University of Wisconsin-Madison · Program in Creative Writing, Department of English

MFA in Creative Writing

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

Overview

A two-year, face-to-face MFA in fiction or poetry requiring 42 credits: workshops in the primary genre, a pedagogy seminar, thesis credits and electives, ending in a publishable thesis. Fiction and poetry are admitted in alternating years, and every accepted student receives tuition remission, a teaching assistantship, health insurance and at least $33,000 in support per year.

Official program name: MFA in Creative Writing
Awarded degree: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: University of Wisconsin-Madison — Program in Creative Writing, Department of English
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Madison, WI
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Two years
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 42 credits
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

The university Guide lists a two-year master of fine arts degree in creative writing in fiction and poetry.

Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Poetry

Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

9 credits of workshops in the primary genre in the first three semesters.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

15 thesis credits for independent writing; publishable thesis in the admitted genre.
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

First-year students teach Intro to Creative Writing; second-year students teach Freshman Composition.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

Alternating-genre admissions: fiction and poetry admitted in alternating years; about six new students a year.
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Amy Quan Barry — Lorraine Hansberry Professor of English
Erika Meitner — Professor of English, Director of the Creative Writing Program
Beth (Bich Minh) Nguyen — Dorothy Draheim Professor of English & Director of the MFA Program
Porter Shreve — Mark and Elisabeth Eccles Professor of English
Nate Marshall — Assistant Professor of English
Dantiel W. Moniz — Assistant Professor of English
Alison C. Rollins
Paul Tran — Assistant Professor of English and Asian American Studies
Sean Bishop — Program Administrator, Teaching Faculty IV
Ron Kuka — Program Coordinator, Faculty Associate

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: creativewriting.wisc.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: RequiredBA or equivalent degree.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of about 500 words.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three recommenders.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé: RequiredCV or resume in pdf format.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts; official transcript if admitted.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other requirement: RequiredUse of AI in application materials is prohibited.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 10 pages	Poetry manuscript of ten single-spaced pages, each poem on a new page (odd-numbered entry years, including Fall 2027).Formatting: single-spaced, 11- or 12-point font, each poem on a new pageSource: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	up to 30 pages	Up to thirty double-spaced pages, one or two stories or novel excerpts (even-numbered entry years; next fiction intake Fall 2028).Formatting: double-spaced, 11- or 12-point fontSource: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredNot considered for admission
Source: creativewriting.wisc.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.

Genre-specific deadline · poetry
December 15, 2026 · for Fall 2027 · America/Chicago
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Upcoming
Genre-specific deadline · fiction
December 15, 2027 · for Fall 2028 · America/Chicago
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Upcoming

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

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: $33,000 (per year (minimum, through TAships and scholarships)) · 2 years

Funding guarantee: All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remission, teaching assistantships, health insurance and other support.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend: At least $33,000 in support each year.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Renewal conditions: Students not in good standing (3.0 GPA, no creative writing grade below AB) could lose their assistantship.
Source: guide.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Separate application: No application process for financial aid.
Source: creativewriting.wisc.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

Martha Meier Renk Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Poetry fellowship
Same support as peers; relieved of teaching in second year · Awards: 1
Eligibility: One admitted poet
How to apply: Awarded upon admission
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Marr Prize in Creative Writing prize
$1,500 · Awards: 1
Eligibility: MFA candidates
Deadline: Typically early March
Source: creativewriting.wisc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

creativewriting.wisc.edu/gradapply/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
creativewriting.wisc.edu/masters/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
creativewriting.wisc.edu/mfa-faculty-staff/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
creativewriting.wisc.edu/teachingaid/ — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
guide.wisc.edu/graduate/english/creative-writing-mfa/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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