Campus-Based vs. Low-Residency MFA: Structure, Workload and Cost

An MFA in creative writing can be earned by moving to a campus for two or three years or by working from home between short, intensive residencies. Both formats end in a creative thesis, but they differ in how you spend each week, who you study with day to day, how teaching fits in and what you pay. In our directory (October 2026), 74 MFA programs are campus-based and 14 are low-residency (how we count). The examples below come from the programs' official pages; confirm current details with each school before applying.

Delivery is a separate question from intensity. A campus program can be part time, and some low-residency programs offer a slower schedule; check both when you compare.

How a campus-based MFA works

In a campus program you attend workshops, seminars and readings in person during the regular academic year. Brown describes its thesis as representing a student's work during two years in residency. Program lengths vary: Brown's MFA is two years, while Ohio State's and Syracuse's run three.

In these examples, funding is tied to teaching. At Syracuse, first-year students hold a fellowship with no teaching duties, and all students teach undergraduates in their second and third years. LSU's assistantship stipend is for teaching one class per semester. Teaching experience comes with the package, and so does the obligation.

How a low-residency MFA works

Low-residency programs combine short residencies with long stretches of mentored work at home.

• Residencies. Warren Wilson holds ten-day residencies twice a year, in early January and early July, attended by all faculty and students. Bennington also runs two ten-day residencies a year plus a final one, and requires students to stay for the entire ten days. Pacific Lutheran University's Rainier Writing Workshop meets once a year for a ten-day July residency.
• Packet exchanges. Between residencies you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor by sending batches of new writing and reading responses. At Warren Wilson a supervisor receives work every three weeks and replies within three days; Bennington requires four to five packets per term.
• No classroom. Some programs have no online classes at all. Warren Wilson states that instruction after the residency is mainly by email between student and advisor.

Low-residency does not necessarily mean fewer requirements. NYU's low-residency MFA in Paris has the same 32-credit requirements as its residential MFA, with craft courses and workshops delivered as individualized study.

The weekly workload

Low-residency programs publish expected hours, and they are substantial:

• Bennington: a minimum of 25 hours a week, roughly 100 hours per packet.
• Spalding: about 25 hours a week on the standard schedule, or about 12 hours a week on its extended schedule of one semester per year.
• Pacific Lutheran: at least 15 hours a week, with five to seven packets a year over three years (two with advanced standing).

The campus program pages cited here do not state weekly hours; the time goes to classes, writing and, for assistants, preparing and teaching courses. Whichever format you choose, plan your job and family commitments around the published workload.

Funding and cost

This is where the two formats differ most.

Several campus programs publish full-funding policies. Ohio State states that all admitted students are funded for its three-year MFA, with a stipend of at least $22,000 for the nine-month academic year; Syracuse lists a full tuition waiver and a yearly stipend for all students. Policies vary widely between campus programs, from guaranteed packages to competitive or partial aid, so read the terms. See our list of fully funded MFA programs and the funding methodology for how we classify them.

The low-residency programs in these examples are paid for mainly through tuition, offset by grants and scholarships. Warren Wilson explains why it has no assistantships: "As we are together as a group for only ten days a semester, we do not offer teaching assistantships." Instead it offers need-based grants and a few named scholarships. Bennington offers merit scholarships at varying levels and notes that living costs during the non-residency period are not covered by loans or other aid.

Published prices show how costs are built. Compare them only after converting to the same basis:

Travel can be extra. Warren Wilson lists travel to Asheville twice a year and books as additional expenses, and Pacific Lutheran states that travel is not included. Per-semester, per-term and whole-program prices are not directly comparable, and none of these figures includes your living costs at home.

Residency logistics

Before committing, check:

1. Dates and attendance. Can you be away for ten days, twice a year, for two years? Bennington asks students to arrive the day before and stay through the last scheduled event.
2. Housing. Pacific Lutheran requires everyone to stay on campus with no opt-out for housing or meals; Spalding lets students choose a virtual summer residency at the same tuition.
3. International status. Bennington notes that international students receive a new I-20 for each session and need a visa for each of its five sessions.

Which format fits

A campus MFA may suit you if you can relocate, want daily contact with a cohort and are interested in teaching as part of a funded package. A low-residency MFA may suit you if you need to stay where you live, can work independently for months at a time and can cover tuition and travel. Neither format guarantees funding or publication. If you want no travel at all, read our guide to fully online vs. low-residency MFA programs.