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University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Department of English, Creative Writing Program

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

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

Overview

A two-year, 55-credit MFA on the Seattle campus in poetry or prose, with workshops, graduate literature seminars, and a thesis consisting of a creative manuscript, a critical essay and an oral presentation. The department offers a funding package with tuition waiver, health insurance and a monthly stipend to all admitted students for two academic years.

Official program name
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Seattle, WA
Delivery / residency
Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Full-time
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duration
Two years (six full-time quarters)
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
55 credits
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this degree is listed

The department awards a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry or Prose).

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

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

PoetryFiction

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

Concentrations and tracks

Workshops

Literature courses

Thesis / dissertation

  • Creative manuscript (minimum 30 pages of poems, 100 pages of stories/essays, or 150 pages of a novel or book-length essay), a 20-30 page critical essay and an oral presentation.
    Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

  • No separate nonfiction track; nonfiction may be submitted in the prose category and in fiction workshops.
    Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Readings and visiting writers

Faculty listed by the program

  • David Bosworth — Part-time, fiction
  • Nikki David Crouse — fiction
  • Rae Paris — fiction
  • David Shields — fiction
  • Maya Sonenberg — Director, fiction
  • Andrew Feld — poetry
  • Pimone Triplett — poetry

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.washington.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”.
Statement of purpose
RequiredStatement of purpose, 500-1,000 words
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredUnofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample
RequiredCritical writing sample, 8 to 25 pages
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International applicants
RequiredNon-native English speakers must also meet Policy 5.2 requirements to teach.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Poetry—6-10 poemsSource: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction15–30 pages15-30 pages of short stories, memoir, personal essays, or a novelSource: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Not required
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
TOEFL iBT
RequiredNon-native English speakers; to teach, at least 5 on the TOEFL-iBT speaking section (26 for exams before January 21, 2026).
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
IELTS Academic
OptionalAlternative; at least 7.0 on the speaking section to teach.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duolingo English Test
OptionalAlternative; at least 140 on the speaking or conversation section to teach.
Source: english.washington.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 2, 11:59pm PST (following Monday if on a weekend) · America/Los_Angeles

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: english.washington.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)

Funding guarantee
Funding package offered to all admitted MFA students: tuition waiver, health insurance, monthly stipend for two academic years.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend
Monthly stipend may be lower during fellowship quarters.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties
Combination of teaching and fellowship quarters; one class per teaching quarter, mostly composition.
Source: english.washington.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Program overview also states all accepted students are funded through teaching assistantships and fellowships.
Source: english.washington.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.washington.edu/creative-writing-program — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. english.washington.edu/creative-writing-readings-and-publications — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  3. english.washington.edu/creative-writing-resources — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. english.washington.edu/mfa-application-checklist — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. english.washington.edu/mfa-program-overview — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. english.washington.edu/prospective-mfa-frequently-asked-questions — 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.

Pacific Lutheran University logo

Pacific Lutheran University

Rainier Writing Workshop: Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing
Location: Tacoma, WA
Format: Low-residencyShort, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Three years (Regular Standing); two years (Advanced Standing)
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $46,010 entire program · All students — 2026-27 Program Cost (tuition for 44 credits plus residency accommodation and meals) · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

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