crenshi

I think we need some editing here. It's true that rankings are largely nonsense (better to take the hard data stuff seriously--fellowship placement, stipend amount, etc) but a couple things seem incomplete or off. Johns Hopkins has a stipend larger than 20 in many cases, I think, but mileage seems to vary. The Southern Illinois inclusion in a list of 'most prestigious programs' is pretty darn baffling. It's a solid school, but not really top 5 in anything, including rep. That said, they're more than good enough to be worth applying to. Cornell really should be at or near the top given the stature of its recent grads, but the problem is that Carbondale really isn't a household name. UVA, for instance, is probably not Iowa-calibre, but they have a hell of a list of alumni and recent alumni accomplishments. I can't really say the same for Carbondale, though they seem to produce solid work, and I doubt it's a terribly recognizable name to anyone other than current MFA applicants. This is the issue with ranking things like prestige. When people are arbitrary with subjective categories they're baffling to others. Stonecoast also has an MFA with a concentration in popular fiction if genre is your thing.

Agree on the full residency comment, but if you're determined to stay in your home country, some things to keep in mind: Low-residencies are usually a little less competitive on admissions, but they also have far worse funding. I'm told a couple of schools offer some full-rides (I think New England College even offers an online TAship to some admits) but generally if you're doing a low-residency, you'll need to pay tuition. In terms of reputation, Warren Wilson seems to have the largest following. I'm told Bennington is quite good, and of course Oxford has a great low-res. Again, funding is limited and varies. I'm not a low-res person, so this is a little out of my comfort zone, but I do know a little bit. Payment of tuition varies by the school. Some will let you work out a payment plan, others will make you pay a small amount to reserve a slot and then a huge chunk all at ones. In my experiences the bursar departments always have some flexibility available, so it's best to just ask if you're accepted somewhere.