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

MFA in Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in WritingPartial fundingEditorial selection: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A two-year low-residency MFA: four semesters and five nine-day residencies, held on the CalArts campus in Valencia, California, with the option to attend each residency in person or remotely. Semesters are spent working one-on-one with a faculty advisor through monthly exchanges; students complete a critical thesis, a creative thesis and a lecture.

Official program name: MFA in Writing
Awarded degree: Master of Fine Arts in Writing
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: Vermont College of Fine Arts — Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), a CalArts affiliate
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 are held in Valencia, California (Los Angeles County): Summer June 24 - July 1, 2026 and Winter January 2 - 9, 2027..
Delivery / residency: Low-residency
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 in Writing devoted to creative writing in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, 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 per year (summer and winter), each beginning with a nine-day residency.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Length of each residency: Nine-day residencies; five residencies over the program.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Residencies are held in Valencia, California (Los Angeles County): Summer June 24 - July 1, 2026 and Winter January 2 - 9, 2027.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: VCFA's six MFA programs are held on the CalArts campus in Southern California; the administrative office remains in Vermont.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Attendance: Residencies are hybrid; students choose in-person or remote attendance three months ahead, and all students must participate fully in all events either way.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: Students must select a residency mode (in person or remote) three months before the residency.
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
Residency fee: Estimated two-year program cost includes a graduating residency cost of $998.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies: After residency, students study from home at least 25 hours per week with monthly exchanges with their faculty advisor.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies: Four packets per semester, each 25-37 pages of prose or 5-7 poems (max 12 pages).
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Poetry Creative Nonfiction Cross-Genre / Interdisciplinary

Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Single genre (four semesters in fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Dual genre (five semesters in two forms)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Cross-genre (one semester outside the primary genre)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

Residency workshops are led by one or two faculty members and typically include six to eight students.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Critical thesis by the end of the third semester; book-length creative thesis by the end of the fourth.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

Students deliver a lecture and give a literary reading at the final residency.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Internships

Internship opportunities with Hunger Mountain Review.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

Expected workload of 25 hours per week.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Sue William Silverman — Faculty Co-chair, MFA in Writing
Adam McOmber — Faculty Co-chair, MFA in Writing
Ira Sukrungruang — MFA in Writing Faculty
edwin bodney

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 (exceptions in very rare cases)
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Personal statement: RequiredPersonal essay, 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
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial transcripts of all undergraduate coursework
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other requirement: OptionalList of workshops/classes taken and awards/publications; publication not required
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 10 pages	10 pages of poetryFormatting: typewritten, single sided, numbered lower right, Times New Roman 12-pointSource: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	20–25 pages	20-25 pages of fictionFormatting: typewritten, single sided, double spaced, numbered lower right, Times New Roman 12-pointSource: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfiction	20–25 pages	20-25 pages of creative nonfictionFormatting: typewritten, single sided, double spaced, numbered lower right, Times New Roman 12-pointSource: 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
Funding / priority 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
Application deadline
May 1 (final deadline) · 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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All studentsPublished for low-residency study	$12,714	per 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
Application fee: $75Mandatory
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

International students: Accepted international students submit financial information to be considered for need-based college scholarships.
Source: vcfa.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Separate application: Applicants are considered for scholarships during application review; no separate 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
Other: 80% of VCFA financial aid awards support demonstrated financial need; 20% are merit scholarships.
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.

vcfa.edu/admissions/apply-mfa-in-writing/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/admissions/tuition-scholarships-financial-aid — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/news/explore-the-mfa-in-writing-residency-9a4928a6 — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/news/mfa-in-writing-program-study-options-7b7c0c91 — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/pay-for-your-mfa-cost-aid/financial-aid-and-scholarships/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/sections/mfa-in-writing — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
vcfa.edu/the-learning-hub/southern-californias-newest-mfa-d4f269f8 — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
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.