2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[westwide2]

Hi, 

Lurker commenting! Poetry & Fiction applicant (12 poetry, 5 fiction). Currently 0A/1W/1R/15P.

1. I'm assuming U Pitt Poetry interviews are just later than past years? It's possible that no one interviewed is on draft, but that feels less likely than the odds of interviews being sent out late? 
2. More of a meta comment, but I am struggling with committing to March & early April plans. If I get an acceptance, I'd like the space to visit that campus and town in person. Holding my calendar for this unknown "possibility" is maybe the most frustrating part of this process. 
3. The Draft Sheet username of Edgar Allen Hoe is funny. No, that's not my username. But like come on, loosen up. We're applying to be writers! Let's not be offended by a pun. 

Best of luck everyone. 

Edited February 6 by westwide2

[impatientjoy]

10 hours ago, Spicy Potato said:

Just a note to my fellow holders of bated breath...

If you see acceptances and rejections rolling in on the spreadsheet, but it's crickets for you, that may be a good thing. It may mean that the program isn't willing to let go of your application just yet; they want to see how their initial offers shake out first. 

xo

Is this a thing!?

[Myth_KendraDanielle]

24 minutes ago, westwide2 said:

Hi, 

Lurker commenting! Poetry & Fiction applicant (12 poetry, 5 fiction). Currently 0A/1W/1R/15P.

1. I'm assuming U Pitt Poetry interviews are just later than past years? It's possible that no one interviewed is on draft, but that feels less likely than the odds of interviews being sent out late? 
2. More of a meta comment, but I am struggling with committing to March & early April plans. If I get an acceptance, I'd like the space to visit that campus and town in person. Holding my calendar for this unknown "possibility" is maybe the most frustrating part of this process. 
3. The Draft Sheet username of Edgar Allen Hoe is funny. No, that's not my username. But like come on, loosen up. We're applying to be writers! Let's not be offended by a pun. 

Best of luck everyone. 

I was confused about your third point but just saw the comment you meant on the sheet. Edgar Allen Hoe is one of my favorite usernames on there! 

[XXY]

34 minutes ago, westwide2 said:

The Draft Sheet username of Edgar Allen Hoe is funny. No, that's not my username. But like come on, loosen up. We're applying to be writers! Let's not be offended by a pun. 

Oh, I assumed that the request to shorten to "EAH" was made by the actual person submitting as Edgar Allan Hoe lol.

[Myth_KendraDanielle]

5 minutes ago, XXY said:

Oh, I assumed that the request to shorten to "EAH" was made by the actual person submitting as Edgar Allan Hoe lol.

Ohhh, that would also make sense.

[XXY]

11 hours ago, Spicy Potato said:

Just a note to my fellow holders of bated breath...

If you see acceptances and rejections rolling in on the spreadsheet, but it's crickets for you, that may be a good thing. It may mean that the program isn't willing to let go of your application just yet; they want to see how their initial offers shake out first. 

xo

I'm a little confused by this. What do you mean by "seeing how the offers shake out"? Would many people who are accepted really commit/decline at this early stage, before seeing how other apps pan out?

[girlwiththegreenribbon]

i’ve been losing my mind since this is the time oregon state usually sends out acceptances 

[guntherpingu]

My FSU app (PhD) updated to something like "we've made a decision, check back later"

Why couldn't they just tell me when they updated the portal to say they made the decision?? I just want to knowwww:(:(:(

[Walter Hartwell White]

4 hours ago, XXY said:

I'm a little confused by this. What do you mean by "seeing how the offers shake out"? Would many people who are accepted really commit/decline at this early stage, before seeing how other apps pan out?

I’d assume if they get into their top choice soon, they’ll know and turn down the ones they already got. 

[HalBear]

45 minutes ago, guntherpingu said:

My FSU app (PhD) updated to something like "we've made a decision, check back later"

Why couldn't they just tell me when they updated the portal to say they made the decision?? I just want to knowwww:(:(:(

My MFA portal says this "Your application has been reviewed by your academic department and a recommendation has been made to the Graduate Admissions Office. The Graduate Admissions Office will complete the final review of your application and will post a final decision letter on this Status Page. Please continue monitoring your Application Status Page for updates. You will be notified by email when an update has been made to your application." 

 

Very frustrating haha. I am like just tell me....PLEASE.

Edited February 6 by HalBear

[goodoldneon]

Quiet Friday for fiction, hope we can hear from more programs next week

[BowelMovement]

Anyone waiting on Cornell this weekend too? Last year the first A was out on Friday first week of Feb, second A was out on Saturday, and then everyone else got their R's Monday second week.

[XXY]

Happy weekend, everyone! Hope we can all enjoy it without thinking too much about all this shieeeeet

[Walter Hartwell White]

I got an acceptance today into an MS English program (regardless I want to go to grad school in the English field for the fall but I’d LOVE an MFA). Then I was rejected to Vanderbilt. The. Whiplash. Is. Crazy. Oh well, I definitely didn’t feel like “good enough” for that one anyways.  

[womanonline]

I’m confused. Looks like UMass sent out more acceptances amidst the Vanderbilt rejections. Do they typically sent more acceptances after the initial ones + the rejections? Odd

[lizard in a blizzard]

Forgive me—I am but a green twenty-two-year-old with a full-res pipe dream who has no real concept of graduate admissions. Is it worth even checking the draft spreadsheet on weekends? 

[traceykibres]

53 minutes ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

Forgive me—I am but a green twenty-two-year-old with a full-res pipe dream who has no real concept of graduate admissions. Is it worth even checking the draft spreadsheet on weekends? 

Probably not but I’m doing it anyway

[illumikitten]

Vanderbilt fiction acceptance just appeared. They say all acceptances are out. 

[bbeacham]

I am just dying for Columbia decisions (specifically Creative Nonfiction) to come out!! I know Oxford MSt won't be relaxed for a while too...it's so hard to wait!

[Jitterbug98]

7 minutes ago, bbeacham said:

I am just dying for Columbia decisions (specifically Creative Nonfiction) to come out!! I know Oxford MSt won't be relaxed for a while too...it's so hard to wait!

Speaking of Columbia, does anyone have a sense of their acceptance rate? I know it’s significantly easier to get into than a fully funded program, but is it like 10%? 30%? More than 50?

[SocialKonstruct]

For anyone who wants the most scientific way of ranking MFA/PhD creative writing programs this is the summary list and references.

 

https://creativewritingmfa.info/rankings/

I don't agree with some of it but still very useful to gauge by some metric.

[Ogwick]

Can we get a link to the spreadsheet as well updating dates here too?

[analog_e]

10 minutes ago, Ogwick said:

Can we get a link to the spreadsheet as well updating dates here too?

just join draft

[Ogwick]

Are there non Facebook ways to see this?

[martysupreme]

8 minutes ago, Ogwick said:

Are there non Facebook ways to see this?

nope! it's only accessible thru the fb group. it's years of (in some ways, sensitive) data that jess has accumulated and organized, so they don't post it on this public forum