2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[moonfang]

Hi all, new here! Question - if you were accepted and first heard by phone, how long did it take to get the official letter from the grad school? I was recently accepted to my dream program (*happy tears*), but they said it’s not ~official~ until it goes through the grad school, so I’m a ball of pure anxiety waiting for it. It’s only been two days so far - how long does this usually take? Thanks xx 

[asm0deus]

2 hours ago, moonfang said:

Hi all, new here! Question - if you were accepted and first heard by phone, how long did it take to get the official letter from the grad school? I was recently accepted to my dream program (*happy tears*), but they said it’s not ~official~ until it goes through the grad school, so I’m a ball of pure anxiety waiting for it. It’s only been two days so far - how long does this usually take? Thanks xx 

Congrats!!!!

Mine were significantly later. 8 days between call and official letter for one! If I were to guess, I would say it's just a contractually "official" sense that they were referring to. Like the decision isn't available for you to accept or decline until the letter comes through. If you're worried, you could always reach out and ask for clarification. I'd be shocked if any school called you, then rescinded the offer without some large-scale funding loss or smth

Another possibility—though I thought most schools do this BEFORE accepting—they send accepted apps through the grad school afterwards, which to my understanding is more GPA, background check stuff to make sure to meet requirements for admission. So as long as you've got a bare minimum profile (sometimes they list these requirements online or in app info), grad school will approve you and then you're good. 

Just speculations here, but I think you're all good!

[Jitterbug98]

10 hours ago, Solin said:

I feel so awful having to decline an offer of admission. I had expressed that this school had been my top choice––and it was––but now after having considered it, I think my thinking has changed. The program only gave me a week to decide, and while I was pretty set on it at the beginning, my personal/financial circumstances have changed since the date I submitted my app. I'm rethinking the decision entirely. I would be moving across the country without a support system, guaranteed access to healthcare, or sufficient financial aid to live in a very expensive city. The program would only fully fund the second year if I get in state residency, but not the first year. 

I really wish they had given me longer than a week to consider the offer, i would have more time to plan out this commitment. As it stands, I can't confidently rush into a yes when so much in my personal life is at stake.

The situation is making me feel like maybe I'm not willing to try hard enough to reach for my goals, and I'm scared of burning bridges with the faculty for saying it's my top choice and then turning down the offer, but no matter how I put it, the decision to go would not be viable for me. I just kind of felt like shouting this into the void for a sec, the deadline to accept/decline is tomorrow for me and I'm currently drafting up a very difficult email to send...

I don’t think it will be as big a deal as you’re thinking! You haven’t committed to the school, and if it’s not a fully funded program they really can’t blame you for deciding it’s not feasible to attend. 

Edited March 18 by Jitterbug98

[prufrock_]

16 hours ago, ethanthehawk said:

do we think this cycle is/was a lot tougher in terms of competitiveness and the prolonged waiting time? or is it just me coping...

(if it is truly tougher, I wonder why...)

historically, a bad economy results in more competition for grad school spots; people postpone getting a job because there are no jobs, so they continue education. And right now the economy is very very bad. 

[gupppy]

15 hours ago, gupppy said:

If I didn’t receive an Iowa rejection today… could there be waitlist hope 

I’m waitlisted !!! Oh man oh man. I’ve been kicking myself lately bc I only applied with a single novel excerpt that was under 30 pages so I’m helllla shocked rn 

Edited March 18 by gupppy

[ojo534]

11 minutes ago, gupppy said:

I’m waitlisted !!! Oh man oh man. I’ve been kicking myself lately bc I only applied with a single novel excerpt that was under 30 pages so I’m helllla shocked rn 

congrats!!! fingers crossed the waitlist moves and you get an iowa opportunity 

[gafoo]

Now that it seems (most) offers have gone out... how long until you all decide to let your waitlists go, or decline acceptances (if you got multiple)? Do you have a target date? Are you planning on April 15 no matter what? 

Asking for myself, because I am going insane on my 3 waitlists and 1 funding waitlist😭

[arghgradapps]

38 minutes ago, gafoo said:

Now that it seems (most) offers have gone out... how long until you all decide to let your waitlists go, or decline acceptances (if you got multiple)? Do you have a target date? Are you planning on April 15 no matter what? 

Asking for myself, because I am going insane on my 3 waitlists and 1 funding waitlist😭

i kind of want to informally make my decision by April 1, and then if another comes up, I'll see what happens

[reyneebondha]

Hi all, congratulations to everyone who got into a program this cycle! I don't have FB and can't access the draft, but I'm wondering if there are any updates from Rice? I haven't heard anything back and am wondering if people already got acceptance or waitlist notifications. Cheers and thank you!

[j1nju]

my phone rang and it was gary shteyngart???? surreal experience. 25k/year funding though... woof. 

any other fiction writers get calls from columbia today? 

(also interviewing for a GTA funding at GMU on monday. if that doesn't come through then it will be back to the drawing board for meeeeee)

[Strawberry14]

I follow Michael Czyzniejewski (the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program at Missouri State) on bluesky and he's posted a few updates about a brand new fully funded MFA program at MO State over the last few days. I gather it's SUPER new, but they're actually looking for applicants for this fall with a 4/30 due date if anyone is interested! There's more info here: https://bsky.app/profile/mczyzniejewski.bsky.social/post/3mhdvsbwcok2k

[blergatron5000]

Is there any way to access the draft without a Facebook account? Is there a reason it's only shared there, and not here in the forums? 

[JamesJames]

1 hour ago, reyneebondha said:

Hi all, congratulations to everyone who got into a program this cycle! I don't have FB and can't access the draft, but I'm wondering if there are any updates from Rice? I haven't heard anything back and am wondering if people already got acceptance or waitlist notifications. Cheers and thank you!

Rice held interviews a few weeks ago, and then a handful of acceptances, waitlists and rejections hit the draft last week

[guntherpingu]

16 minutes ago, blergatron5000 said:

Is there any way to access the draft without a Facebook account? Is there a reason it's only shared there, and not here in the forums? 

No, you have to have a Facebook. The reason is bc there's personal/sensitive information on there and the people who agree to have their info put on the sheet only agree to have others who are also in the Facebook group view it.

[reyneebondha]

20 minutes ago, JamesJames said:

Rice held interviews a few weeks ago, and then a handful of acceptances, waitlists and rejections hit the draft last week

Thank you so much! Are you able to see how many mentioned getting accepted? This is super helpful regardless, I really appreciate it!

[JamesJames]

7 minutes ago, reyneebondha said:

Thank you so much! Are you able to see how many mentioned getting accepted? This is super helpful regardless, I really appreciate it!

Only two acceptances, I think. (The cohort is only four people.)

And no problem!

[blergatron5000]

14 minutes ago, guntherpingu said:

No, you have to have a Facebook. The reason is bc there's personal/sensitive information on there and the people who agree to have their info put on the sheet only agree to have others who are also in the Facebook group view it.

This makes sense. Thanks! 

[birthdaycake95]

Hi! Has anyone heard anything about NYU waitlists/rejections for fiction? I feel like waitlist news historically comes in early March for them. 

[bioluminescent sloth]

Hi! If I'm fairly certain I'm going to accept a program's offer, do you think it's still the best course of action to wait until April just to evaluate all my options before making a final decision? I'm still waiting to hear back from three programs, and I'm on the waitlist of what was previously my top choice (which I told them at the time; I'm hoping it won't burn any bridges if they end up offering me a spot and I decline).

The place I've been accepted has now become my top choice based on a number of factors, including recent interactions with the program's faculty and its positive reputation in the draft. I'm really excited about it and feel super lucky! But I also don't want to make the decision too too quickly. I hope that makes sense.

[Walter Hartwell White]

8 minutes ago, bioluminescent sloth said:

Hi! If I'm fairly certain I'm going to accept a program's offer, do you think it's still the best course of action to wait until April just to evaluate all my options before making a final decision? I'm still waiting to hear back from three programs, and I'm on the waitlist of what was previously my top choice (which I told them at the time; I'm hoping it won't burn any bridges if they end up offering me a spot and I decline).

The place I've been accepted has now become my top choice based on a number of factors, including recent interactions with the program's faculty and its positive reputation in the draft. I'm really excited about it and feel super lucky! But I also don't want to make the decision too too quickly. I hope that makes sense.

Anything that’s best for you is fair honestly! But the way I’d do it if you’re interested in accepting your new top choice right now, is that you email your waitlist saying sorry you’re accepting this offer instead of the waitlisted offers before they can kinda tell you you’re off it, so you don’t burn any bridges or feel like it. They can’t be mad if you already told them no. I think a fair medium between the two though if you still want to think about it is April 1st. That way, they can maybe move people off the waitlists and  you will probably hear from the three other universities you’re waiting on by then. 

[arghgradapps]

13 minutes ago, bioluminescent sloth said:

Hi! If I'm fairly certain I'm going to accept a program's offer, do you think it's still the best course of action to wait until April just to evaluate all my options before making a final decision? I'm still waiting to hear back from three programs, and I'm on the waitlist of what was previously my top choice (which I told them at the time; I'm hoping it won't burn any bridges if they end up offering me a spot and I decline).

The place I've been accepted has now become my top choice based on a number of factors, including recent interactions with the program's faculty and its positive reputation in the draft. I'm really excited about it and feel super lucky! But I also don't want to make the decision too too quickly. I hope that makes sense.

the way I've been doing it is just whittling things down one by one. i always email a waitlist to tell them as soon as I feel I have an offer I'd rather take. It feels the most fair to me as a wait-lister myself. definitely don't worry about burning bridges, this happens all the time. it's sooooo natural to change your mind. so maybe don't commit to that one school just yet, but email those other waitlists to say you're no longer interested. see how you feel when you hear back from those other schools, your reaction might surprise you. but maybe cut that one waitlist loose if you're feeling that you'd rather take your current offer anyway. that's just what i would do i think. 

[blergatron5000]

Has anyone heard from Iowa State yet? Their submission deadline was comparatively late (January 5) but they tend to notify people around this time. I've heard nothing yet. I don't have facebook so I can't see the spreadsheet. 

[Walter Hartwell White]

6 hours ago, Strawberry14 said:

I follow Michael Czyzniejewski (the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program at Missouri State) on bluesky and he's posted a few updates about a brand new fully funded MFA program at MO State over the last few days. I gather it's SUPER new, but they're actually looking for applicants for this fall with a 4/30 due date if anyone is interested! There's more info here: https://bsky.app/profile/mczyzniejewski.bsky.social/post/3mhdvsbwcok2k

Interested in doing this! Do you have any idea when we’d hear back with such a late deadline? I have decisions to make by 4/15 for my ms acceptance. 

Edited March 19 by Walter Hartwell White

[tonybump]

Dear UNLV I know you said you would notify us fiction applicants by the end of the month if we were accepted/waitlisted but I am dying here 😭 this program is my top choice and the wait is killing me

Edited March 19 by tonybump

[mazzykitty]

confused why iowa has been strangely silent this year for poetry, only 2 acceptances on draft and there's supposed to be a class of ~20 something poets?