2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[impatientjoy]

It looks like an idaho acceptance came through two days ago on the sheet! Did anyone else hear from them yet?

[meanwhile]

26 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

It looks like an idaho acceptance came through two days ago on the sheet! Did anyone else hear from them yet?

For what genre? Haven’t heard anything yet. 

[impatientjoy]

13 minutes ago, meanwhile said:

For what genre? Haven’t heard anything yet. 

Fiction!

[gafoo]

53 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

It looks like an idaho acceptance came through two days ago on the sheet! Did anyone else hear from them yet?

Nonfiction and haven't heard anything yet... Really hoping for good news on this program!!

[lizard in a blizzard]

Holy fucking fuck, I got waitlisted at Michener.

[MamaCats]

2 minutes ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

Holy fucking fuck, I got waitlisted at Michener.

Congratulations!!!! That is awesome!

[BowelMovement]

Has anyone or does anyone know someone who has been rejected almost everywhere but somehow got like one or two acceptances in the end? February is fucking me sideways so far (as you will see below in my signature and that's not including the 2 soft R's at ND and JHU) and it's difficult to believe that i have any chance at anything after seeing the results. I'm also a senior in college right now taking some of the most challenging classes in my major and taking all these rejections simultaneously is actually so disheartening that I can't really focus on anything at all...

Edited February 18 by BowelMovement

[ocurlyfries]

24 minutes ago, BowelMovement said:

Has anyone or does anyone know someone who has been rejected almost everywhere but somehow got like one or two acceptances in the end? February is fucking me sideways so far (as you will see below in my signature and that's not including the 2 soft R's at ND and JHU) and it's difficult to believe that i have any chance at anything after seeing the results. I'm also a senior in college right now taking some of the most challenging classes in my major and taking all these rejections simultaneously is actually so disheartening that I can't really focus on anything at all...

I'm in the exact same boat as you rn. This is so horrible! I'm desperately hoping for some form of good news, it's genuinely so hard to have a positive outlook on things.

[Strawberry14]

Long time lurker, first time poster! I got an acceptance to UW-Madison on Saturday (thrilled is an understatement) followed by my UMich rejection Monday. Just happened to check my spam folder and saw my Arizona State rejection there from this morning so thought I'd give a heads up to check spam if you're waiting on ASU. I'm not on draft so can't really keep up there. Still have 7 to go but insanely grateful to have one acceptance in the bank. Fingers crossed for y'all ❤️

[crossingmyfingers1212]

53 minutes ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

Holy fucking fuck, I got waitlisted at Michener.

omg so excited for you!! still no word, i'm unwell

[vilum]

50 minutes ago, BowelMovement said:

Has anyone or does anyone know someone who has been rejected almost everywhere but somehow got like one or two acceptances in the end? February is fucking me sideways so far (as you will see below in my signature and that's not including the 2 soft R's at ND and JHU) and it's difficult to believe that i have any chance at anything after seeing the results. I'm also a senior in college right now taking some of the most challenging classes in my major and taking all these rejections simultaneously is actually so disheartening that I can't really focus on anything at all...

hey that's totally normal, please don't beat yourself up about it. i'm in the same boat if it can be of any comfort (only rejections for now, 2 hard from UW and UM and 1 soft from Vandy) and trying to stay positive about it. there are really hundreds of people applying for only 3-10 spots so the odds are really tough, and for this reason, your results absolutely do not reflect the quality of your writing. maybe your sample just didn't resonate with the adcoms, and there could be so many reasons for this. a way i like to think of it is imagining if i were part of an adcom. if i had to choose between two samples, both extraordinary, one absurdist and one more realist, i would advocate for the realist one, simply because it is more in line with my taste. that doesn't mean the absurdist text is worse than the realist. this is probably not how adcoms work, but it's a good exercise for my brain to keep me sane and not give up on my dream just yet. 

[bucket]

3 hours ago, strawberrymatcha said:

it looks like a uc davis rejection dropped today, is anyone else waiting to hear back from them?

yes and i’m dying about it

[ocurlyfries]

For anyone who got accepted to USF, did your portal update at all? I can't stop refreshing my email and portal lol (which is obviously super healthy and great for my mental health!!!)

[whitneyyyy]

Im an international student, and my NC State portal still says “awaiting materials” for English proficiency. Since I graduated in US that requirement should be waived. I emailed them and they replied yesterday saying my application is under review. But ive seen some posts saying acceptances already sent out. Does this mean my application hasn’t been reviewed yet?

Edited February 18 by whitneyyyy

[whitneyyyy]

1 hour ago, BowelMovement said:

Has anyone or does anyone know someone who has been rejected almost everywhere but somehow got like one or two acceptances in the end? February is fucking me sideways so far (as you will see below in my signature and that's not including the 2 soft R's at ND and JHU) and it's difficult to believe that i have any chance at anything after seeing the results. I'm also a senior in college right now taking some of the most challenging classes in my major and taking all these rejections simultaneously is actually so disheartening that I can't really focus on anything at all...

This is my third year applying. I’ve just kept writing, and every year I can see my writing improving. The first year I applied to 23 schools, the second year to 2, and this year just 1.

I realized that no matter what the results are, I am just gonna keep writing. Yesterday while working on my current fiction project, I noticed that my writing is already better than the portfolio I submitted this year.

Programs are just tools to help you, they’re not the writing itself. Enjoy the journey and good luck!

[womaninthevoid]

16 hours ago, chickennugget7 said:

Hello people! I got into Florida State’s and Alabama’s MFA for fiction. I’m wondering what people have to say about each of these programs here because they both seem like great options and I’m a very indecisive person. Thank you

hii!! sorry i have no info on either really but just wanted to let you know i got into FSU fiction too. maybe we will be classmates next year

[Abebr]

2 hours ago, lizard in a blizzard said:

Holy fucking fuck, I got waitlisted at Michener.

Congrats! Does your portal say waitlisted or in review?

[LouPatt]

So has JHU sent out all waitlists and acceptances? Because I’m only seeing waitlists for fiction. Obviously there m of it be people who haven’t entered data into the spreadsheet but I’m just curious since it’s been pretty much complete silence

[lizard in a blizzard]

1 hour ago, crossingmyfingers1212 said:

omg so excited for you!! still no word, i'm unwell

Crossing my fingers for you!!!!!!

[pengiunsfriend]

42 minutes ago, womaninthevoid said:

hii!! sorry i have no info on either really but just wanted to let you know i got into FSU fiction too. maybe we will be classmates next year

I got into FSU too!! 

[LBA]

Already posted about this, but my post wasn’t very specific. What are people’s experiences with waitlists? First time applying and the only school I’ve been waitlisted at is JHU, and wondering if people hear from faculty ? Or got a more specific email? They don’t do ranked waitlists, so I was hoping to see if getting a follow up email from faculty saying they were glad to see I stayed on the waitlist was hopeful lol😭 it is brutal out here and looking for a glimmer 

[LBA]

42 minutes ago, LouPatt said:

So has JHU sent out all waitlists and acceptances? Because I’m only seeing waitlists for fiction. Obviously there m of it be people who haven’t entered data into the spreadsheet but I’m just curious since it’s been pretty much complete silence

I can see on the draft there’s a handful of Poetry waitlists. I also received a waitlist in poetry from JHU but I’m not sure that means they are all out yet!

[lizard in a blizzard]

1 hour ago, Abebr said:

Congrats! Does your portal say waitlisted or in review?

Still in review, lol.

[precociousreader]

got a finalist notification through email from iowa!!! granted i'm a playwright so our writer's workshop is housed in a different department than fiction and poetry folks but keep your peepers peeled!!! sending so many well wishes and crossed fingers!!

[Ogwick]

28 minutes ago, precociousreader said:

got a finalist notification through email from iowa!!! granted i'm a playwright so our writer's workshop is housed in a different department than fiction and poetry folks but keep your peepers peeled!!! sending so many well wishes and crossed fingers!!

Congrats!!  I’m waiting to hear back on Iowa (Fiction) - only school and program I applied to.  I told myself I wouldn’t get in but enjoy the experience (deadlines to write anything decent enough to share with someone else)