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It's a new season for applying MFA! I didn't find a post about 2018 programs so I started one here. Any thoughts/questions are welcomed to discuss together. I just started to consider applying MFA in creative writing for the next year, but immediately overwhelmed by the numbers of schools provided such programs. I feel I have difficulties in narrowing down to under 5. My current question: is it totally ok to ask recommendation letters for maybe about 6-8 schools? Both professors I'm about to ask help I haven't talked with like almost a year... Feel very burdened to ask help if I'm about to ask his letters go for 8 schools. Thanks.

Hi All! I'm new to this forum and am an aspiring candidate to an MFA program. The problem is, I don't know which one or what to look for! I'm sure there are a million of these threads and everyone has a different story. I'm just trying to get some guidance for my particular scenario. I'm finishing my BA as a non-traditional student. My educational background was studio art, but this year I H ad to switch to a Graphic Design program and will be finishing in that program. So, my BA will be in graphic design but I want to get into an MFA studio art program - this is where my focus is even today while I'm finishing my BA degree. So, I don't have a large body of work and this is something I'll be working on over the next few months. So, first - as an online student who is working on entering a program outside of their final degree program, are there any resources for helping me to build a portfolio? Peer groups or anything? Are there programs that might be more appropriate for me than others based on my situation? My primary focus is drawing/painting and encaustic painting (using mixed media interdisciplinary). Is there a list of mixed media/interdisciplinary MFA programs across the US? To be honest (except maybe NYC), I'm open to almost anywhere. Just looking for a good program where I can learn and grow. Any guidance you can provide for me? Thanks in advance and have a great day! Phil

MFA application opened up this month!!! Who's ready for 2018 freak-out forum?

Has anyone researched German University MFA programs? I have been on many of their website but can't find information on how to apply for their MFA programs.

Hey folks! I just cracked my knuckles this morning, and decided to get started on my 2018 grad school apps. I didn't apply last year because I was opening a show early February and couldn't manage the workload, but applied for fall 2016 to Yale, Brown, Columbia, Calarts, and CMU. Got interviews with Brown, Calarts, and CMU. This year, I'm currently considering Columbia, Brown, UCSD, UW, Northwestern, Yale, and CalArts. Other schools that seem interesting, but I'm not sure about applying to: UMass Amherst, Penn State, UT Austin, DePaul So what's up with you?

Hello all, Starting the forum a little early this year. May the MFA gods be with us!

Hi, I'm applying for furniture design and applied craft MFAs and am wondering if anyone has an idea of the acceptance rates at some of these places, or has attended any of the below schools and could shed some light on how difficult it is to get in? PNCA, Cranbrook, VCU, OCAC, SCAD Thanks! Sally

Let's do this.

Hi. I applied CCA, SFAI only two schools and I got accepted in CCA and SFAI both in MFA Film. Please read my stupid history and help me out guys I have bachelor's degree in Fine Art Painting outside of US, however, my portfolios are kind of filled with videos. I wanted to go for MFA in film so that I can have the opportunity to deeply engage in video/film field and stuff, but anyways I think I want to make videos in the context of art, not like getting into a film industry as a part... I should have done research about more schools carefully cause I kind of wasted last fall - winter time to prepare for admissions for Fall 2017 because I was confused if I wanted to go for this or not....like I was lack of self confidence. I was ready for applying Hunter Integrated Media Arts(IMA), CalArts Experimental Animation and UCLA Film but I just didn't submit applications last winter... So when I decided to go for MFA it was already March and I had no choice but those schools to apply for this Fall cause their deadlines were like end of March. Now that I got into both schools and CCA's offering me 20% tuition scholarship, I'm considering going for CCA maybe but I'm still confused...Now I'm thinking of going CCA only for a year and then apply for Hunter IMA next year...or just not going for MFA this year and looking for some residencies - if possible - until I apply for Hunter and other schools next year. I mean I researched some vimeos and everything about CCA and SFAI and I have this feeling that both are not the exact schools that matches my work...or the works I want to do... What do you guys think, what's the best to do? I really thought too much of all the options that I cannot think rationally anymore!!!! And do I have to pay back the scholarship if I don't register the second year? Seriously I'm kind of lack of basic infos about US schools... Please help me outtttt!!! I'm freaking out. Thanks a lot.

Hello, I know the forum doesn't have much activity during this time of the year, however I am getting all my things together early/researching as much as I can due to my limitation of not being able to travel. I'm planning on applying this upcoming fall to a few different programs, mainly with a painting focus. My question is for those of you who were accepted last year and have had a semester at your program can you give more insight? Getting most up to date information is important, rather than reading from experiences from lets say 2012. I'm interested in hearing everyones opinions, but the schools I'm interested in are: Hunter Yale Iowa Rutgers SUNY Purchase Tyler Minnesota Portland State Cheers!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to know if anyone else is planning on going to (or has accepted an offer from) Minnesota State University, Mankato. I'll be attending starting this fall as an MFA grad student (with a focus in creative nonfiction). I'll also be working as a teacher through my assistantship. I'd love to meet some other people who are going to MSU (or are already attending)!

Hello Aspiring Art Students, I am a long time follower of this forum - it helped me immensely when I was applying to grad schools myself. I have been perusing some of these recent threads, and a lot of you seem to have many unanswered questions about how this all works - and "this" can encompass many things. I work in art academia currently, and I will be the first to admit that the grad school application process is mystifying while pertinent information is often elusive. I struggled with this exact problem during my time looking at grad schools. But having now been through the process myself, I have learned some (but not all) answers. Being a professor currently, it is really disheartening to see just how many aspiring students, who do good work, get lost in this process. While I sincerely do want to help, it would be way too much for me to respond to each of these questions individually. Yet, after seeing what some of you are asking and the confusion within, I am wondering if some of you would be interested in some one-on-one consulting, via email or the like. It would be simply too overwhelming to take this on as something casual - and usually, this is what professors get paid to do, in addition to just teaching during the semester. What I can offer you, so that it does not become too insane, is this (and I realize this sounds kind of skeezy to post on a forum, but bear with me): For, let's say, $20 I can offer all y'all any of the following: Provide standard paragraph sized answers to four general questions about this whole perplexing process, or For an hour's time, I will look over your portfolio and help you narrow down choices of what to include, give advice, etc, or I will do one round of reading and editing one document you may have questions about; this can be your statement, letter of intent, a CV, etc - whichever one of these you think you may need help with the most, or if there is any other reasonable thing that you may need help with, I can look into that as well, or If you happen to be in the same geographic location as I am, I would be happy to meet face to face for an hour's time. I'd also possibly be open to doing an hour of Skype if absolutely warranted - though I sincerely believe Skype is terrible and should not be used in the admissions process, but I digress. Here's a little about me to just let you know I am not just some crackpot without any clout: When I was applying to grad schools, I applied to fifteen schools and got into seven; four of those schools offered me significant financial aid, if not a fully funded MFA, I went to a top tier MFA program in the New York City area, I have been accepted into several residencies, including Vermont Studio Center, I have shown internationally, I have been published, I have been teaching for just about 3 full years now; I have taught at two research 1's, a small liberal arts college, and a community college, (and if you do not know the difference between a R1 and a SLAC, you need to before you send out applications), This past semester I helped one of my students get into a competitive international study abroad program at a top international school doing the same thing I am offering here, I have connected some of my students to various institutions for residencies, jobs, etc - I have provided them face-time with very successful artists, I have been paid to give professional practices presentations to classes, I myself have been awarded an upcoming year long, fully funded residency where three slots are awarded out of over two hundred and fifty applications. My personal work is mostly focused in installation, photography, performance and new media. I do not paint - though I went to a really painting heavy program and can offer some insight in that regard. So, you know, I am not trying to prove my worth here, but I do have an idea of what I am talking about. And look, for all that, there is PLENTY I have been rejected from or failed at (which is something we can talk about also). I also obviously cannot promise you that you will get into Yale based on talking to me, or any other specific program. But, if any of you need help navigating all of this, I actually would like to help in a way that I can. If any of you need help and are interested, please feel free to send me a private message - we can go from there as to what you might need and how to achieve it. And feel free to ask any logistical questions about anything I did not cover here. I should also mention that my focus in my work is not necessarily solely commercial - I am much more personally interested in contributing to discourse than I am in doing the gallery circuits. I say this because if your dream is to be Anslem Kiefer or Takashi Murikami and show at Gagosian and only make art to make oodles of money, I will probably be not the best person to talk to. I can give you insights about the various gallery scenes, but that is not where my focus is. In the meantime, good luck to all of you! Believe me, I know how hard it is out there - if something does not happen for you, please do not get discouraged. Though this sucks to always hear, rejection really is just a part of the process. Also, be diligent to really look through this forum and the past years of postings - there is some really valuable information in these threads if you take the time to search through them. One more thing: be sure to check out The Professor is In - Karen Kelsky is not arts based, but she offers a wealth of fantastic general academic information. Edit: Tell you what, let's do this - the first three people to ask me something on this thread, I will respond to the best of my ability. Be sure to ask something general or not so specific that it cannot relate to anyone else besides yourself.

I thought I'd start a thread for those applying to MFA Nonfiction programs, as I didn't see one. I'm currently trying to wrap up my writing sample and letters of intent. I think I have my final list of schools down. My writing sample is not memoir, which may or may not be risky. I'm hoping to be mostly done with things by the time Fall semester starts. I'm fine with doing edits during the semester but don't want to be scrambling with large-scale changes. I'd like to keep this thread positive-minded. Who is applying for MFA Nonfiction programs? And how is preparation going?

Is anyone going to apply for spring admission? Why not fall? and... are you expecting to get pretty much no funding from the school(s), then?

Hi all, I have been on here before but it was a while back. I have bounced back and forth between two undergrad programs 100 miles apart and got most of the training in one school. 1. I have major sanity/safety/housing issues as I'm in that location now, and do not think I can stay here to complete 14 last credits. 2. The other school is the one I'd consider in the same state for an MFA in Studio Art if I were to choose to stay at all(I want to go to CAL State in a perfect world). *I'm in OR. Does anyone have experience with being just shy of a second BA for the new study subject and applying for grad schools? I literally am now out of undergrad aid as of this term. I may be able next fall to squeeze out two more courses that are very germane to my grad school goals/focus and the Cal State Modern/Contemporary Art History Req. Do grad schools look down on you or is it a significant limitation for me to almost have a second BA(so it's pretty nearly negligible). I mean as far as Cal State schools, I think it might be short 6-9 semester credits as compared to their requirements as an equivalency for and Art BA. It's beg. Ceramics and a couple of other odd ball non-studio courses if I remember right that their degree has as compared to my current hrs. standing in OR.

Hello all! Longtime lurker, first time poster. Is anyone else here going out for any Theatre/Arts Management/Administration masters? This is my first year applying for grad schools so I really just dipped my toes in the water to test it out, though the eternal pessimist in me is telling me to not expect much this year. Most of my deadlines were at the beginning of January, so I know we still have a while to wait, but it's definitely difficult! Does anyone else have any stories/anecdotes/updates/etc., or just want to chat about the process? Best of luck to all!

Hey all, I'm writhing in the end throes of application-cycle purgatory over here and was hoping for a little bit of advice. (Going for an MFA in Creative Writing - Fiction.) I've been accepted to Northwestern's MFA program so far. However, it's a part-time program, which means funding is limited or nonexistent. The part-time thing isn't really a deal-breaker for me; I was planning on working during school anyway, so in that sense it might be a good fit for me. I am worried, though that I won't get the full MFA experience that I'm looking for. I'm also not opposed to taking out more loans, but I'd rather avoid those to the extent that it's possible. I'm considering deferring til next cycle to apply again and hopefully make it into something full-time with more funding. I guess I'm looking for advice/guidance on full-time vs part-time programs, insights on Northwestern's program in particular, and information about alternative sources of funding (such as private scholarships/grants). To complicate the situation even more, I'm still waiting for an admission decision from the University of Washington in Seattle. I'm thinking that the fact that I haven't heard anything this late in the game probably means a rejection, but still...

Hey all, I'm writhing in the end throes of application-cycle purgatory over here and was hoping for a little bit of advice. (Going for an MFA in Creative Writing - Fiction.) I've been accepted to Northwestern's MFA program so far. However, it's a part-time program, which means funding is limited or nonexistent. The part-time thing isn't really a deal-breaker for me; I was planning on working during school anyway, so in that sense it might be a good fit for me. I am worried, though that I won't get the full MFA experience that I'm looking for. I'm also not opposed to taking out more loans, but I'd rather avoid those to the extent that it's possible. I'm considering deferring til next cycle to apply again and hopefully make it into something full-time with more funding. I guess I'm looking for advice/guidance on full-time vs part-time programs, insights on Northwestern's program in particular, and information about alternative sources of funding (such as private scholarships/grants). To complicate the situation even more, I'm still waiting for an admission decision from the University of Washington in Seattle. I'm thinking that the fact that I haven't heard anything this late in the game probably means a rejection, but still...

Hi, I'm new to this page and also to the grad school search. I graduated in 2015 and have been working and showing since then, not as much as I would like but you live and you learn and time passes quickly. Anyway, I am starting to look into schools to get ready to visit in the coming year and apply the year after that (I have a great studio space where i'm living promised to me for the next 2 years hence the time line). I'm also going to apply for residencies and I imagine that will help hone my intent and my search for schools, but in the meantime I figured I'd better start. One thing I know is that I am not an expert in any particular medium. I got my degree in printmaking and I'm probably most skilled in drawing first, printmaking second, but my work has been installation that incorporates different ways of working. I also went to alfred for ceramics for a short period. I know I want a fairly open, not too technically based program (for instance I like using ceramics in my work, would like access to that, but I wouldn't want to go somewhere where they focus on in depth technical knowledge of the material). I've also considered starting out in printmaking or drawing/painting and just expanding once I get into the program. Or getting a degree in something so I can teach it but also being able to make the kind of work I want to make while I'm there. I'm wondering if anyone knows of good schools that are very open to that fluidity of focus. Either schools whose programs are inherently interdisciplinary or whose programs aren't too rigid. I'm also pretty sure I can only manage to go somewhere that is fully funded/ can give me a stipend as a t.a.? which I understand requires me upping my game to even be considered. a city is a plus. so obviously I'm looking for a unicorn of a school.

Is anyone applying to VCU for an MFA in Interior Design? An announcement was posted that all applicants were supposed to hear during the week of March 20th, and when I called that week, they said letters were already sent. But then I emailed the head of the department and she said " they are being sent in the near future"? I'm getting really anxious now and Im curious if anyone has heard back for the Fall 2017!

Hey everyone, I've been accepted into two programs, MassArt's Film/Video and RISD's Digital + Media program. I've been swayed by the so-called elitism of RISD but also by the students' ways of doing and their approaches to dense subject matter in the digital world. MassArt just feels good because the departments brand of teaching is something that I resonate with due to it being very similar to one of my favorite professors in undergrad. MassArt will be roughly $15-20k cheaper per year than RISD, all things considered. Location and housing is a huge factor too because I have a small dog, and my partner and I will be moving in together. I want to make this transition easier for them as well. I don't know what having a dog in Boston is like vs. having all that green green nature near the RISD and Brown campuses. We will be splitting the rent and I want it to be easy on my partner, and because of this Providence seems to more appealing due to it's low cost of living, but perhaps there is more money to be made in Boston. What do y'all think?? I have to let RISD know by the end of the week if I'm in.

Long story short, I've been accepted to a chunk of the schools I've applied to for a Creative Writing MFA. I'm most interested in Eastern Washington U, Stony Brook, UNC Greensboro, and Old Dominion (and I'm waiting to hear back from NC State). Of the four, Stony Brook is the only one not offering an assistantship. The others are waiving tuition and providing a stipend if I choose to attend. Old Dominion is offering a fellowship (Perry Morgan Fellowship), but it's a three year program and the school seems to rank fairly low on lists, though I'm not sure what that would mean for an MFA program (it otherwise looks pretty good). Does anyone have any advice or experience in choosing between those programs? Are any of them clearly superior to the others in terms of academics and professors? What should I look for in choosing the best among the English MFA programs? On talking to students and professors working at those places, I'm not getting a distinct feel for the advantages or what makes those programs attractive compared to others. What questions should I ask, what signs are there that a program is desirable or should be avoided? What metrics, if any, can I use to measure the effectiveness of these programs? (My goals for the program are probably fairly typical--time to practice and perfect writing, study the craft, etc. I plan on studying fiction, with the end goal of publishing novels (as opposed to entering academia). I have experience as a copy-editor, and I can at the very least round out my portfolio with work at a journal to speed my progression in that field so that I'll have regular work to support myself with after graduate school. I don't plan on pursuing a PhD.)

Hey yall! So I got good news for my MFA poetry applications-- I'm a Berkeley local and applied to SFSU's MFA program as well as CCA's MFA and got into both! I am having a lot of trouble figuring out what I should do. I'd appreciate as much advice as possible! Right now I'm thinking about these things: SFSU: is a LOT cheaper, and I'm getting a scholarship for the first semester; amazing staff; offers teaching certification included with degree; is located kind of far away so commuting will be a pain depending on how many days a week I am actually on campus [tuition is approx 7k per year] CCA: private art school; offering me a more prestigious array of scholarships even though it will still end up more expensive than SFSU; no teaching certification; amazing campus, but i'll be surrounded by people who are mostly willing or able to dive into an insanely high tuition and idk how comfortable id feel being in that environment as a low income person of color [tuition is approx 40k per year, but i would basically be receiving 70% of my tuition covered] I've also been traveling all month for academic events and its made it super hard to organize the pros and cons of each. Basically floundering a little!!! Thank you in advance <3

So I'm a little torn on applications this year, as I really would like to stay in my current area (So Cal) and am extremely interested in two different programs at two institutions, USC (Creative Writing PhD and Comp. Media and Culture, Track I) and Irvine (Poetry MFA, where I was waitlisted in a previous cycle, but their Culture and Theory program is also so excellent and very suited to my research interests.) I realize these programs are different and I enjoy different kinds of writing. My own poetic work is deeply informed by my research interests. My poetic practice thrived most while I was immersed in high-level theory-saturated courses as an undergrad — and I honestly enjoy writing papers as well as poems, reported essays, and other things. If I did an MFA, I would certainly seek out the chance to take classes outside the creative writing dept suited to those interests. To boot, these programs are all quite competitive, and while I intend to apply to a few programs elsewhere that I'm particularly excited about, I'd frankly prefer not to move unless it's for my *dream school*. Is it taboo to apply to two programs from the same school? If not or not necessarily, should I acknowledge that I am doing so in statements? Does it just come off too thirsty? Do I have to choose?

Hi everyone! Thinking of going to CCA for MFA in Design in the fall focusing in IxD. Anyone planning to attend/ received their financial aid letters yet? Would love to hear people's thoughts/experience with the program!