2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[hermione granger]

1 minute ago, matchasimsbury said:

someone who studied poetry at nyu and that i mentioned in my essay randomly followed me on  instagram...trying so hard not to be delusional 🤩

this is such a big slay it would only be delusional to think it's just a coincidence...

[springsaquamarine]

i remember seeing someone post in this forum a while back about dealing with the dissonance of receiving rejections when you have professors and mentors who really believe in you and told you you'd get in anywhere you want. i felt the same way, almost wishing they hadn't built up my confidence. well, today i emailed those professors and mentors to let them know i didn't get in anywhere this year, and i have received some of the kindest, most encouraging responses. i feel so bolstered by them in this shitty process. thanks to their confidence in me and my dreams, i know i'll have enough confidence in myself to try again next year.

[mazzykitty]

4 hours ago, actualair said:

For poetry - if you haven’t heard anything from Iowa, brown, or NYU, it’s likely a rejection…right?

this is what i'm assuming! i'm just waiting on iowa (two acceptances on the spreadsheet, so i'm a little confused since it feels like the class is supposed to be bigger!), but brown rejections did already come in. 

[frootkoops36]

hi, any updates on UW Seattle acceptances for poetry? I’ve accepted that Irvine has either sent them out already or will come in another week 

[samura]

3 minutes ago, frootkoops36 said:

hi, any updates on UW Seattle acceptances for poetry? I’ve accepted that Irvine has either sent them out already or will come in another week 

longtime lurker here! it seems like they usually release decisions between march 8-march 12ish, so we’re probably looking at next week. the waiting is killing me lol

[libraryworker]

Does anyone know if Brown calls their fiction acceptances or if it’s portal updates?

[imgonnapuke]

was accepted into nyu nonfiction yesterday (!!!so excited!!!) but havent gotten funding updates...has anyone else from cnf gotten funding info yet??🥲

[AustWriter]

3 hours ago, imgonnapuke said:

was accepted into nyu nonfiction yesterday (!!!so excited!!!) but havent gotten funding updates...has anyone else from cnf gotten funding info yet??🥲

Congrats! I got accepted into fiction yesterday and was notified that the funding package would be sent through with the official offer letter within the week. Perhaps it’s the same for nonfiction? 
 

If you’re now stressing like mad about funding, know that you’re not alone. I’m right there with you. For now, enjoy the win and confidence boost of just getting in. Congrats again!

Edited March 7 by AustWriter

[delraiser]

hey guys, i saw u of o notifs start going out a few nights ago. do i have any chance of getting an acceptance/waitlist for fiction do we think? radio silence from them in my inbox and wondering if i should just take the quiet as another reject 

[lizard in a blizzard]

Still no Iowa fiction waitlists, huh?

[thrifty3]

1 hour ago, delraiser said:

hey guys, i saw u of o notifs start going out a few nights ago. do i have any chance of getting an acceptance/waitlist for fiction do we think? radio silence from them in my inbox and wondering if i should just take the quiet as another reject 

i’m taking the silence as a rejection. judging from last year’s draft, they sent rejections almost 10 days after acceptances.

[delraiser]

Just now, thrifty3 said:

i’m taking the silence as a rejection. judging from last year’s draft, they sent rejections almost 10 days after acceptances.

god, that's rough. had me holding out hope for a minute there. i appreciate you letting me know :') best of luck to us !!

[arghgradapps]

🕯️do u guys think we will be hearing from anyone today🕯️

[strawberrymatcha]

4 hours ago, delraiser said:

hey guys, i saw u of o notifs start going out a few nights ago. do i have any chance of getting an acceptance/waitlist for fiction do we think? radio silence from them in my inbox and wondering if i should just take the quiet as another reject 

I’m assuming they’re done with acceptances, but it looks like they also staggered waitlists and rejections. Based on the number of waitlists the previous years, I’d be surprised if there were none on draft this year?

[Theodosia]

On 3/6/2026 at 1:19 PM, roomservice said:

For those reapplying (poetry applicants mostly, but also fiction), what is the consensus on samples? I'm sure I'll have new material by then, but creating a completely new 15-page portfolio of content schools have never seen seems unrealistic and ill-advised.

I guess my question is what are thoughts on using some of the same material but with new material, and or bolstering it up? Michener specifically stating that they want your strongest work, and not necessarily just your newest. Hard distinction to navigate on my own.

I'm fiction, but my plan is to reapply with the same sample, just majorly edited, plus another rewritten chapter. I also may not even apply to Iowa again at all, so it will be new to everywhere else anyways. As long as the sample isn't the exact same -- or just minorly edited -- I don't think it's an issue. 

[merpgirl]

serious question - why don't we add drop-down lists to the spreadsheet to make things easier to parse? it's difficult to sort the spreadsheet when everyone is hand-typing all of their info and when there isn't a standardized version of school names and such. just thinking it might be easier to have things be uniform. it'll def take some time to put that together, but once it's done it'll be great and it'll make all of the data even more useful. i also thought it would be useful to ask the time of notification and (if the person entering data is comfortable), the initial of their last name, to see if schools are going alphabetically and at what exact time they were making phone calls/sending emails. for example, i got into a school recently that said i was "at the top of the list," yet my last name is near the end of the alphabet. that would be useful info for those stressing and checking the spreadsheet relentlessly, to know whether or not the school is going by rank, name, location, idk, etc. there's also a column on the spreadsheet (if accepted, were you notified about funding?) that should have an N/A section for ppl not accepted, but it doesn't, so now all of that data is sort of meaningless, or at least takes longer to derive meaning from, since you first have to check if the person was accepted or not.

 

just my thoughts!

[hermione granger]

anyone have tips or best practices for following up on waitlists? i've been on an unranked one since january, i reaffirmed my interest the same day, and just want to get an update now. not really sure what i can ask them if i can't say Heyyyy what are my chances. should i just check in and ask qs about the program? will anything i do move me up/down the (un) ranks?

[maxmaxmax]

I wonder if BU has even got to all the apps yet or if they're still reading in waves

[hermione granger]

On 2/28/2026 at 8:48 AM, Purplesunscreen said:

I'm not on the draft. Are all UT Austin NWP fiction acceptances out? 

ladies did we ever determine this

[LouPatt]

On 3/6/2026 at 5:07 PM, springsaquamarine said:

i remember seeing someone post in this forum a while back about dealing with the dissonance of receiving rejections when you have professors and mentors who really believe in you and told you you'd get in anywhere you want. i felt the same way, almost wishing they hadn't built up my confidence. well, today i emailed those professors and mentors to let them know i didn't get in anywhere this year, and i have received some of the kindest, most encouraging responses. i feel so bolstered by them in this shitty process. thanks to their confidence in me and my dreams, i know i'll have enough confidence in myself to try again next year.

That was me 😕 I’m really glad there’s some people sharing the same feeling regarding this, but I agree, I don’t feel as discouraged as I thought I would. I keep thinking about what I can do next to inspire new ideas! I hope next round is more of a positive outcome for you!

[lisichka]

about 2 weeks since NC State fiction acceptances went out, fiction waitlists a few days ago, and still nothing reported for poetry 🙃 is it safe to assume that all offers went out and accept this as a soft rejection?

[Jitterbug98]

3 hours ago, merpgirl said:

serious question - why don't we add drop-down lists to the spreadsheet to make things easier to parse? it's difficult to sort the spreadsheet when everyone is hand-typing all of their info and when there isn't a standardized version of school names and such. just thinking it might be easier to have things be uniform. it'll def take some time to put that together, but once it's done it'll be great and it'll make all of the data even more useful. i also thought it would be useful to ask the time of notification and (if the person entering data is comfortable), the initial of their last name, to see if schools are going alphabetically and at what exact time they were making phone calls/sending emails. for example, i got into a school recently that said i was "at the top of the list," yet my last name is near the end of the alphabet. that would be useful info for those stressing and checking the spreadsheet relentlessly, to know whether or not the school is going by rank, name, location, idk, etc. there's also a column on the spreadsheet (if accepted, were you notified about funding?) that should have an N/A section for ppl not accepted, but it doesn't, so now all of that data is sort of meaningless, or at least takes longer to derive meaning from, since you first have to check if the person was accepted or not.

 

just my thoughts!

I think it’s really just that Jess and the other mods have already put a TON of work into managing the spreadsheet and  moderating the group. Creating drop downs would just be very time consuming for them and it would be easy to accidentally leave out programs since there are people in the group applying to MAs, international or online programs, screenwriting programs, PhDs in addition to the classic full residency MFAs. 
 

In terms of adding info like time of notification and last initial, I think that’s stuff that people could add in the “other notes” column if they want to! But honestly, I think we already have access to a ton of information through the draft and gradcafe and sometimes more information isn’t better. If anything it might just cause more anxiety!

[marsmentality]

1 hour ago, LouPatt said:

That was me 😕 I’m really glad there’s some people sharing the same feeling regarding this, but I agree, I don’t feel as discouraged as I thought I would. I keep thinking about what I can do next to inspire new ideas! I hope next round is more of a positive outcome for you!

yes!!! i think im at zero acceptances for this year, but im still trying to be proud of myself for even being able to apply and try my luck. if anything, im going to try and get into some workshops, possibly start the artist’s way (as a motivator and a new creative path), post on my currently empty substack, and just wait it out till next cycle! it seems far away but the time is going to pass regardless, might as well make the most of it. 

[LouPatt]

Just now, marsmentality said:

yes!!! i think im at zero acceptances for this year, but im still trying to be proud of myself for even being able to apply and try my luck. if anything, im going to try and get into some workshops, possibly start the artist’s way (as a motivator and a new creative path), post on my currently empty substack, and just wait it out till next cycle! it seems far away but the time is going to pass regardless, might as well make the most of it. 

I think these are great ideas. I have yet to hear from a few schools and am on the poetry waitlist for Oregon state so I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I’m really looking forward to hearing back from Fulbright to see if that’s the next step rather than grad school. All I can think about is the great poetry that could come out of that experience! I think in our current world we have to accept that things can’t always happen in a linear manner, especially with a lack of funding and resources. It will eventually happen!

[BowelMovement]

3 hours ago, maxmaxmax said:

I wonder if BU has even got to all the apps yet or if they're still reading in waves

This! Manifesting BU, Iowa, and Columbia poetry decisions next week for closure...