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Creative WritingPrograms

Vermont College of Fine Arts · Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), a CalArts affiliate

MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young AdultsPartial fundingEditorial selection: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A two-year low-residency MFA focused on writing for children and young adults: four semesters and five nine-day residencies, attended either in person on the CalArts campus or remotely in separate cloud workshops. Students work one-on-one with an advisor each semester and complete a critical thesis, a creative thesis and a lecture.

Official program name
MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young Adults
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Montpelier, VTWhere the program is administered. Most study happens remotely between residencies; residencies take place in Residencies: Summer June 24 - July 1, 2026 and Winter January 2 - 9, 2027 in Valencia, California (Los Angeles County)..
Delivery / residency
Low-residencyShort, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
2 years (4 semesters, 5 nine-day residencies)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
16 credits per semester
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Start
Winter (January), Summer (June)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Why this degree is listed

MFA devoted to creative writing for young readers (picture books, middle-grade and YA novels, nonfiction, verse), with a creative thesis.

Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Residencies and remote study

Short, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Frequency
Two semesters (Summer and Winter), each beginning with a nine-day residency.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Length of each residency
Five nine-day residencies: one at the start of each semester and a graduating residency.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Residencies: Summer June 24 - July 1, 2026 and Winter January 2 - 9, 2027 in Valencia, California (Los Angeles County).
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Attendance
Students choose to attend each residency entirely in person or entirely in the cloud; workshops are offered in each mode, lectures and readings are hybrid.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Some students travel to campus for every residency; others attend some or all residencies from home.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Accommodation
Housing & meals (double-occupancy room) $1,421 per 6-month semester, Winter 2027 - Summer 2027.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies
Semester work is done from home and shared with the advisor through an online platform.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

FictionPoetryCreative Nonfiction

Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

  • Semester-long Intensives (Picture Books, Nonfiction, Novels-in-Verse, depending on semester)
    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

  • Students complete a critical and a creative thesis and develop and deliver a lecture.
    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

  • Students usually work with four different advisors and five different workshop leaders.
    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
  • Students may apply for an additional semester in another VCFA program (Writing, Film, Graphic Design or Visual Art).
    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Linda Urban — Program Chair, WCYA
  • Varian Johnson
  • Anna-Marie McLemore
  • William Alexander

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: vcfa.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
RequiredBachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Personal statement
RequiredPersonal statement, maximum 650 words or 2-3 double-spaced pages
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee
Required$75 — $75 application fee
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample
RequiredCritical essay, 3-4 pages, double spaced
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Any / all genres15–20 pages15-20 pages of fiction or nonfiction for young readers, or two picture book manuscripts, or one picture book manuscript and 10 pages of fiction or nonfictionFormatting: typewritten, single-sided, double-spaced, numbered lower right, 12-point Times New Roman; no illustrationsSource: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

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.

  • Funding / priority deadline

    October 1 (recommended if seeking financial aid) · for Winter start (January)

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    November 1 (final deadline) · for Winter start (January)

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    May 1 (final deadline; April 1 recommended if seeking financial aid) · for Summer start (June)

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: vcfa.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 studentsPublished for low-residency study$13,095per semester · Winter 2027 – SummerSource: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other published fees

Housing & meals (double-occupancy room), per 6-month semester
$1,421 per semester
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Graduating residency
$998 per residencyMandatory
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Funding

Some scholarships, assistantships or awards exist for some students; full funding is not stated. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Partial funding

Separate application
No separate scholarship application beyond the FAFSA.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Need- and merit-based scholarships are offered directly through the programs.
Source: vcfa.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. vcfa.edu/admissions/apply-mfa-in-writing-for-children-young-adults/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. vcfa.edu/admissions/tuition-scholarships-financial-aid — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026
  3. vcfa.edu/news/explore-the-wcya-residency-17b2a4e7 — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. vcfa.edu/pay-for-your-mfa-cost-aid/financial-aid-and-scholarships/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. vcfa.edu/sections/mfa-in-writing-for-children-young-adults — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. vcfa.edu/the-learning-hub/southern-californias-newest-mfa-d4f269f8 — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  7. vcfa.edu/tuition-aid/tuition-fees — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026

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Creative Writing Programs is independent and not affiliated with Vermont College of Fine Arts. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.