Funding Methodology
How we classify program funding, what counts as evidence, and what “fully funded” does and does not mean.
Last updated 9 October 2026
Every funding classification is based on the program's own official pages. Each component — tuition coverage, stipend, years, fees, health insurance, duties, renewal — is stored as a separate fact with its source and verification date, and shown on the program page.
The six classifications
| Classification | Meaning | MFA programs now |
|---|---|---|
| Fully funded — guaranteed for all admitted students | The program states that every admitted student receives tuition coverage and a stipend for the normal length of the program. | 16 |
| Fully funded — subject to published conditions | Tuition coverage and a stipend are offered to all admitted students, subject to conditions the program publishes (for example satisfactory progress). | 15 |
| Competitive full-funding awards | Full funding (tuition and stipend) is available to selected students only. Admission does not guarantee it. | 20 |
| Tuition coverage only | Tuition is waived or remitted, but no stipend is published. Tuition remission alone is not a living-support package. | 1 |
| Partial funding | Some scholarships, assistantships or awards exist for some students; full funding is not stated. | 28 |
| Funding not verified | We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable. | 13 |
The Fully Funded MFA listing shows the first two classifications by default. Competitive full-funding awards are shown in a separate, labelled section.
Evidence each classification needs
- Guaranteed: verified statements of the guarantee (all admitted students), tuition coverage and a stipend.
- Subject to conditions: verified tuition coverage and stipend, plus the guarantee or the published renewal conditions (for example satisfactory academic progress). Ordinary teaching-assistant duties are recorded as duties, not as a condition.
- Competitive: verified tuition coverage and/or stipend that the program says goes to some or selected students.
- Tuition only: verified tuition waiver or remission without a stipend. Tuition remission alone is not a living-support package.
- Partial: any verified funding component that is not full funding.
If research proposes a classification whose components are not all verified, the program is shown as “Funding not verified” and an editor reviews it. Editors can confirm a classification after reading the cited pages (for example when one sentence covers tuition and stipend together); that confirmation is recorded.
What we record
Funding guarantee · Tuition coverage · Stipend · Years guaranteed · Summer funding · Mandatory fees · Health insurance · Assistantship duties · Expected workload · Renewal conditions · International students · Separate application · Other, plus the stipend amount and its period (nine months, academic year, twelve months…) and the policy year printed by the program.
What we do not claim
- “Fully funded” does not mean every personal expense is covered: mandatory fees, health insurance, summer and relocation may or may not be included — the program page says which, when published.
- We do not call a stipend generous or sufficient. Any cost-of-living comparison would need sourced assumptions about rent, household and year; we do not publish one.
- Stipends published for an earlier year are labelled with that year. Funding policies change; confirm the current offer with the program.