MFA 2025 Freak Out Forum

[thenightowl212]

Got into Yale Painting

[Cowbot]

19 minutes ago, thenightowl212 said:

Got into Yale Painting

Congrats!!!!

[Josh Turner]

37 minutes ago, orangefruit said:

Has anyone heard from UCLA sculpture or Cornell?

I'm Still waiting on those two as well, UCLA New Genres and Cornell Creative Visual Arts. 

No words yet.

[sCuLpTuRe123]

11 hours ago, Turtle222 said:

I'm 40

Me too!!! I just turned 40 a couple months ago. Have you decided where you are going? 

[kamlee]

Has anyone decided what school they are going to attend? If so, what has led  you toward choosing that program? I’m deciding between two schools and I’m having a hard time knowing which to choose. 

[sCuLpTuRe123]

To everyone admitted to fully funded programs, are you willing to share your offers and stipend amounts?

This is technically my third year. My first year I had no idea what I was doing - all I knew is that I needed a fully funded program. In that first year, I applied to 11 schools, got three interviews, and was accepted into two fully funded programs. Neither program was the right fit for me so I decided to wait another year.

While it was a bummer I didn't get accepted into my top choices during my first year of apps, that first round of apps really allowed me to figure out what I wanted in an MFA program. So I went into my second round of MFA apps with a lot more direction and confidence (the first year of apps really wrecked me - I had no idea how crazy it all was).

Anyways, last year I was accepted into my top choice - the University of Maryland College Park. It's a fully funded program and has a sizable stipend, and is exactly what I was looking in an MFA program. I ended up getting an additional $5000 fellowship and I have an outside scholarship so with everything, that put my first year stipend at just under $40,000. Because of some health and life stuff, I ended up having to defer for a year and when I deferred, I had to give away all of my funding and just hope that I would get comparable funding again this year.

This year, I ended up getting the full GA funding for this upcoming fall and my health and life is in much better order so I am going to go, but I'm very curious as to what other students are being offered. I ended up losing some money after the deferral - apparently, there were some budget cuts so some extra funding was taken away. I don’t know if I will get that additional $5,000 fellowship that I was awarded last year, and because of budget cuts I lost $2,000 over the three years. But if I don’t get the $5,000 fellowship, I will lose $7,000 in total.

 

Right now, my offer is full tuition remission and a stipend of $28,500

I have to pay fees each semester that total aprox $820 a semester and I will have to pay for parking (which I hear is expensive) and health insurance (it will come out of my stipend paycheck).

overall, I feel like this is pretty good. I just have a lot of bills and am praying that I get that additional $5,000 fellowship again.

I would love to hear what other people are being offered x 

[sCuLpTuRe123]

17 minutes ago, kamlee said:

Has anyone decided what school they are going to attend? If so, what has led  you toward choosing that program? I’m deciding between two schools and I’m having a hard time knowing which to choose. 

It took me a long time to figure out what school to go to. And it was really hard turning down fully funded offers my first round of MFA apps becuase I didn't feel like the schools fit what I was looking for.

I think it's really important to figure out what you want in an MFA program and then do a huge deep dive (if you haven't already) on what the programs you are looking at offer. Reach out to current MFA candidates at the programs you are considering and have phone or zoom calls with them to get a full picture on what it looks like to go there. 

For me, I had a list of things that I really wanted out of an MFA program and then I had a list of things that i *needed* out of an MFA program. I needed a fully funded program with a generous stipened, I wanted it to be close-ish to the ocean (I didn't want to be landlocked), I wanted to be close-ish to my family, I wanted a funded program that did not force me to teach, and I wanted an MFA program that was mostly studio based (not course based). That list narrowed my options quite a bit, but I found a program that fits everything. 

Idk if that is at all helpful to your question - but I guess, really figure out what you want in the program, and I highly recommend reaching out to current MFA's at each school. 

[sCuLpTuRe123]

On 2/27/2025 at 9:30 PM, beepbeepmeep said:

columbia - no response

bard - no response

SAIC- accepted, 100% full scholarship (!?!??!)

Cal Arts - accepted with a 70% scholarship, negotiating

Currently waiting to hear from my top choice, a fully funded program which I don't want to mention because it's so niche could give away my identity. But I had an interview with them!

I really wasn't considering Cal Arts or SAIC that hard but obviously now I am. I really wanted a miracle columbia scholarship or this fully funded program I'm still waiting on. Pretty bummed I didn't even get an interview with columbia.  I honestly cannot believe SAIC offered me this scholarship because I completely flubbed the interview, as it was the day after a horrible life event.  I will probably go wherever gives me the most $$

Did you get accepted into your fully funded program???? Congrats on the SAIC full scholarship. 

[figg]

I got my final acceptance to Yale MFA Sculpture and have a question about the tuition fee.

In the acceptance email, it says that the financial aid package is determined based on my financial aid application. Does this mean that I can’t negotiate tuition at all with the school?

I know that some other schools allow for negotiation, so I was wondering if that’s an option at Yale as well! Let me know, thanks!

[ArtsyAF]

On 2/28/2025 at 11:38 AM, beanbagboy said:

Does anyone have any insight or feedback on what attending Tyler or Rutgers would be like? Are the faculty supportive? If you toured these places, did you like the facilities and vibes? 

What discipline are you referring to? I can speak to the Tyler Graphic Design MFA but not the others specifically.

The facilities are phenomenal at Tyler and Philly is a really cool city to be in! Most of the MFAs have very small cohorts, some as small as 3. The campus isn't in the best of areas but the buildings are all key card access and have security. Just like any city there's some rougher areas so you just have to be aware:) 

[beepbeepmeep]

8 hours ago, sCuLpTuRe123 said:

Did you get accepted into your fully funded program???? Congrats on the SAIC full scholarship. 

thank you! i did get the fully funded program and accepted! SAIC will be giving the 100% to someone else

[sundayscaries]

5 hours ago, figg said:

I got my final acceptance to Yale MFA Sculpture and have a question about the tuition fee.

In the acceptance email, it says that the financial aid package is determined based on my financial aid application. Does this mean that I can’t negotiate tuition at all with the school?

I know that some other schools allow for negotiation, so I was wondering if that’s an option at Yale as well! Let me know, thanks!

I went to a undergrad school that, like Yale, only offers need-based aid. In this case the packages are kind of non-negotiable, though I’m sure you could ask for more money within reason. Essentially they have formulas where they take you and your families income and assets and determine from that how much you’ll pay. If, for example, you work minimum wage job, your parents are poor working people and you dont own any property, you pay nothing or close to nothing. If your dad runs a hedge fund and you guys own many homes, chances are you’ll pay Full Tuition. If you’re in between, your offer will be in between those extremes.

[keytomyheart]

Hi  Wondering if anyone has heard from Hunter, Rutgers, or UCLA? Specifically sculpture concentrated? This would really give me insight on my decision! Thanks

[bluemargo96]

1 hour ago, keytomyheart said:

Hi  Wondering if anyone has heard from Hunter, Rutgers, or UCLA? Specifically sculpture concentrated? This would really give me insight on my decision! Thanks

I haven't heard back from Hunter yer, I had an interview with them. It seems like others have said they've heard from rutgers but not sure

[swordfish111]

ucla needs to hurry up im crashing out

[yellosloth]

57 minutes ago, bluemargo96 said:

I haven't heard back from Hunter yer, I had an interview with them. It seems like others have said they've heard from rutgers but not sure

I didn't hear back from Hunter either, so I just went on the portal and found my results there

[bluemargo96]

1 minute ago, yellosloth said:

I didn't hear back from Hunter either, so I just went on the portal and found my results there

Where on the portal did you see your decision? And what did it say?

[keytomyheart]

27 minutes ago, bluemargo96 said:

Where on the portal did you see your decision? And what did it say?

I'm also looking on the portal, and can't find anything

[unTraceableBeing]

18 minutes ago, keytomyheart said:

I'm also looking on the portal, and can't find anything

Same, it just says "Submitted" for me. I applied for painting

[tooold4artschool]

3 hours ago, keytomyheart said:

Hi  Wondering if anyone has heard from Hunter, Rutgers, or UCLA? Specifically sculpture concentrated? This would really give me insight on my decision! Thanks

Rejected by my alma mater.  Seven years of college down the drain...  Seriously though, I got my rejection from Rutgers yesterday.  Pretty disappointed after earning two other degrees there and feeling like my work was close to their cohort, certainly closer than schools where I had successful applications.  Just goes to show that you never know one way or the other.  

[boltcutter]

9 hours ago, figg said:

I got my final acceptance to Yale MFA Sculpture and have a question about the tuition fee.

In the acceptance email, it says that the financial aid package is determined based on my financial aid application. Does this mean that I can’t negotiate tuition at all with the school?

I know that some other schools allow for negotiation, so I was wondering if that’s an option at Yale as well! Let me know, thanks!

Did you get funding anywhere else? For my top choice I did NOT receive need-based funding for but every other program offered my merit scholarships immediately. I shared the scholarships with the grad director and they were able to negotiate with the financial aid office for some funding, albeit not a ton. 

[tooold4artschool]

Tangential topic: I was accepted to SAIC post-bacc certificate program.  Does anyone have experience or insight with that program?  I didn't think I would be interested if I had MFA options, but an intensive year without worrying about a degree might be nice from a practice perspective.  Let's assume cost is not an issue, although it always is of course...

Should add that I did not get into my top choice MFA programs, though my second choice schools aren't bad.  

Edited Thursday at 05:58 PM by tooold4artschool

[Kalonde]

1 hour ago, tooold4artschool said:

Rejected by my alma mater.  Seven years of college down the drain...  Seriously though, I got my rejection from Rutgers yesterday.  Pretty disappointed after earning two other degrees there and feeling like my work was close to their cohort, certainly closer than schools where I had successful applications.  Just goes to show that you never know one way or the other.  

Can I ask how you found out? I haven't heard anything at all and don't see an update in the portal

[blablah]

Lurker here.

Received offers from Columbia, Yale painting, waiting on Bard post interview but seemed positive! Applied to different disciplines for each school as my work is interdisciplinary. Don't want to identify myself by listing what disciplines of the other 2 as its really specific. Never made a painting in my life lol but I discussed this in the interview with Yale and they were pretty open minded.

[Lala4477]

accepted to rutgers and waitlisted at yale for photo.. hehe whats the likelihood of getting off the waitlist at yale? ❤️