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MFA Programs Database

Our MFA database includes essential information about low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply.

  • Indianapolis, IN
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Chris Forhan, Alessandra Lynch
    Fiction: Dan Barden, Michael Dahlie
    Nonfiction: Hilene Flanzbaum, Andrew Levy, Natalie Lima

    2023-2024 Booth Tarkington Writer-in-Residence: Leah Johnson

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 12
    Deadline: 5/30/23
  • San Francisco, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Faith Adiele, Tom Barbash, Dodie Bellamy, Rita Bullwinkel, Jasmin Darznik, Joseph Lease, Trisha Ya-Wen Low, Denise Newman, Aimee Phan, Leslie Carol Roberts, Judith Serin

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 12
    Deadline: 1/10/24
  • San Francisco, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Carolyn Cooke and Cindy Shearer (Dept. Chair)

    Associated Faculty: Alex Burger, Nupu Press, George Reyes, as well as guest artists each year.

    Genre: Cross-Genre
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 8-10
    Deadline: 2/15/24
  • Santa Clarita, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Gabrielle Civil, Brian Evenson, Carribean Fragoza, Muriel Leung, Anthony McCann, Chris Santiago, Janet Sarbanes, Matias Viegener

    Genre: Not Genre-Specific
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 14–20
    Deadline: 1/4/24
  • Long Beach, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: David Hernandez, Bill Mohr, Patty Seyburn, Charles Webb
    Prose: Stephen Cooper, Lisa Glatt, Suzanne Greenberg

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 6
    Deadline: 1/15/24
  • Pittsburgh, PA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Richard Blanco, Gerry LaFemina, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Judith Vollmer (U.S. faculty); Jean O'Brien, Enda Wyley (Ireland faculty)

    Fiction: Joseph Bathanti, Karin Lin-Greenberg, Geeta Kothari (U.S. faculty); Evelyn Conlon, Carlo Gébler, Niall Williams (Ireland faculty)

    Nonfiction: Diane Glancy, Gerry LaFemina, Sarah Shotland (U.S. faculty); Brian Leyden (Ireland faculty)

    Visiting Writers in the U.S. and Ireland: Dilruba Ahmed, Kevin Barry, Jo Ann Beard, Claire-Louise Bennett, Colette Bryce, Sandra Cisneros, Toi Derricotte, Anne Enright, Aracelis Girmay, Sinéad Gleeson, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Seán Hewitt, Elizabeth Kadetsky, Claire Keegan, Yusef Komunyakaa, Nick Laird, Ada Limón, Lisa McInerney, Paula Meehan, Rebecca Morgan Frank, Annemarie Ni Churreain, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Mark O’Connell, Joseph, O’Connor, Glenn Patterson, Deesha Philyaw, Francine Prose, Sam Quinones, Donal Ryan, Sapphire, Sejal Shah, Clint Smith, Patricia Smith, Tracy K. Smith, Nick White, Kate Wisel, Kao Kalia Yang, Nidhi Zak

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 20-25 per year
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • Dublin, Barcelona, and Vienna
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Heather Green, Gwyneth Lewis, Alice Miller, Ruben Quesada, David St. John, Peter Streckfus
    Fiction: Robert Antoni, David Bezmozgis, Aleksandar Hemon, Dinaw Mengestu, Keija Parssinen, Kate Racculia, Diana Spechler, David Heska Wambli Weiden
    Nonfiction: Jeffrey Greene, Aleksandar Hemon, Gwyneth Lewis, Diana Spechler

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 10-12 per year
    Deadline: 8/1/23
  • Orange, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Anna Leahy, Brian Glaser, Martin Nakell
    Fiction: Mark Axelrod, Richard Bausch, Liz Harmer, Alicia Kozameh, Martin Nakell
    Nonfiction: Liz Harmer, Anna Leahy, Tom Zoellner
    Screenwriting: Mark Axelrod, Mildred Lewis

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 15–25
    Deadline: 2/1/24
  • Pittsburgh, PA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Heather McNaugher, Sheila Squillante
    Fiction: Sherrie Flick, Marc Nieson, Anjali Sachdeva
    Nonfiction: Marc Nieson, Sheila Squillante

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 15
    Deadline: 2/1/24
  • Pittsburgh, PA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Dilruba Ahmed, Rachel Mennies, Sheila Squillante
    Fiction: Kathy Ayres, Karen Bender, Sherrie Flick, Derek Green
    Nonfiction: Melanie Fox, Paul Hertneky, Suzanne Roberts, Sheila Squillante

    Recent/Visiting Faculty Includes:
    Poetry: Camille Dungy, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Philip Metres, Jeff Oaks
    Fiction: Christopher Barzak, Wiley Cash, Sherrie Flick, Pam Houston, Tim Parrish
    Nonfiction: Kathleen Fallon, Lori Jakiela, BK Loren, Kathryn Miles, Dinty W. Moore, Ira Sukrungruang

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 5–7
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • Chicago, IL
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Kelly Norman Ellis
    Fiction: Cole Lavalais
    Film/Television: Christine List
    Publishing: Brenda E. Aghahowa

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 5–10
    Deadline: 7/15/23
  • New York, NY
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Cynthia Cruz, David Groff, Nathalie Handel, Nicole Sealey, Michelle Valladares
    Fiction: Salar Abdoh, Lyn Di Iorio, Keith Gandal, Andrew Martin, Mark Mirsky, Emily Raboteau, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, Nelly Rosario, Dalia Sofer, Shay Youngblood
    Nonfiction: Mikhal Dekel; David Groff; Yahdon Israel; Emily Raboteau; Irvin Weathersby, Jr.
    Translation: David Unger
    YA Fiction: Mayra Cuevas, Pam Laskin
    Screenwriting / Drama: Robert Barron, Marc Palmieri

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 15
    Deadline: 2/15/24
  • Charleston, SC
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Gary Jackson, Emily Rosko
    Fiction: Bret Lott, Malinda McCollum, Anthony Varallo

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 12
    Deadline: 1/15/24
  • Fort Collins, CO
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Dan Beachy-Quick, Matthew Cooperman, Camille Dungy, Sasha Steensen
    Fiction: Andrew Altschul, Ramona Ausubel, Nina McConigley
    Nonfiction: Harrison Candelaria Fletcher

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 12-15
    Deadline: 1/1/24
  • Chicago, IL
    Core Faculty Includes:

    CM Burroughs, Don DeGrazia, Ames Hawkins, Aviya Kushner, Eric May, Joseph Meno, Alexis Pride, Shawn Shiflett, Tony Trigilio

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 10-15
    Deadline: 1/13/24
  • New York, NY
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Timothy Donnelly, Dorothea Lasky, Shane McCrae, Deborah Paredez, Lynn Xu

    Fiction: Paul Beatty, Anelise Chen, Nicholas Christopher, Rivka Galchen, Heidi Julavits, Binnie Kirshenbaum, Victor LaValle, Sam Lipsyte, Ben Marcus, Orhan Pamuk, Matthew Salesses, Gary Shteyngart, Alan Ziegler

    Nonfiction: Hilton Als, Jaquira Díaz, Lis Harris, Leslie Jamison, Margo Jefferson, Wendy S. Walters

    Translation: Susan Bernofsky

    Recent Adjunct Faculty: Mark Bibbins, CAConrad, Cynthia Cruz, Mark Doten, Joshua Furst, Alan Gilbert, Xiaolu Guo, Madhu Kaza, John Keene, Nicole Krauss, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Lynn Melnick, Daphne Merkin, Ben Metcalf, Erroll McDonald, Jen Percy, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Alice Quinn, Camille Rankine, Leanne Shapton, Benjamin Taylor, Jia Tolentino, Lara Vapnyar, Natasha Wimmer, Brenda Wineapple, Phillip B. Williams, James Wood, Monica Youn, Jenny Zhang

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 110
    Deadline: 1/3/24
  • Saint Paul, MN
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Sarah Ahiers, Sheldon Lee Compton, Brittany Fonte, John Jodzio, Christopher Klim, and Matt Ryan

    Genre: Fiction
    Residency: Online
    Incoming Class Size: 10-20
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • Spartanburg, SC
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Suzanne Cleary, Tyree Daye, Denise Duhamel, Rick Mulkey, Ashley M. Jones, Richard Tillinghast
    Fiction: Marlin Barton, Geoff Herbah (YA fiction), Sheila O’Connor (YA Fiction), Robert Olmstead, Leslie Pietrzyk, Susan Tekulve
    Nonfiction: Denise Duhamel, Robert Olmstead, Leslie Pietrzyk, Susan Tekulve, Richard Tillinghast

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 23
    Deadline: 10/1/23
  • Ithaca, NY
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Ishion Hutchinson, Valzhyna Mort, Joanie Mackowski, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
    Fiction: Emily Fridlund, J. Robert Lennon, Ernesto Quiñonez, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Helena Maria Viramontes

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 8
    Deadline: 12/15/23
  • Chicago, IL
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Richard Jones
    Fiction: Dan Stolar, Rebecca Johns Trissler
    Nonfiction: Ted Anton, Barrie Jean Borich, Miles Harvey, Michele Morano

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
    Residency: Full, Online
    Incoming Class Size: 15-20
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • Center Valley, PA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Stephen Myers
    Fiction: Patrick Crerand, Juilene Osborne-McKnight
    Nonfiction: Stephen Myers

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 6-10
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • San Rafael, CA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Joan Baranow, Judy Halebsky
    Fiction: Kim Culbertson, Claudia Morales
    Nonfiction: Thomas Burke, Marianne Rogoff

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 5-10
    Deadline: 12/1/23
  • Philadelphia, PA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Nomi Eve, Tim Bascom, Eric Bell, Isaac Blum, Denny S. Bryce, Julie Cantrell, Kelly Creagh, J.R. Dawson, Sonali Dev, Richard Fellinger, Ted Flanagan, Tina Ann Forkner, Brandi Megan Granett, Katie Rose Guest Pryal, Ravi Howard, Amy Impellizzerri, Sadeqa Johnson, Karen Karbo, Tif Marcelo, Courtney Maum, Teresa Messineo, Jon McGoran, Adele Myers, Rachel Pastan, Maegan Poland, Jason Rekulak, Aimie K. Runyan, Hank Philippi Ryan, Kelly Simmons, Eric Smith, Scott Stein, Patrick Sylvain, Belinda Huijan Tang, John Vercher, Heather Webb, Alison Whittenberg

    Genre: Fiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 24
    Deadline: Rolling Admissions
  • La Grande, OR
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: David Axelrod, Christopher Howell, Christopher Kondrich
    Fiction: Claire Boyles, Megan Kruse, Molly Reid, Eliot Treichel, Joe Wilkins
    Nonfiction: Melissa Matthewson, Kathryn Miles, Nick Neely, Jodi Varon
    Environmental Writing: David Axelrod, Claire Boyles, Christopher Kondrich, Melissa Matthewson, Kathryn Miles, Nick Neely, Molly Reid, Eliot Treichel, Joe Wilkins

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
    Residency: Low
    Incoming Class Size: 12
    Deadline: 2/1/24
  • Spokane, WA
    Core Faculty Includes:

    Poetry: Christopher Howell, Jonathan Johnson
    Fiction: Samuel Ligon, Gregory Spatz
    Nonfiction: Natalie Kusz, Rachel Toor

    Genre: Poetry, Fiction
    Residency: Full
    Incoming Class Size: 20-24
    Deadline: 2/17/24

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