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Ohio State University · Department of English

MFA Program in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative WritingFully funded (all admitted)Editorial selection: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A three-year, campus-based MFA in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction requiring 39 semester hours, including 15 hours of workshops and a creative thesis with an oral defense. All admitted students are funded; teaching associates receive a stipend of at least $22,000 for the nine-month academic year, a tuition waiver and a health insurance subsidy. For the 2027 cycle the program is accepting applications in fiction and poetry only.

Official program name
MFA Program in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Columbus, OH
Delivery / residency
Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
Three years
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
39 semester hours of graduate-level course work
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Start
Fall
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Why this degree is listed

Dedicated Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction).

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

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

PoetryFictionCreative Nonfiction

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

Workshops

  • Fifteen hours of graduate creative writing workshops; workshops are repeatable and include sections for writers working outside their home genre.
    Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literature courses

Craft courses

Thesis / dissertation

  • Nine hours of creative thesis tutorial and an approved creative thesis followed by an oral defense.
    Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

  • Graduate teaching associates teach two classes a year, one in autumn and one in spring.
    Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

  • Only fiction and poetry applications are being accepted this cycle.
    Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Marcus Jackson — Director of the Creative Writing Program, poetry
  • Lee Martin — College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of English, fiction
  • Elissa Washuta — Core faculty, creative_nonfiction
  • Allison Pitinii Davis — Core faculty, poetry
  • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala — Core faculty, fiction
  • Angus Fletcher — Affiliated faculty, screenwriting

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.osu.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
RequiredEquivalent of a four-year bachelor's or advanced degree from a regionally accredited institution by the expected date of entry
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA
RequiredGraduate School minimum undergraduate GPA 3.0; department prefers 3.2 overall
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Personal statement
RequiredPersonal statement, one to two single-spaced pages
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation submitted electronically
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee
RequiredApplication form and fee
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee waiver
OptionalFee waiver application available
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredTranscripts or record of marks for each university-level school attended, sent to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other requirement
RequiredApplicants who have earned or are completing an MFA in creative writing are not eligible
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Poetry15–25 pages15 to 25 pages of poetrySource: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction20–40 pages20 to 40 double-spaced pages of fictionFormatting: double-spacedSource: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfiction20–40 pages20 to 40 double-spaced pages of nonfiction (not accepted in the current cycle)Formatting: double-spacedSource: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Not requiredNot required since autumn 2018
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
TOEFL iBT
Required — minimum 79For applicants whose native language is not English; 79 on the TOEFL iBT
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
IELTS Academic
Required — minimum 7For applicants whose native language is not English
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duolingo English Test
Required — minimum 120For applicants whose native language is not English
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

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.

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.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
In-state — Columbus graduate programs not listed separately, instructional fee per credit hour (per-credit fee capped at the cost of 8 credit hours)From the school's rate table for this level$854.63per credit · 2026-2027Calculated$33,330.57 total = 39 credits × $854.63 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, residency or travel costs, and any rate change during the program.Source: registrar.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other published fees

Student Activity Fee (per semester)
$39.50 per semesterMandatory
Source: registrar.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

These are the published rates. The program also states tuition coverage for funded students — see Funding below for what is covered.

Funding

The program states that every admitted student receives tuition coverage and a stipend for the normal length of the program. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Fully funded (all admitted)

Published stipend: $22,000 (nine-month academic year) · 3 years

Funding guarantee
All admitted students are fully funded for the three-year program
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage
Tuition waiver for all GTAs
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend
GTA stipend of at least $22,000 for the nine-month academic year
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Mandatory fees
Students pay COTA bus, student activity, Student Union and Recreation Center fees
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Health insurance
100% of student health insurance premiums subsidized
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties
GTAs teach one course per term during the regular academic year
Source: english.osu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Renewal conditions
Funding renewed yearly with satisfactory academic progress
Source: english.osu.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

  • Graduate School Recruitment Fellowships fellowship

    Monthly stipend, academic tuition and fees, and 100% health insurance premium subsidy · Not renewable

    Eligibility: Students new to graduate education at Ohio State, nominated by the department; competitive

    How to apply: Departmental nomination; students may not apply directly

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

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 9, 2026.
  1. english.osu.edu/graduate/mfa — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. registrar.osu.edu/student-hub/tuition-and-fees/graduate-tuition-and-fees-2026-2027/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 9, 2026

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Similar programs

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

Bowling Green State University logo

Bowling Green State University

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Bowling Green, OH
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program. · Full-time
Genres: Fiction · Poetry
Duration: Two years
Funding: Fully funded (conditions apply)
Tuition: $6,881.88 (basis not stated by the school) · In-state — Graduate, main campus, Ohio resident, 12-18 credit hours (instructional and general fees) · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

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