Arizona State University · Department of English (The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Creative Writing, MFA

MFAMFA Creative WritingCompetitive full funding

Overview

A three-year, 48-credit MFA on the Tempe campus with fiction and poetry tracks, including a workshop outside the primary genre, a written comprehensive exam and an applied project. Teaching assistantships with a $24,586 annual stipend, tuition award and health insurance are awarded competitively and are not guaranteed.

Official program name: Creative Writing, MFA
Awarded degree: MFA Creative Writing
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: Arizona State University — Department of English (The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Tempe, AZ
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Three years
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593)
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

Degree awarded is the MFA in Creative Writing.

Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Poetry

Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Fiction Track
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry Track
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Craft courses

Required core: ENG 585 Artful Attention: Writers as Readers and ENG 665 Creative Methods.
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

Track requirement includes workshops in the primary genre and one workshop in another genre (poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction).
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Written comprehensive exam and an applied project (ENG 593).
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Internships

Translation experience through the Thousand Languages Project and internships with Four Way Books.
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Tara Ison — Director of Creative Writing, Professor

As listed on the program's official page on October 9, 2026. Listing does not mean a faculty member is teaching or supervising new students in a given year.

Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution; undergraduate major in English or creative writing expected, with exceptions for writing excellence
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3.00 GPA in the last 60 hours of the first bachelor's degree or in an applicable master's program
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of purpose (writing background, intended specialization, self-evaluation; up to three pages or 750 words)
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé: RequiredResume or curriculum vitae
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee: RequiredGraduate admission application and application fee
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial transcripts
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample: RequiredAcademic writing sample (10-15 pages for TA applicants) and statement of teaching philosophy
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International applicants: RequiredProof of English proficiency for non-native speakers who have not graduated from a U.S. institution
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 20 pages	Up to 20 pages of poetrySource: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	up to 30 pages	Up to 30 pages of proseFormatting: double-spacedSource: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness: programs rarely publish comparable figures.

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the admissions cycle the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
January 1 (final) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Year not printed
Funding / priority deadline
January 1 (teaching assistantship materials submitted with the graduate application) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other.

Tuition: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Funding

Full funding (tuition and stipend) is available to selected students only. Admission does not guarantee it. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Competitive full funding

Published stipend: $24,586 (annual)

Funding guarantee: Teaching assistantships are competitive and not guaranteed
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend: $24,586 annual stipend including a tuition award and health insurance
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Expected workload: Three courses per year (2-1 load; first-year TAs 1-2)
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International students: International students eligible; non-native speakers must meet speaking proficiency scores
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Separate application: MFA applicants submit an academic writing sample (10-15 pages) and statement of teaching philosophy
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We do not judge whether a stipend is sufficient: living costs differ by city, household and year.

Named scholarships, fellowships and assistantships

Community Outreach Graduate Assistantship (Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing) assistantship
Eligibility: MFA students
Source: english.asu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 9, 2026.

english.asu.edu/admission/graduate-admission/funding — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
english.asu.edu/degree/graduate/mfa-creative-writing — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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Similar programs

Same degree level, nearby or in the same format. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

University of Arizona

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Tucson, AZ

Campus-based · Full-time

Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry

Three years in residence

Fully funded (all admitted)$22,500 stipend (academic year (2025-2026 figure, 'about'))

$15,700 per academic year · In-state — Graduate main campus, Arizona resident, estimated tuition and fees (six-unit semester rate) · 2026-2027

December 14, 2026 · Fall 2027

View programSelected in: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

Creative Writing Programs is independent and not affiliated with Arizona State University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.