Admission to the MFA program in Creative Writing requires a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. Other qualifications and application materials are listed below. Applicants should be mindful that meeting the minimum standards for admission does not guarantee admission.
Admission Qualifications and Application Materials
- Applicants should have maintained an overall undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, particularly in English and/or creative writing courses.
- Applicants for the MFA in creative writing usually have an undergraduate major in English, perhaps with an option or specialization in creative writing. Other undergraduate majors may be eligible for admission depending on the quality of the writing sample, but normally all applicants will have taken at least twelve hours of upper-division courses in English.
- Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.
- Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words identifying the specific program to which he or she is applying, the proposed area of emphasis (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction), reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant experience, and future publication and/or work plans.
- GRE general area scores are optional (Institution code: 6546).
- Applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit a score on the TOEFL iBT, or TOEFL and TWE, or IELTS, as part of their application.
Admission Checklist
1.) OSU's English Department requires three letters of reference, please contact your references prior to beginning your application, and obtain their email addresses.
2.) Apply to OSU Graduate College. Click here for the graduate application.
3.) You will complete your entire application electronically.
4.) Non-native English speakers must also submit TOEFL ibt, TOEFL and TWE, or IELTS scores to the Graduate College.
5.) Apply for funding through a teach assistantship, if desired. Click here for assistantship information and application.
Application Deadline
For fall admissions, January 5 is the Priority Placement deadline for applications. Applications received prior to January 5 will be given first consideration for assistantships and financial incentives. We will continue to accept applications until March 1, but the availability of assistantships and incentive packages diminishes after the Priority Placement deadline on January 5.
For spring admissions, the application deadline is October 15. Students admitted in spring are typically not eligible for departmental funding, including assistantships, until the following fall semester.
To apply to the OSU English Department Graduate program, click here.