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Creative WritingPrograms

University of Notre Dame · Department of English

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts (English - Creative Writing)Fully funded (all admitted)Editorial selection: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A two-year, campus-based MFA in which students specialize in poetry or prose and complete workshops, literature courses, practicums and a book-length thesis. Every admitted student receives a full tuition waiver, a fellowship with a stipend and a health insurance subsidy, and teaches a class in the second year.

Official program name
MFA in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts (English - Creative Writing)
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Notre Dame, IN
Delivery / residency
Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
Two years
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
Not verified
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this degree is listed

The Graduate School lists the degree as a Master of Fine Arts in English (Creative Writing); the department presents it as the MFA in Creative Writing, a practice-based arts curriculum in poetry or prose.

Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

FictionCreative NonfictionPoetry

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

Concentrations and tracks

Thesis / dissertation

  • Workshop and preparation of a book-length thesis, alongside graduate courses chosen across the university.
    Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

  • All MFA students teach an introductory class in the second year.
    Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Community and outreach

  • Fellowship responsibilities include media and promotion, campus activities, editorial work on the Notre Dame Review and Action Books, and community outreach.
    Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Readings and visiting writers

  • Students interact with visiting authors and run their own reading series.
    Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Johannes Göransson — Director of Creative Writing; Professor, poetry
  • Joyelle McSweeney — Department Chair; William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of English
  • Dionne Bremyer — Associate Professor, fiction
  • Cynthia Cruz — Visiting Assistant Professor, poetry
  • Orlando Menes — Professor, poetry
  • Roy Scranton — Professor
  • Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi — Dorothy G. Griffin College Professor of English, fiction

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.nd.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
RequiredOfficial transcript showing conferral of a bachelor's degree due upon enrollment
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose
RequiredStatement of intent, no more than 1,000 words
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation submitted online by recommenders
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé
RequiredCurriculum vitae
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredUnofficial transcripts for evaluation; official records required upon acceptance
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Fiction25–30 pages25-30 pages of prose (short fiction, nonfiction, or a novel or manuscript excerpt)Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetryup to 20 pages20 pages of poetry (20 short poems or several longer poems up to the page limit)Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Optional
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
TOEFL iBT
RequiredTOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for non-native speakers of English
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
IELTS Academic
RequiredTOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for non-native speakers of English
Source: graduateschool.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duolingo English Test
RequiredTOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for non-native speakers of English
Source: graduateschool.nd.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

    January 15

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: english.nd.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.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — Graduate School tuition, including Health and Technology feesFrom the school's rate table for this level$69,510per academic year · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: graduateschool.nd.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)

Funding guarantee
Every admitted MFA student receives a full tuition waiver, a fellowship with a full stipend and a health insurance subsidy
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties
Fellowship carries responsibilities in media and promotion, campus activities, editorial work and community outreach
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Sparks Prize: one graduating MFA receives $37,000 for a third year of writing
Source: english.nd.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Named scholarships, fellowships and assistantships

  • Sparks Prize prize

    $37,000 to live and write for a third year · Awards: 1 · Not renewable

    Eligibility: Graduating Notre Dame MFAs; one student selected

    How to apply: Application

    Source: english.nd.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.nd.edu/creative-writing/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. english.nd.edu/graduate/admissions-and-funding/ — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
  3. english.nd.edu/graduate/mfa/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. english.nd.edu/graduate/mfa/program-of-study/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. graduateschool.nd.edu/degree-programs/english-creative-writing-mfa---masters-traditional/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. graduateschool.nd.edu/funding/ — Official funding / aid 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.

Indiana University-Bloomington logo

Indiana University-Bloomington

Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Bloomington, IN
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry
Duration: Three years
Funding: Fully funded (conditions apply)$19,000 stipend (not stated ("at least $19,000"))
Tuition: $11,280 per academic year · In-state — Graduate, Indiana residents (estimated tuition and mandatory fees, full-time, 11 credits per semester) · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

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