Arizona State University-Tempe
Tempe, AZ
Three-year program (48 credits)
Funding:Currently, all students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($15,000 per year).
Faculty: Sally Ball, Matthew Bell, Norman Dubie, Beckian Fritz Goldberg, Cynthia Hogue, T. R. Hummer, Tara Ison, T. M. McNally, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Alberto Alvaro Rios
Application (Deadline Jan. 1):
- Manuscript (3 hard copies): 30 double-spaced pages for fiction; 20 double-spaced pages for poetry
- Personal statement: 1,000 words including writing background, intended area of specialization, a brief self-evaluation of recent work, and goals
- Resume or CV
- Teaching assistant application packet
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts (GPA 3.00 or above)
- $70/90 application fee
Admission rate: “At ASU we currently accept 5 poetry students and 5 fiction students into the MFA program each year. The number of applicants ranges from 230 to 300. We typically get more applications in fiction than in poetry.” -Peter Turchi, Director of Creative Writing [Oct 9, 2012]
“ASU is only accepting 5 students total for Fall of 2017 (fiction and poetry combined.) I’m an applicant; this information comes from correspondence with admissions.” -Admitted graduate student [Mar 20, 2017]
Affording the MFA 
Arizona State’s funding has increased to $17k/yr beginning Fall 2015, according to their website.
Scratch that, actually.
The weirdest thing happened yesterday. I checked the ASU and UC Irvine MFA sites in the last month or so and saw that both had increased their funding package by about $2k a year. Then I checked back yesterday and not only has the appearance of both sites been completely overhauled, but their funding has been knocked back down to original levels. I’m not crazy, I swear; this really happened.
$17k per year is correct, although ASU is only accepting 5 students total for Fall of 2017 (fiction and poetry combined.) I’m an applicant; this information comes from correspondence with admissions. 🙂
Thank you!