2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[ojo534]

31 minutes ago, womanonline said:

I can't believe March is almost over and I still haven't heard anything from three programs -- UNLV, Colorado State, and UArizona. I've seen on the spreadsheet that all of them have sent out some sort of decisions at some point, but not rejections. I'm really just waiting for the assumed rejection, and it's so frustrating that it hasn't been sent out yet! 

Arizona is similarly driving me crazy like wdym no activity on my portal since i submitted... at this point it's probably a rejection so just TELL ME and put me out of my misery😭

[potentialyeti]

2 hours ago, womanonline said:

I can't believe March is almost over and I still haven't heard anything from three programs -- UNLV, Colorado State, and UArizona. I've seen on the spreadsheet that all of them have sent out some sort of decisions at some point, but not rejections. I'm really just waiting for the assumed rejection, and it's so frustrating that it hasn't been sent out yet! 

The singular poetry waitlist from UNLV on 3/4 is going to drive me insane. what do you mean there's no other poetry results yet. what does it mean.

[mouthfullofmercury]

Lurked so hard I now have an account. I am a non traditional student finally completing my undergrad this semester and a first time MFA applicant. So far I'm on three Fiction waitlists (UW-Madison, Pitt, and WVU) and feeling the weight of this limbo. I know applications are a dice roll but genuinely did not anticipate the number of applications I'd be up against. I was e-mailed from the director of each program I was waitlisted at and was told they had extraordinary numbers of applicants this year. I wonder if this is typical language they use in waitlists or if this is true? I'm also waiting for Arizona to send me a rejection letter lol.

[matchasimsbury]

got rejected from bu! feeling so content that i’ve finally heard back from everywhere

[OctopusCactus]

21 hours ago, musicsurfer17 said:

Hi! I’m wondering if anyone could give me their honest opinion on what I should do with my given options for an MFA. I applied to a handful of schools and got in to American University and The New School. I was rejected by Syracuse and NYU. I am still waiting to hear back from Hunter but I'm assuming it is a rejection. Both The New School and American gave me partial funding. I got a part-tuition remission award from American and a 60% off tuition award from The New School. So around the same from both schools. They seem like good programs but I'd have to take on some loans to go. 

Honestly, I was really hoping to go to a school that is more well known within the MFA world, or fully-funded, but I also think that on another hand American and The New School both sound like great options for me. I didn’t really have much publications or experience I’m sure compared to other candidates, so I’m assuming it makes sense I may not have been accepted anywhere else. I also didn’t have a great gpa in my undergrad, but my writing I think made up for it.

I’m wondering if I should wait another year and try again for a fully-funded school I might prefer going to or if I should just attend The New School or American? I really would love to go back to school for creative writing so I might become a professor and I am already 30. This was my first time applying. What do you all think? Should I go with The New School or American? Or should I attend more workshops and try again another year? I mean I honestly would have preferred to go to Hunter or NYU but The New School is a good option right? Anyone have any opinions? 

If you got into New School this year it will probably be an option for you next year.  I got in with their max tuition award, turned it down for another program, and was surprised that they emailed me like a year later to see if anything had changed and to find out if I was now interested in attending.  

I know people who went to New School who liked the program but they were all pretty well-off and the tuition they paid wasn't a meaningful amount of money for them.

I would really discourage anyone from taking on debt to get an MFA.  I've loved my program but there is very little, if any, financial ROI for most people with these degrees.  They are NOT a guaranteed path to teaching.  The key hiring criteria for most programs is having a well-regarded book, NOT having an MFA.  

[OctopusCactus]

On 3/15/2026 at 10:45 PM, Solin said:

Has anyone hear of success stories in negotiating funding and how to go about it tactfully? I'm really struggling with whether or not I should negotiate my funding from Columbia and how much more *realistically* I should ask for. I've seen other people online claim that they've negotiated full tuition funding. On the other side of that coin, I've seen people talk about how Columbia offered them more to get them to sign on, only to not follow through. I haven't accepted the offer because of finances, but if there is something in my power that I can do rn to maybe get more funding, I'm willing to try just to say I really gave it my all.

My professor warned me about how expensive Columbia is and how one of their colleagues is still paying off debt. Unfortunately, I'm stubborn and lacking fully developed pre-frontal cortex. I did not make very smart decisions this cycle and kinda dug myself into my own hole. 

If anyone can share any beacons of hope, or a very blunt (but needed) reality check, I'd much appreciate it atm. 

❤️

I know people who successfully negotiated for more funding with Columbia.  They were really direct and said something along the lines of, I really want to attend but you've offered X and I need Y to attend.  Can you close that gap?  There is literally no downside to trying.  Ask for what you actually need!  

That being said, do NOT go into meaningful debt to get an MFA, these degrees have very little if any financial ROI for the vast majority of recipients.  They are not a guaranteed route to teaching, publishing, or any other kind of employment.  

[arghgradapps]

am I going crazy, or has there not been as much waitlist movement this year as it seems there was at this time last year, at least according to draft? 

[bucket]

9 minutes ago, arghgradapps said:

am I going crazy, or has there not been as much waitlist movement this year as it seems there was at this time last year, at least according to draft? 

i’ve been thinking the same thing and i don’t know if it’s just because i wasn’t on any waitlists last year or if it really is very different this year😭

[gafoo]

1 hour ago, arghgradapps said:

am I going crazy, or has there not been as much waitlist movement this year as it seems there was at this time last year, at least according to draft? 

You're not wrong! By this point last year, there were ~5 people who had posted on the sheet indicating they were accepted off a WL. And there were also at least a couple reported before this date (03/24) in both 2023 and 2024. 

It's definitely slightly anomalous, but still way behind when we'd expect major movement. Could be that some schools are taking longer than usual to send out decisions, which leads to more people holding out before making a final call to accept/decline offers? But yeah I've noticed this too and it is killing me lmfao

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, bucket said:

i’ve been thinking the same thing and i don’t know if it’s just because i wasn’t on any waitlists last year or if it really is very different this year😭

Yep it's different this year especially with the current dude and his cronies in office. And it's going to get worse progressively year after year based on today's sociopolitical trends.

https://fortune.com/2026/03/13/national-debt-100-trillion-kent-smetters-penn-wharton/

Edited March 24 by SocialKonstruct

[Jitterbug98]

unrelated to MFA applications but I'm a nonfiction reader for a literary magazine and today I read a piece submitted by a 98 year old woman who only began submitting her writing at age 94-95 and published a chapbook around the same time. And the piece was great! It warmed my heart

 

[meanwhile]

58 minutes ago, Jitterbug98 said:

unrelated to MFA applications but I'm a nonfiction reader for a literary magazine and today I read a piece submitted by a 98 year old woman who only began submitting her writing at age 94-95 and published a chapbook around the same time. And the piece was great! It warmed my heart

 

if you don’t mind sharing (and if anyone else has any insight on this!), how did you get to be a reader for a literary magazine? admittedly i am very out of the loop in the literary world (something i’m trying to work on) and would love to look into doing this!

[bioluminescent sloth]

Does anyone know whether UNLV's program is fully funded plus a stipend, or whether the stipend is the full funding bc we'd get in-state tuition? Based on the website, it sounds like it's the latter, but I'm not totally sure

[Jitterbug98]

3 minutes ago, meanwhile said:

if you don’t mind sharing (and if anyone else has any insight on this!), how did you get to be a reader for a literary magazine? admittedly i am very out of the loop in the literary world (something i’m trying to work on) and would love to look into doing this!

sure! I found this particular opportunity on Submittable, I submit my writing a decent amount and I think I was looking at this magazine to submit to and saw that they were taking applications for readers. But I also follow some lit mags on Instagram and see them posting that they are taking reader applications there. Actually, I just took a look and saw that the journal I read for is open for prose reader applications right now-- if you message me I'll share the name. I think I had to submit a piece of my creative writing, a short (like 2 page) craft essay about something I'd read recently and why I'd enjoyed it, and a personal statement. 

Of note, reading roles are almost always volunteer positions, but that also means that people drop out from their reading duties when they get busy pretty frequently so a lot of journals are always in need of more volunteer readers, so if you want to try it the need is definitely there!

[SocialKonstruct]

OMG. Dead excited to get this book when it appears. McGurl has a friend now. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/middlemen-laura-b-mcgrath/1148306582

[qlowy]

Does anyone have any insights about the Fiction MFA at CCNY?

I was just accepted yesterday - I'm very excited. This was my first application cycle and I was rejected from the other schools I applied to (except Hunter, but I haven't been offered an interview so I assume it's a rejection as well).

I admittedly don't know a ton about CCNY as there is not a wealth of information online, I applied because I live in New York and while it's not fully funded, tuition is very low since it's a CUNY school. The faculty is impressive. The classes are also held in the late afternoon and evening so you can build around a full-time work schedule, which is great for me.

Does anyone have any other insights or past experiences with the program? Poets & Writers lists the incoming cohort size as 18, though I'm not sure if that's just Fiction or if it includes NF and Poetry as well.

Thanks in advance!

[OnTheWhaleRoad]

Anybody out there still waiting to hear from BU with me? Feeling like the last kid to get picked up from practice. It's getting cold out here! 

[kiyaar]

i just got into virginia tech off the waitlist! scream

[CapybaraLit]

Hey everyone, I've been a bit of a lurker and new here. I was wondering if anyone who interviewed has received a response from U Miami that's waitlist or pass. I saw acceptances went out last Friday, it seems, but I haven't seen anything else. Anxiously waiting to know more. Thank you!

[impatientjoy]

The waitlist game is brutal!!

[j1nju]

This whole season has been so up and down. I received two partially funded offers, 99% sure I'll turn those down. Another school accepted me with full funding but after some further interactions and reflection I feel conflicted. They're a good program, the funding is excellent, and the commute is bearable. However something is just not clicking on a fundamental level with the culture. I know that there are people waiting for funding behind me. I feel inclined to turn down all of my offers so that someone else who loves the program may benefit. There's a tiny piece of me however that's worried I will not get a fully-funded offer should I apply again in the future. So feeling all kinds of emotions right now.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What did you do?

Edited March 25 by j1nju

[gupppy]

11 minutes ago, j1nju said:

This whole season has been so up and down. I received two partially funded offers, 99% sure I'll turn those down. Another school accepted me with full funding but after some further interactions and reflection I feel conflicted. They're a good program, the funding is excellent, and the commute is bearable. However something is just not clicking on a fundamental level with the culture. I know that there are people waiting for funding behind me. I feel inclined to turn down all of my offers so that someone else who loves the program may benefit. There's a tiny piece of me however that's worried I will not get a fully-funded offer should I apply again in the future. So feeling all kinds of emotions right now.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What did you do?

Can you elaborate more on not feeling aligned with the program's culture?

[j1nju]

43 minutes ago, gupppy said:

Can you elaborate more on not feeling aligned with the program's culture?

Sure! Some of it is je ne sais quoi--like I have conversations with their people that aren't negative, per se, but something is just not there? Like not in a "these people are bad" way but more of a "these are not my people but they are definitely other people's people" kind of way. I know there are prospective students who are all-in on this program who have not been offered funding so I feel a little bit guilty about that. I also feel a little weirder than I thought I would about being in a program where the funding is so competitive. Also, not culture-related, but the funding they offered me does not come with teaching experience which I was really hoping for. 

All this has made me realize how much I love my life the way it is. I live in a neighborhood where almost everything is accessible with walking/public transit. Commuting to this school would mean 1.5-2 hours in a car every day. When I was applying to schools I was more than willing to do this, but now my spidey senses are tingling so I am reconsidering everything. I am privileged to live in a place with local classes/workshops so I can write and find community without the MFA. I think I just let myself get tunnel-vision about this whole process. Then again, I worked really hard on my applications so I worry about squandering this opportunity in case I want to try again later.

[gupppy]

11 minutes ago, j1nju said:

Sure! Some of it is je ne sais quoi--like I have conversations with their people that aren't negative, per se, but something is just not there? Like not in a "these people are bad" way but more of a "these are not my people but they are definitely other people's people" kind of way. I know there are prospective students who are all-in on this program who have not been offered funding so I feel a little bit guilty about that. I also feel a little weirder than I thought I would about being in a program where the funding is so competitive. Also, not culture-related, but the funding they offered me does not come with teaching experience which I was really hoping for. 

All this has made me realize how much I love my life the way it is. I live in a neighborhood where almost everything is accessible with walking/public transit. Commuting to this school would mean 1.5-2 hours in a car every day. When I was applying to schools I was more than willing to do this, but now my spidey senses are tingling so I am reconsidering everything. I am privileged to live in a place with local classes/workshops so I can write and find community without the MFA. I think I just let myself get tunnel-vision about this whole process. Then again, I worked really hard on my applications so I worry about squandering this opportunity in case I want to try again later.

that makes a lot of sense! Congrats on your acceptances and I hope you land somewhere that feels right.

[clutchingmypearls]

Hi everyone! I am one of those quiet lurkers. I was wondering if anyone has gotten decisions for fiction from UNCG? Interviewed with them a bit ago, but haven’t gotten a verdict yet. Would really appreciate some insight. Thank you so much ❤️