The University of Alabama · Department of English, Creative Writing Program

MFA Program in Creative Writing

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

Overview

A 48-hour campus MFA in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) or poetry, completed in three years with an optional fourth year focused on the thesis. The program states admitted students are guaranteed financial support for up to four years, with a nine-month stipend and payment of up to 15 credit hours of tuition, subject to satisfactory performance.

Official program name: MFA Program in Creative Writing
Awarded degree: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: The University of Alabama — Department of English, Creative Writing Program
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Three years, with an optional fourth year
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 48 hours of graduate-level credit
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

The catalog lists Creative Writing, MFA, a studio/academic program leading to the MFA degree in creative writing.

Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Creative Nonfiction Poetry

Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Prose
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

24 hours of workshops and forms courses; students may take workshops in any genre
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literature courses

9 hours of literature, criticism, or linguistics courses
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Thesis, typically a book-length manuscript, completed and defended in the final year
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

All students teach after the first year
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literary journal opportunities

Black Warrior Review is edited and run by graduate students
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Joel Brouwer — Professor
Brooke Champagne
John Estes — Director of Creative Writing
Kwoya Fagin Maples
Nana Nkweti
Kellie Wells

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: cw.english.ua.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”.

Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum GPA of 3.0 for regular admission
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation submitted online
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee: Required$65 — $65 for U.S. residents, $85 for international students
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts from each institution with 15 or more credit hours completed; official transcripts after acceptance
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Fiction	20–30 pages	Prose: 20-30 pages of fiction, creative nonfiction, or a combinationSource: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfiction	20–30 pages	Prose: 20-30 pages of fiction, creative nonfiction, or a combinationSource: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry	10–20 pages	10-20 pages of poetrySource: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredAccepted but not required
Source: catalog.ua.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.

Application deadline
December 31, 2026 · for Fall 2027
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Upcoming
Other deadline
December 1 (portfolio materials strongly encouraged) · for Fall 2027
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.ua.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

Tuition coverage and a stipend are offered to all admitted students, subject to conditions the program publishes (for example satisfactory progress). “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Fully funded (conditions apply)

Published stipend: $18,090 (nine months) · 4 years

Funding guarantee: Guaranteed full financial support for up to four years
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage: Full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend: Stipend paid over nine months, currently $18,090
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties: First-year assistants work in the Writing Center, lead discussion sections, or other duties; from the second year, GTAs teach 3 courses per year
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Renewal conditions: Support for up to four years subject to satisfactory performance
Source: catalog.ua.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 Council Fellowships fellowship
Increased stipends
Eligibility: New and returning MFA students
How to apply: No separate application; all eligible students are considered
Source: cw.english.ua.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

catalog.ua.edu/graduate/arts-sciences/english/creative-writing-mfa/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 9, 2026
cw.english.ua.edu/mfa-admissions/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
cw.english.ua.edu/mfa-faculty/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
cw.english.ua.edu/mfa-financial-support/ — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
cw.english.ua.edu/mfa-overview/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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