing Application, $50 application fee, personal essay, critical analysis of literary work, and manuscript. Materials to be submitted under separate cover: 2 recommendations (sent directly from recommenders), and transcript (sent directly from institution). GRE not mentioned.
Deadline: This program has semesters that start in June and January (rather unusual). Deadlines are 15 Mar. (June semester); 1 Oct. (Jan. semester)
Financial Aid: As is the trend amongst low-residency MFA’s, the department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students—seeing as you only spend 10 days per semester on campus. There is, however, still the FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.pacificu.edu/as/mfa/program/index.cfm

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
***This program has recently gone from a traditional residency to a low residency. Its website states that admission has been suspended—probably until they finish all aspects of the conversion and come up with the low res program’s faculty, applications criteria, etc.***
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Subject areas: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Drama for stage and screen
Faculty: The faculty page on the program website states: “This page is currently under construction. Please check back in September 2007 for an updated directory of MFA faculty.”
Length: 3 years, each beginning with a residency (length unspecified; they’re usually 1-2 weeks) followed by correspondence with faculty mentor for the rest of the year; 3rd year concludes with 4th and final residency.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition is $287 per credit (residents); $586 per credit (non-residents). Degree should cost approximately $13 K (residents); $26.5 K (non-residents).
Application materials: “Admission to the MFA Program has been suspended,” states the page on the program website that deals with “General information about the MFA Program.” Admission may remain suspended until they finish converting this program from a traditional residency to a low residency, and finish putting together a faculty.
Deadline: t.b.a. for when the program starts up again
Financial Aid: t.b.a. for when the program starts up again—although the problem with low residencies is that there are few to none graduate assistantships available, since everyone spends only 1-2 weeks on campus per semester; you will end up relying on the FAFSA.
Web address: http://cwla.uaa.alaska.edu/index.htm