2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[girlwiththegreenribbon]

1 hour ago, womanonline said:

Another Oregon State fiction acceptance…. 

i'm holding out hope since they seem to be staggering the acceptances.

the delusional part of me is hoping that i haven't heard anything back because either i'll be waitlisted or i'll just receive an email instead of a call (because i'm international)... 

 

i'm refusing to think it's a rejection until i'm actually rejected 🙂‍↕️

[queenmartian]

10 hours ago, bones.bell said:

Congrats on the waitlist! I was wondering if your portal says waitlisted or if you were notified by email? I also applied but haven't gotten any emails but my portal says "decision released"... I'm assuming the worst lol

Ah - finally figured out how to respond to these things. Here is the message I sent to Bones:

I got an email with the subject line, "Portland State MFA in Creative Writing" and then a message about the waitlist. I checked my portal last night, and it said Application Status Under Review. Thought this was interesting because when I got accepted into Portland State's Book Publishing Program (for the spring semester), I got a standard: "Your decision has been made, check your portal for updates" message. In my brief research on the forum, I saw some historical data that noted waitlist notifications went out first, acceptances went out the following day, and rejections went out months later. The rejections going out months later is confusing to me, so not sure if that's accurate information or just when users posted their rejections. 

[lizard in a blizzard]

One (1) JHU poetry acceptance has hit the spreadsheet, which means I am immediately assuming I, a fiction applicant, was 100% indubitably hard rejected.

[BowelMovement]

16 minutes ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

One (1) JHU poetry acceptance has hit the spreadsheet, which means I am immediately assuming I, a fiction applicant, was 100% indubitably hard rejected.

I am already thinking about the staggered rejections last year💔

[Myth_KendraDanielle]

39 minutes ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

One (1) JHU poetry acceptance has hit the spreadsheet, which means I am immediately assuming I, a fiction applicant, was 100% indubitably hard rejected.

I am also thinking this as a fiction applicant 😅 just going to go into work and try and forget about the spreadsheet.

[gafoo]

So, anybody have any idea how many candidates get interviewed at Hunter College vs. accepted? Is the conversion like 50%? Lower? Higher? Hard to tell based on the historic draft sheet data… 

[crossingmyfingers1212]

55 minutes ago, Myth_KendraDanielle said:

I am also thinking this as a fiction applicant 😅 just going to go into work and try and forget about the spreadsheet.

this is me coping, but does fiction come out after poetry... like maybe they're still to come (rip my sanity) 

[traceykibres]

1 hour ago, gafoo said:

So, anybody have any idea how many candidates get interviewed at Hunter College vs. accepted? Is the conversion like 50%? Lower? Higher? Hard to tell based on the historic draft sheet data… 

Looks like last year, excluding playwriting, there were 7 interviews, 3 acceptances, and 3 waitlists logged. Not everyone who logged an interview logged a final decision/not everyone who logged a final decision logged an interview, though.

Of the four pseudonyms who logged both a final decision and an interview, 2 were acceptances, and 2 were waitlists. As far as I can tell, nobody who logged an interview logged a straight rejection.

From what I can see, only one acceptance from the Notification sheet logged their pseudonym into the Where Did You End Up? sheet-- they ended up at Hunter. Three pseudonyms total logged that they were going to Hunter on that sheet.

Not much data for other years (Edit: and I'm sure plenty of applicants didn't log anything). Still, seems like if you get an interview you have a good chance at not getting rejected. (I hope I get one!)

Edited February 12 by traceykibres

[martysupreme]

49 minutes ago, crossingmyfingers1212 said:

this is me coping, but does fiction come out after poetry... like maybe they're still to come (rip my sanity) 

ugh this is such a gut-wrenching process. jhu is one of my top choices...trying to write or do anything during this is so hard. 

[mr vagina]

i deeply feel all the freaking out (see: my gi distress) but i think last year fiction results went out like a full week after poetry? so much is still to come! so just saying that if it’s balm for anyone, only in the sense that try not to crush your nervous system already and i am sending lots of affection for all of you sharing in this space rn. the anxiety is kinda destroying my sleep and daily routines but it really isn’t over til it’s over and… it turns out that it’s also just begun 😅

Edited February 12 by mr vagina

[Jitterbug98]

I'm wondering when Cornell and Syracuse fiction will come out. Feels like it should be any day now

[arghgradapps]

19 minutes ago, mr vagina said:

i deeply feel all the freaking out (see: my gi distress) but i think last year fiction results went out like a full week after poetry? so much is still to come! so just saying that if it’s balm for anyone, only in the sense that try not to crush your nervous system already and i am sending lots of affection for all of you sharing in this space rn. the anxiety is kinda destroying my sleep and daily routines but it really isn’t over til it’s over and… it turns out that it’s also just begun 😅

for JHU? it doesn't seem like it from draft. 

[god_fearing]

hi y'all,

i'm an applicant this cycle for poetry who is just joining the thread. i've been trying to resist researching information on decisions etc and just waiting to hear myself because it makes the anticipation so much more intense lol, but since i found this thread the other day i've been checking it every chance i get. i'm waiting to hear back from Iowa, Pitt, Boston U, and Oregon State. i've been especially attentive to the forum after seeing that Oregon has started to release some decisions for fiction. 

i'm not in the draft group because i'm not on FB - does anyone have any info, as far as when we'd be expected to hear, or if interviews have been conducted for poetry, on the schools listed above? 

good luck to all 🌟

Edited February 12 by god_fearing

[mr vagina]

11 minutes ago, arghgradapps said:

for JHU? it doesn't seem like it from draft. 

poetry went out on the 1st and fiction on the 10th 

[impatientjoy]

As a coping mechanism, I am leaning into imagining what life will be like as a future MFA student, which has been a lot of fun! But does anyone know if schools help MFA students find housing? It just seems impossible to live in so many of these places on such a small stipend. How do people do it??

[LouPatt]

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting... I’ve mostly just been quietly reading for the past few weeks. It’s honestly comforting to see there’s a little community here where we can talk openly about all of this anxiety.

I applied to 12 fully funded poetry programs for my first cycle. As a first-gen student, funding was non-negotiable for me. I just don’t have the financial safety net for grad school otherwise.

I think I’m posting because no one in my everyday life is applying to MFA programs, so it’s hard to explain the emotional rollercoaster to friends and family. I worked with an unofficial advisor on my portfolio and school list. He’s been a mentor for three years now, but he’s also a former poet laureate, which means I still find him a little intimidating.

Before I submitted, he told me he would be shocked if I didn’t get in somewhere and that he expected multiple acceptances. I know he meant it as encouragement, but those words have been echoing in my head ever since. I’m suddenly scared of not just disappointing myself, but disappointing him too — especially if I don’t get into a top choice, or anywhere at all. I really haven't been sleeping and have this pit in my stomach 24/7. I know life goes on, but sometimes it's hard to actually conceptualize that if I don't know what the future holds.

Anyways, I just needed to say that in hopes that somewhere there are people who relate.

[idkmann]

43 minutes ago, god_fearing said:

hi y'all,

i'm an applicant this cycle for poetry who is just joining the thread. i've been trying to resist researching information on decisions etc and just waiting to hear myself because it makes the anticipation so much more intense lol, but since i found this thread the other day i've been checking it every chance i get. i'm waiting to hear back from Iowa, Pitt, Boston U, and Oregon State. i've been especially attentive to the forum after seeing that Oregon has started to release some decisions for fiction. 

i'm not in the draft group because i'm not on FB - does anyone have any info, as far as when we'd be expected to hear, or if interviews have been conducted for poetry, on the schools listed above? 

good luck to all 🌟

for your sake, i hate that you found this thread, but welcome lol ❤️ according to what's been reported in draft:

iowa - nothing yet. the earliest they sent last year for poetry was 3/7 and others rolled in 3/14-3/26

Boston u - nothing yet. last year, no one got accepted for poetry in the draft, but waitlist and rejection rolled it from 1/21 to 3/24.  

pitt - nothing yet for poetry but nonfic sent interviews on 1/20 and fic on 1/29. last year, poetry interviews came out 2/3 and rejections on 3/27.

oregon state - nothing yet for poetry but fiction acceptances came on 2/10 and 2/12. last year, poetry acceptance came 2/21 and waitlist and rejection 2/25

lmk if you have any questions

Edited February 12 by idkmann

[idkmann]

18 minutes ago, LouPatt said:

 

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting... I’ve mostly just been quietly reading for the past few weeks. It’s honestly comforting to see there’s a little community here where we can talk openly about all of this anxiety.

I applied to 12 fully funded poetry programs for my first cycle. As a first-gen student, funding was non-negotiable for me. I just don’t have the financial safety net for grad school otherwise.

I think I’m posting because no one in my everyday life is applying to MFA programs, so it’s hard to explain the emotional rollercoaster to friends and family. I worked with an unofficial advisor on my portfolio and school list. He’s been a mentor for three years now, but he’s also a former poet laureate, which means I still find him a little intimidating.

Before I submitted, he told me he would be shocked if I didn’t get in somewhere and that he expected multiple acceptances. I know he meant it as encouragement, but those words have been echoing in my head ever since. I’m suddenly scared of not just disappointing myself, but disappointing him too — especially if I don’t get into a top choice, or anywhere at all. I really haven't been sleeping and have this pit in my stomach 24/7. I know life goes on, but sometimes it's hard to actually conceptualize that if I don't know what the future holds.

Anyways, I just needed to say that in hopes that somewhere there are people who relate.

yeah the worst thing any loved one can say to me right now is, "you're definitely getting in!!" no one can say for certain that any of us, no matter how good, are guaranteed entrance, esp in fully funded programs with so few spots, and some that may be taken by people who were forced to defer in 2025. 

I have one friend reassuring me, "it's fine if you don't, you can apply again, we'll do some fun stuff this summer as a treat," and that's been a breath of fresh air. 

anyways, big hugs as another first-gen applicant. 

[womanonline]

20 minutes ago, LouPatt said:

 

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting... I’ve mostly just been quietly reading for the past few weeks. It’s honestly comforting to see there’s a little community here where we can talk openly about all of this anxiety.

I applied to 12 fully funded poetry programs for my first cycle. As a first-gen student, funding was non-negotiable for me. I just don’t have the financial safety net for grad school otherwise.

I think I’m posting because no one in my everyday life is applying to MFA programs, so it’s hard to explain the emotional rollercoaster to friends and family. I worked with an unofficial advisor on my portfolio and school list. He’s been a mentor for three years now, but he’s also a former poet laureate, which means I still find him a little intimidating.

Before I submitted, he told me he would be shocked if I didn’t get in somewhere and that he expected multiple acceptances. I know he meant it as encouragement, but those words have been echoing in my head ever since. I’m suddenly scared of not just disappointing myself, but disappointing him too — especially if I don’t get into a top choice, or anywhere at all. I really haven't been sleeping and have this pit in my stomach 24/7. I know life goes on, but sometimes it's hard to actually conceptualize that if I don't know what the future holds.

Anyways, I just needed to say that in hopes that somewhere there are people who relate.

I really feel the disappointing someone else thing. I don’t really know anyone that knows anything about MFAs or writing or this process. My friends and family read my writing, but they don’t really know what’s good and what’s not. They, along with my professors, have all said the “there’s no way you won’t get in” stuff, and it’s breaking my heart more now that I have 3/12 rejections already. Because there’s the initial rejection that I get. Then I have to take that rejection and pass it along anytime someone asks me how the process is going. I wish I hadn’t told anyone I was applying most days, but this has been a huge part of my life for months now so there was no way I could’ve done that. It’s like I’m having my heart broken multiple times, and it’s harder to keep my chin up. I feel like I’m prepared if I get all rejections — I knew what the odds were — but my loved ones really don’t understand how hard it is to get into these programs. They keep saying I’ll get in somewhere every time I get rejected like it’s a given and I know they’re just trying to be supportive, but it’s just making it 10x harder in a lot of ways. The pressure feels crazy intense when there are other people involved 

[OctopusCactus]

On 2/10/2026 at 11:19 AM, julesr said:

I am seeing interview entries in the spreadsheet and I am kinda nervous about them. What should one expect and do you have any tips on how to prepare?

Be ready to talk about what you're currently working on, what you're thinking about working on in their program (this is not binding), why their program, and what you're currently reading. Good to have a question or two prepared to ask the interviewers as well, one which should ideally show you've researched the program.  Don't ask something that's easy to google.

[OctopusCactus]

34 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

As a coping mechanism, I am leaning into imagining what life will be like as a future MFA student, which has been a lot of fun! But does anyone know if schools help MFA students find housing? It just seems impossible to live in so many of these places on such a small stipend. How do people do it??

This is totally program dependent, some schools have grad housing and others don't.  How do people live on such small stipends?  A lot of MFA students aren't actually living on their stipends, they have parents and/or partners who subsidize them. I would say that is the case for at least half of my cohort.  People do it on their own, of course, but many don't and it's not like they've figured out some magic budget formula.

[BowelMovement]

No words from UMich...Lord give me strength...

[Bugg]

1 hour ago, mr vagina said:

poetry went out on the 1st and fiction on the 10th 

I want to say that was a typo. It looks like fiction and poetry came out on the same day

[idkmann]

jhu fiction finally came in :((( 

happy for that person. sad for me.

[martysupreme]

not sure where JHU is in their calls but did get a call from Danielle Evans just after 5p ET. she did mention in her voicemail that they have an event tonight so not sure if there are more fiction calls to come in the morning? just sharing in case that helps with the speculation.