Virginia
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Jennifer Atkinson, Sally Keith, Peter Klappert, Eric Pankey, Susan Tichy, Courtney Brkic, Alan Cheuse, Stephen Goodwin, Susan Richards Shreve, Beverly Lowry, Kyoko Mori
Length: At least 2 years, but of course TA’s are slowed down because of the reduced course load. TA’s who receive an appointment in their 1st year are assumed to have it through 3 full years required to complete the program.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition per credit is $282 (residents) or $715 (non-residents). Program is 48 credits, and should cost about $13.5 K (residents) or $34.5 (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Graduate Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $60 application fee, 2 recommendations, 2 transcripts, statement of purpose, portfolio, critical literary analysis; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 2 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: There’s a variety of awards for this one. (1) Heritage Writer: Each year, 1 MFA student is designated as the Heritage Writer and receives a $10 K stipend plus full tuition waiver. (2) Teaching Assistantships: 4-5 graduate teaching assistantships are open in each genre. TA’s earn a stipend of about $8 760 (more for students with an MA) plus their tuition is covered by the Writing Program. (3) Philip Graham Fellowships: for incoming creative writing students, these support the work of the strongest new students in each genre (though their values are not specified). (4) Thesis Fellows: positions that provide a stipend commensurate with TA stipends plus tuition waiver of $8 K to almost $10 K per year. (5) MFA Fellows: $10 K stipends, paid as $5 K each semester for an academic year; for students not simultaneously receiving another award; 2 positions available annually, one in fiction/creative nonfiction and one in poetry.
# of applicants per year: 300+
# of applicants accepted: 38 (15 Poetry, 15 Fiction, up to 8 Creative Nonfiction)
Web address: http://www.gmu.edu/acadexcel/findex.html (click on “Graduate and Professional Programs,” followed by “Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences”—then scroll down to click on “Creative Writing MFA”)
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting, Creative Nonfiction, Children’s Literature
Faculty: Jeanne Larsen, T.J. Anderson, R.H.W. Dillard, Cathryn Hankla, Wayne Johnston, Marilyn Moriarty, Julie Pfeiffer, Klaus Phillips, Eric Trethewey
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $24 K
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: 6 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Teaching fellowships are available 2nd year, but their conditions (stipend value, tuition remission) are not specified. Entering students can use
the FAFSA to apply for financial aid.
# of students accepted per year: 12
Web address: http://www.hollins.edu/grad/eng_writing/eng_writing.htm
OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Drama
Faculty: Luisa Carino Igloria, Michael Pearson, Janet Peery, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, Brian Silberman
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition is $285 per credit (residents) and $715 per credit (non-residents). Degree is 54 credits and should cost about $15.5 K (residents) or $38.5 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit to Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $40 application fee, 2 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript, statement of purpose, writing sample, resume. Submit to Department of English: duplicates of statement of purpose and writing sample.
Deadline: 15 Feb. if interested in financial aid; 1 Mar. otherwise. This only applies to fall admission. There is no spring admission.
Financial Aid: A limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available to MFA students. Assistantships are competitive and pay $10 K per year. Out-of-state students with assistantships are eligible for tuition unfunded scholarships [not sure what that is; probably a reduction to resident tuition], and all graduate assistants may be eligible for tuition grants.
Enrollment: 25-35 per semester
Web address: http://al.odu.edu/mfacw
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Ann Beattie, Sydney Blair, John Casey, Rita Dove, Deborah Eisenberg, Jeb Livingood, Debra Nystrom, Gregory Orr, Lisa Russ Spaar, Christopher Tilghman, Charles Wright
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $7.5 (residents), $14.5 (non-residents)
Application requirements: Submit Graduate Application with statement of purpose, $60 application fee, at least 2 recommendations, GRE scores, and transcript to Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Submit manuscript to Department of English.
Deadline: 2 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: In recent years, all admitted students have received either a Henry Hoyns or Poe/Faulkner Fellowship in their first year, which covers tuition costs and allows for a stipend (value not specified). Furthermore, in recent years, all students have received an instructorship during their second year; conditions for these instructorships (tuition remission, stipend value) are not specified—nevertheless, the program’s tuition rates are extremely competitive.
Web address: http://www.engl.virginia.edu/cwp
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Laura Browder, Susann Cokal, Tom De Haven, Gregory Donovan, Clint McCown, Gary Sange, David Wojahn
Length: 3 years for most students; may be 2 for those who enter with an MA in English or previous graduate coursework, or do not hold teaching assistantships
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $3.5 K (residents) or $8 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript and personal statement to School of Graduate Studies; submit portfolio to Department of English
Deadline: 15 Jan. for students interested in fellowships; 1 Feb. otherwise. This is for fall—there are no spring admissions.
Financial Aid: Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis, cover the cost of tuition and provide a stipend of about $10 K per year. The MFA program awards a number of fellowships each year to outstanding new students in fiction and poetry; these fellowships cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a $6.5 stipend per semester. 2nd-year fiction students are eligible for the David Baldacci Fiction Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition and provides a stipend equal to that of a teaching assistantship. The School of Graduate Studies offers 1-year fellowships on a competitive basis for MFA/MA students who have completed all program requirements but their thesis; these cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a $13 K stipend for their final year.
Web address: http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/graduate/mfa.htm
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting
Faculty: Fred D’Aguiar, Ed Falco, Nikki Giovanni, Bob Hicok, Jeff Mann, Lucinda Roy, Katherine Soniat
Length: Graduate students take 9-12 credits per semester; program is 48 credits. It should take 2-3 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $3.5 K (residents) or $6 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit to Graduate School Admissions: Graduate Application (includes personal statement and resume; detach the personal statement and submit it to the Department of English instead), $45 application fee, transcript; submit to Department of English: 3 recommendations, GRE scores, GRE English subject test scores (optional), transcript, portfolio, “publications, awards, and profession record”
Deadline: Fall admission only. The English Department starts to review applications in early February, but they will continue reviewing applications through the spring and until classes are full. The graduate school prefers to receive admissions in mid-December. The earlier you apply, the better, especially if you’re interested in financial aid.
Financial Aid: 8 students each year receive Alfred Knobler Scholarships in their 1st semesters (value not specified). In subsequent semesters, they will be offered graduate teaching assistantships; the conditions for these (stipend value, tuition remission) are not specified.
Web address: http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/graduate/mfa.htm
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Jennifer Atkinson, Sally Keith, Peter Klappert, Eric Pankey, Susan Tichy, Courtney Brkic, Alan Cheuse, Stephen Goodwin, Susan Richards Shreve, Beverly Lowry, Kyoko Mori
Length: At least 2 years, but of course TA’s are slowed down because of the reduced course load. TA’s who receive an appointment in their 1st year are assumed to have it through 3 full years required to complete the program.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition per credit is $282 (residents) or $715 (non-residents). Program is 48 credits, and should cost about $13.5 K (residents) or $34.5 (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit all materials to Graduate Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $60 application fee, 2 recommendations, 2 transcripts, statement of purpose, portfolio, critical literary analysis; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 2 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: There’s a variety of awards for this one. (1) Heritage Writer: Each year, 1 MFA student is designated as the Heritage Writer and receives a $10 K stipend plus full tuition waiver. (2) Teaching Assistantships: 4-5 graduate teaching assistantships are open in each genre. TA’s earn a stipend of about $8 760 (more for students with an MA) plus their tuition is covered by the Writing Program. (3) Philip Graham Fellowships: for incoming creative writing students, these support the work of the strongest new students in each genre (though their values are not specified). (4) Thesis Fellows: positions that provide a stipend commensurate with TA stipends plus tuition waiver of $8 K to almost $10 K per year. (5) MFA Fellows: $10 K stipends, paid as $5 K each semester for an academic year; for students not simultaneously receiving another award; 2 positions available annually, one in fiction/creative nonfiction and one in poetry.
# of applicants per year: 300+
# of applicants accepted: 38 (15 Poetry, 15 Fiction, up to 8 Creative Nonfiction)
Web address: http://www.gmu.edu/acadexcel/findex.html (click on “Graduate and Professional Programs,” followed by “Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences”—then scroll down to click on “Creative Writing MFA”)
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting, Creative Nonfiction, Children’s Literature
Faculty: Jeanne Larsen, T.J. Anderson, R.H.W. Dillard, Cathryn Hankla, Wayne Johnston, Marilyn Moriarty, Julie Pfeiffer, Klaus Phillips, Eric Trethewey
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $24 K
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: 6 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Teaching fellowships are available 2nd year, but their conditions (stipend value, tuition remission) are not specified. Entering students can use
the FAFSA to apply for financial aid.
# of students accepted per year: 12
Web address: http://www.hollins.edu/grad/eng_writing/eng_writing.htm
OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Drama
Faculty: Luisa Carino Igloria, Michael Pearson, Janet Peery, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, Brian Silberman
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition is $285 per credit (residents) and $715 per credit (non-residents). Degree is 54 credits and should cost about $15.5 K (residents) or $38.5 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit to Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $40 application fee, 2 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript, statement of purpose, writing sample, resume. Submit to Department of English: duplicates of statement of purpose and writing sample.
Deadline: 15 Feb. if interested in financial aid; 1 Mar. otherwise. This only applies to fall admission. There is no spring admission.
Financial Aid: A limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available to MFA students. Assistantships are competitive and pay $10 K per year. Out-of-state students with assistantships are eligible for tuition unfunded scholarships [not sure what that is; probably a reduction to resident tuition], and all graduate assistants may be eligible for tuition grants.
Enrollment: 25-35 per semester
Web address: http://al.odu.edu/mfacw
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Ann Beattie, Sydney Blair, John Casey, Rita Dove, Deborah Eisenberg, Jeb Livingood, Debra Nystrom, Gregory Orr, Lisa Russ Spaar, Christopher Tilghman, Charles Wright
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $7.5 (residents), $14.5 (non-residents)
Application requirements: Submit Graduate Application with statement of purpose, $60 application fee, at least 2 recommendations, GRE scores, and transcript to Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Submit manuscript to Department of English.
Deadline: 2 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: In recent years, all admitted students have received either a Henry Hoyns or Poe/Faulkner Fellowship in their first year, which covers tuition costs and allows for a stipend (value not specified). Furthermore, in recent years, all students have received an instructorship during their second year; conditions for these instructorships (tuition remission, stipend value) are not specified—nevertheless, the program’s tuition rates are extremely competitive.
Web address: http://www.engl.virginia.edu/cwp
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Laura Browder, Susann Cokal, Tom De Haven, Gregory Donovan, Clint McCown, Gary Sange, David Wojahn
Length: 3 years for most students; may be 2 for those who enter with an MA in English or previous graduate coursework, or do not hold teaching assistantships
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $3.5 K (residents) or $8 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript and personal statement to School of Graduate Studies; submit portfolio to Department of English
Deadline: 15 Jan. for students interested in fellowships; 1 Feb. otherwise. This is for fall—there are no spring admissions.
Financial Aid: Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis, cover the cost of tuition and provide a stipend of about $10 K per year. The MFA program awards a number of fellowships each year to outstanding new students in fiction and poetry; these fellowships cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a $6.5 stipend per semester. 2nd-year fiction students are eligible for the David Baldacci Fiction Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition and provides a stipend equal to that of a teaching assistantship. The School of Graduate Studies offers 1-year fellowships on a competitive basis for MFA/MA students who have completed all program requirements but their thesis; these cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a $13 K stipend for their final year.
Web address: http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/graduate/mfa.htm
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting
Faculty: Fred D’Aguiar, Ed Falco, Nikki Giovanni, Bob Hicok, Jeff Mann, Lucinda Roy, Katherine Soniat
Length: Graduate students take 9-12 credits per semester; program is 48 credits. It should take 2-3 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition per semester is $3.5 K (residents) or $6 K (non-residents).
Application requirements: Submit to Graduate School Admissions: Graduate Application (includes personal statement and resume; detach the personal statement and submit it to the Department of English instead), $45 application fee, transcript; submit to Department of English: 3 recommendations, GRE scores, GRE English subject test scores (optional), transcript, portfolio, “publications, awards, and profession record”
Deadline: Fall admission only. The English Department starts to review applications in early February, but they will continue reviewing applications through the spring and until classes are full. The graduate school prefers to receive admissions in mid-December. The earlier you apply, the better, especially if you’re interested in financial aid.
Financial Aid: 8 students each year receive Alfred Knobler Scholarships in their 1st semesters (value not specified). In subsequent semesters, they will be offered graduate teaching assistantships; the conditions for these (stipend value, tuition remission) are not specified.
Web address: http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/graduate/mfa.htm
posted by Anna at 6:21 PM
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