Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development · Creative Writing Department (CRWR)

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMFA in Creative WritingFunding not verifiedEditorial selection: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A low-residency MFA with tracks in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and screenwriting and a Native American and First Nations emphasis. Students attend a week-long residency on the Santa Fe campus at the start of each semester, then work one-on-one online with a faculty mentor for a 16-week semester; the program ends with a May graduation residency. 2026-2027 tuition is $6,000 per semester.

Official program name: Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing
Awarded degree: MFA in Creative Writing
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development — Creative Writing Department (CRWR)
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Santa Fe, NMWhere the program is administered. Most study happens remotely between residencies; residencies take place in Residencies are on the campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico..
Delivery / residency: Low-residency
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Four semesters
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: Not verified
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

Awarded degree is an MFA in Creative Writing.

Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Residencies and remote study

Short, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.

Frequency: Students and mentors gather twice a year on campus for an intensive week.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Residencies are on the campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: The program ends with a May graduation residency (thesis approval, craft talk, thesis reading).
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies: Creative work and critiques are exchanged electronically; four packets per semester.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Accommodation: Single room $900 per residency (2026-2027); off-campus arrangements allowed.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Residency fee: Residency meal plan $225 per residency (2026-2027).
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: The July residency is considered part of the Fall semester.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Length of each residency: One week
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Poetry Fiction Creative Nonfiction Screenwriting

Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

Reading program with the mentor; at least eight craft analyses per semester; one of four titles by an Indigenous North American author.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Third semester includes a 20-25 page craft essay.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

Four packets of creative work per semester critiqued by the mentor.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Creative thesis assembled in the fourth semester and presented at the graduation residency.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literary journal opportunities

Students staff the online journal Chapter House.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Ramona Ansubel — MFACW Mentor
Esther Belin — MFACW Mentor
Sherwin Bitsui — MFACW Mentor
Kimberly Blaeser — MFACW Mentor
Abigail Chabitnoy — MFACW Mentor
Kelli Jo Ford — MFACW Mentor
Brandon Hobson — MFACW Mentor
Pam Houston — MFACW Mentor
Toni Jensen — MFACW Mentor
Layli Long Soldier — MFACW Mentor
Tommy Orange — MFACW Mentor
Deborah Taffa — MFACW Mentor

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: iaia.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 degree; need not be in English or writing
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Personal statement: RequiredApplication essay, 2-3 double-spaced pages, answering set questions
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two letters of recommendation
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee: Required$25 — $25 non-refundable application fee
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial transcripts from all colleges attended
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample: RequiredCraft or scholarly essay, 3-4 double-spaced pages
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other requirement: Required$200 deposit by May 15 to hold a place if accepted (deducted from tuition)
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 10 pages	Maximum 10 pages of poetry, not more than one poem per pageFormatting: single-spaced; 12-point Times Roman; pages numbered lower rightSource: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	up to 20 pages	Maximum 20 pages of fictionFormatting: double-spaced; 12-point Times RomanSource: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfiction	up to 20 pages	Maximum 20 pages of creative nonfictionFormatting: double-spaced; 12-point Times RomanSource: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Screenwriting	up to 30 pages	Maximum 30 pages of screenwritingFormatting: industry-standard formatting; CourierSource: iaia.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
February 1, 5 pm (MST) · for Fall · America/Denver
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: iaia.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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
United States students, per semesterPublished for low-residency study	$6,000	per semester · 2026-2027Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International — International, per semesterPublished for low-residency study	$6,000	per semester · 2026-2027Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other published fees

Residency single room (per residency): $900 per residency
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Residency meal plan (per residency): $225 per residency
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Technology Fee (Full-Time): $300 per semesterMandatory
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Graduate Graduation Fee: $100 entire program
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Funding

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Funding not verifiedPolicy year: 2026-2027

Separate application: No separate scholarship application; applicants before February 1 are considered for all IAIA scholarships.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: IAIA does not participate in the Federal Student Loan Program.
Source: iaia.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

iaia.edu/explore-programs/creative-writing-mfa/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
iaia.edu/explore-programs/creative-writing/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
iaia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026-2027_iaia_catalog_tuition_fees.pdf — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 9, 2026

Something out of date? Request a correction · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Similar programs

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

Bennington College

Bennington Writing Seminars / MFA in Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing

Bennington, VT

Low-residency

Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry · Literary Translation

Two years: four terms (five for dual-genre) and five residencies (six for dual-genre)

Partial funding

$12,700 per term · All students — Per term, including residency room and board · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

View programSelected in: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

New York University

Low Residency MFA Writers Workshop in Paris

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

New York, NY

Low-residency

Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction

Duration not verified

Funding not verified

Tuition not published

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Pacific University

Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFA)

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing

Forest Grove, OR

Low-residency

Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction

Two years: at least four semesters of study and five residencies

Partial funding

$23,528 per academic year · All students · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

View programSelected in: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

Creative Writing Programs is independent and not affiliated with Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.