2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[hermione granger]

have brown waitlists for fiction gone out - _ -

Edited March 19 by hermione granger
keeps changing my emoticon to a real emoji Stop

[dontwanttodothis]

If someone with Facebook gets a sec, could you eyeball some 2025 results and say whether it seems like the majority of 'off the waitlist' acceptances came before or after April 15th? 

Or question for vets here: if you're in Vegas and have to lay a bet on "pre April 15" or "post April 15" for a waitlist acceptance... what're you betting? (Say an average, solid, fully-funded program.)

 

[spg_]

45 minutes ago, dontwanttodothis said:

If someone with Facebook gets a sec, could you eyeball some 2025 results and say whether it seems like the majority of 'off the waitlist' acceptances came before or after April 15th? 

Or question for vets here: if you're in Vegas and have to lay a bet on "pre April 15" or "post April 15" for a waitlist acceptance... what're you betting? (Say an average, solid, fully-funded program.)

 

verrrry unscientific ctrl+f search suggests that it's about an even split between before and on/after, with a slight leaning towards before. Other superior data analysts welcome to challenge this !

[hermione granger]

miffy started dropping the stats in the spreadsheet to flex on us… you go girlboss

[impatientjoy]

Just here to say we really don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes!! I had assumed a rejection from Montana based on the draft sheet, but I just got my call from Sean Hill!! Really helped reframe the whole process for me and reminded me I should wait for confirmation from schools instead of assuming! On the waitlist for funding so fingers crossed others say no!! 

[OnTheWhaleRoad]

Bostonnnnnnn 🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗

[gafoo]

4 hours ago, dontwanttodothis said:

If someone with Facebook gets a sec, could you eyeball some 2025 results and say whether it seems like the majority of 'off the waitlist' acceptances came before or after April 15th? 

Or question for vets here: if you're in Vegas and have to lay a bet on "pre April 15" or "post April 15" for a waitlist acceptance... what're you betting? (Say an average, solid, fully-funded program.)

 

It's an interesting question! It's hard to tell because there's not a clear status for "Accepted off waitlist." We have to rely on users who log an acceptance on the draft sheet and add an optional note that says something like "accepted off waitlist." 

That said, from 2025's draft sheet, there are: 

• 11 acceptances post April 15th (Latest one being mid-May! Insane.) 
• 30 acceptances in the week of April 8-15th (Of which, I think we can reasonably assume most are WL movements) 

Of course, the less prestigious programs (ones that offer smaller stipends, or have less reputation) often end up getting the worst end of the waitlist cascade, and I'd imagine are more likely to need to work down through the waitlist after April 15. 

For an "average, solid, fully-funded program," my money's on the week leading up to the deadline, and even the day-of. 

[gafoo]

3 hours ago, hermione granger said:

miffy started dropping the stats in the spreadsheet to flex on us… you go girlboss

The thing I respect most about miffy and mtown is that they are mogging all of us and haven't made a single peep about it in the forum/FB group at all. I would be talking about it constantly. Good for them

[bucket]

i was mixing up schools😭😭😭

Edited March 19 by bucket

[frootkoops36]

Hi friends, I’m afraid this is my last post for this cycle as I got my last rejection. I’m feeling very discouraged, but hopeful at the same time. 
 

I turned 24 this year and took two years after undergrad to apply again, so this is my second cycle. I will say that I have had many a revelation this time around in terms of fine tuning my voice as a poet. I have much to work on and read, and most of all, I haven’t really submitted anything for publication. I am wanting to dedicate this next year to doing just that and writing. 
 

for any of you who might be my age or older, did you find that it does truly take time to get into a fully funded MFA? The creeping doubt and anxiety is saying that I will never get a shot at it, but I know this is just my blues talking. 
 

good luck and congrats to all who already have offers and acceptances/waitlists. Take care. 

Edited March 19 by frootkoops36

[potentialyeti]

5 minutes ago, frootkoops36 said:

Hi friends, I’m afraid this is my last post for this cycle as I got my last rejection. I’m feeling very discouraged, but hopeful at the same time. 
 

I turned 24 this year and took two years after undergrad to apply again, so this is my second cycle. I will say that I have had many a revelation this time around in terms of fine tuning my voice as a poet. I have much to work on and read, and most of all, I haven’t really submitted anything for publication. I am wanting to dedicate this next year to doing just that and writing. 
 

for any of you who might be my age or older, did you find that it does truly take time to get into a fully funded MFA? The creeping doubt and anxiety is saying that I will never get a shot at it, but I know this is just my blues talking. 
 

good luck and congrats to all who already have offers and acceptances/waitlists. Take care. 

I'll be 30 in two months, on MFA application cycle # 6, and I just got my first funded waitlist this year. (Unfunded acceptance a few years ago.) There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you're pigheaded enough to keep trying!

Re: Voice, speaking entirely for myself here, but I personally don't feel like I had anything worth saying as a writer until after 25. The ability to string together a beautiful sentence is one thing, the ability to say something substantial is another. IMO your chances get better the older you are and the more time you've both practiced your craft and experienced life. 

[potentialyeti]

14 hours ago, tonybump said:

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

heavy breathing 

same hat here, but for poetry

[strawberrymatcha]

UNLV is the last one for me too and I’m scared haha…. 2 more weeks tops!

[ojo534]

the fact that i haven't heard anything from my last three pending schools for the last TWO WEEKS is driving me insane... i feel optimistic about my waitlist rn but i have no idea if it'll be fully funded or not until i (maybe) get the acceptance

[Hank Moody]

Has NYU send waitlists already and I missed it? Why are they sending out rejections before waitlists otherwise?

[maxmaxmax]

Respectfully, why is someone going out of their way to downvote people after being rude a few days ago, not only with the same social handle across platforms, but with their face posted next to their posts as well 

[LB349]

14 minutes ago, Hank Moody said:

Has NYU send waitlists already and I missed it? Why are they sending out rejections before waitlists otherwise?

I had the exact same question. Has this happened before?

[Hank Moody]

@JUSTVERDE glad to see you're providing the valuable service of lurking on this thread and downvoting random posts. We are collectively indebted to you for spending your invaluably precious time on us, letting us know what does not please you.

[yamselot]

3 hours ago, OnTheWhaleRoad said:

Bostonnnnnnn 🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗

Literally! I've seen some rejections trickling in though. Has anyone gotten a Poetry acceptance yet?

[Hank Moody]

9 minutes ago, LB349 said:

Has this happened before?

Based on the last few years at least, it seems like they send waitlists a week or so before rejections. Don't know what's up this time. Given its popularity and cohort size, I'd be surprised if none of the waitlisted people were logging it in the spreadsheet.

[junebugboy]

1 hour ago, potentialyeti said:

I'll be 30 in two months, on MFA application cycle # 6, and I just got my first funded waitlist this year. (Unfunded acceptance a few years ago.) There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you're pigheaded enough to keep trying!

Re: Voice, speaking entirely for myself here, but I personally don't feel like I had anything worth saying as a writer until after 25. The ability to string together a beautiful sentence is one thing, the ability to say something substantial is another. IMO your chances get better the older you are and the more time you've both practiced your craft and experienced life. 

I'm 22, and it's really inspiring to see all of you who are older than me continuing to go for it. I have gotten all rejections so far (1 pending, but they already sent out waitlists so I'm not hopeful) but I'm really excited to apply again next year. I didn't even consider reapplying to be a possibility until I joined this forum and the Facebook group! Y'all are amazing, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this community. 

[puzzlebook]

Did NYU send rejections already? 

[OnTheWhaleRoad]

9 minutes ago, yamselot said:

Literally! I've seen some rejections trickling in though. Has anyone gotten a Poetry acceptance yet?

I have an evidence-free hypothesis that they largely don't accept anyone until the very end and then they select acceptances from the waitlist and applicants who have survived the cuts without notification. Effectively the opposite of everywhere else, lol. 

Every time I see a rejection in the sheet, I wonder if I lived to see another day or they just haven't read my application yet. 

[LouPatt]

4 minutes ago, OnTheWhaleRoad said:

I have an evidence-free hypothesis that they largely don't accept anyone until the very end and then they select acceptances from the waitlist and applicants who have survived the cuts without notification. Effectively the opposite of everywhere else, lol. 

Every time I see a rejection in the sheet, I wonder if I lived to see another day or they just haven't read my application yet. 

I do know that waitlists have been sent out, maybe not all, but some. I saw someone on the FB group say they were waitlisted on 2/28, and I received one on 3/16. Not sure if this is helpful at all. Good luck!

[iamnotapoet]

just got waitlisted at NYU.. wow. first time applying, right out of undergrad, im so shocked. i thought for sure i wouldn't even be waitlisted anywhere. of course its not an acceptance, but im thrilled. wow. i spoke to NYU at AWP, and they were... not my type of people. so I dont even know if I would go there, but im so ecstatic, this is definitely a confidence booster. Don't give up!!