University of Washington (Seattle)

University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Two-year program (55 credits)

Funding & Training: All students admitted to our MFA Program are fully funded. Financial support can consist of a Teaching Assistantship, an Internship/Editorial position at the Seattle Review, a Pollock Creative Writing Fellowship, or a combination of Fellowship and Teaching Assistantship. During the first year, you will teach one section of freshman composition each quarter. While you are responsible for your own class, you will get lots of training and help from the Director of the Expository Writing Program. In the second year, most TAs are able to teach the introductory class in their genre, under the supervision of the Director of Creative Writing. In return, you will receive a tuition waiver, student health, dental and vision insurance, and a stipend of about $15,000 per academic year.

Faculty: David Bosworth, Richard Kenney, David Shields, Maya Sonenberg, Shawn Wong

Application (Deadline Jan. 2):

• Manuscript: 10-30 double-spaced pages for fiction; 6-10 poems for poetry
• Statement of purpose: 500-1,000 words indicating some of the intellectual training and background of prospective students, their fields of interest in future English graduate studies, how the program and faculty at the University of Washington is suited to their needs, and what they would hope to bring to the program.
• Critical writing sample: 15-20 page paper representing the applicant’s best writing, often a revised essay from an undergraduate course or part of a senior project. It is ideal if the paper takes up works or issues identified as areas of interest in the personal statement.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts
• General GRE scores
• $85 application fee

Admission rate: “We receive over 200 applications and generally admit less than 10%.” –Washington University MFA FAQs