MFA Writing

Admissions Requirements

 The fountain on the Green photographed by Roger Crowley

Application deadlines

The following are semester application deadlines:

Summer 2013: March 20, 2013

Winter 2014: August 15, 2013

The MFA in Writing Program reviews applications on a rolling basis, so you may submit your application whenever it is ready. It may take three to four weeks to review.

Once you are accepted, your program will officially begin on the first day of one of the following MFA in Writing residencies:

Winter: December 28, 2012-January 8, 2013

Summer: June 26-July 7, 2013

 

Admissions criteria

Admission to the MFA in Writing Program is based primarily on the quality of original work you submit. You must also hold a bachelor’s degree. In rare and special cases, we admit writers who have not earned an undergraduate degree. Such candidates must show evidence to the Admissions Committee of exceptional academic, literary and/or publishing background. Please contact the program office for more information

 

Application materials

You may request an application form sent by mail, or you can access the application form online. To be considered for admission, you must submit the following:

 

  • the application form.

     

  • 10 pages of poetry, 20 to 25 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction (you may apply in one or more genres).

 

  • Each manuscript should be typewritten, single sided, double-spaced, numbered in the lower right-hand corner, and in Times Roman 12-point font. 

 

  • Please attach an essay (2-3 typed, double-spaced pages) in which you address the following questions:
                        • How long have you been writing seriously?
                        • What previous study have you done in writing and literature?
                        • Is there any additional experience that seems particularly relevant to your application?
                        • Are you prepared to use direct criticism of your work?
                        • What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of your writing?
                        • Do you foresee anything that might prevent you from devoting 25 hours per week to your
                           study or from corresponding regularly with your faculty advisor?
 
    More than transcripts or letters of recommendation, the essay gives us some understanding of your
    experience with writing and criticism, your goals for work in the program, your readiness to work in the
    low-residency format, and the appropriateness of your admission.
 
  
  • Please include a writing sample (3-4 pages, double-spaced) that demonstrates your abilities as a reader and critical thinker. This sample may be something formal that you have written previously for a class or you may write a short essay on a literary work you’ve read recently. The essay should in some way engage questions dealing with the writers craft, subjects and thematic concerns, and/or the ways in which the writer’s work has served as a model for your own literary ambitions.

 

  • A list of all workshops, writers' conferences and other non-credit courses attended (include dates, sponsor, location and faculty/workshop leader).

 

  • A list of all publications prizes, honors, and grants related to your work.
     

 

  • Two letters of recommendation that address your qualifications for graduate-level study in writing. No special form is required; letters may be addressed and sent directly to the Admissions Director.

 

  • A $75 non-refundable application fee (payable to Vermont College of Fine Arts).

 

  • An official copy of your undergraduate transcript sent directly to:

 Admissions Director
MFA in Writing
Vermont College of Fine Arts
36 College St.
Montpelier, VT 05602

 (we do not require GRE scores)