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If you have questions about the program or the admissions process, contact the Creative Writing Director, John Beer, at cw-director@pdx.edu or the Graduate Coordinator at grdstudy@pdx.edu.
Overview
Admission to graduate study is granted on the basis of evidence of preparedness to undertake advanced work and the probability of successful completion of the degree. All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution (the degree may be in progress at the time of application but must be completed before admission can be finalized). We also expect an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25.
Students apply to the genre in which they wish to work: fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.
In compiling your application, consider that the most important part is your writing sample. We are looking for promise, which may take many forms and varies according to genre, but in all cases includes an engagement with language. While many students enter the MFA program with a background in English literature, writing, or journalism, it is not required. Many of our strongest students come from backgrounds in the sciences, social sciences, and other areas in the humanities.
Application Deadline
The MFA in Creative Writing Program admits once a year. The deadline for application for Fall enrollment is January 15. There is no flexibility on the deadline. Applications must be submitted and complete with all supplemental materials by the deadline.
Application Process
Applications are submitted electronically through the Graduate School.
- For the "Letters of Recommendation" section, fill out the recommender's contact information. Click on "Submit Recommendation Request" to send an automated request via email. The recommender will then receive an email with a link that they will follow to upload your letter of recommendation. You can send these requests before submitting your application materials.
- After your application has been submitted, you will be able to log back in and monitor the status of your letters of recommendation. You can send a reminder to your recommenders, add new recommenders, or edit information about an existing recommender.
- Upload all files as PDF/DOC/DOCX/RTF. JPG/TIF/PNG/PDF/GIF is allowed for test scores or transcripts.
- You will not be able to make corrections to a submitted application.
Required Supplemental Materials
- A personal introduction. Approximately two-to-three pages, double-spaced, describing the applicant's background as a writer, goals, and interest in this particular program.
- A manuscript. The manuscript should be in the applicant's primary genre. Manuscript form is defined as having one inch margins, double spaced text, a single, clear, 12-point typeface, no extra space between paragraphs, indented first line for each paragraph, information identifying the author and title of the manuscript on every page, and page numbers. Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced. Previously published, single-authored work will be accepted. Manuscripts should demonstrate mastery of basic craft and literary promise, and should represent your best work regardless of whether or not it has been published. Writing samples can be comprised of one or multiple bodies of work. Fiction manuscripts should be 20 to 30 pages, nonfiction manuscripts should be 20 to 30 pages (of magazine articles and/or creative nonfiction), and poetry manuscripts should be 12 to 15 pages.
- Three letters of recommendation. These should come from a professional or academic author who can comment on your academic performance, or attest to your skills as they pertain to your selected program of study.
- Transcripts. Submit an unofficial transcript from each post-secondary institution at which you received a degree. These transcripts must be a scan of both the front and back of each page of an official transcript issued to you, and may not be a printout of your academic record from your school's website. If you are accepted into the program and decide to attend, you must submit official transcripts to the Graduate School before you can register for classes for your second term of attendance.
- C.V. / Resume (optional). A C.V. or resume is optional but strongly recommended for applicants who would like to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship.
- GRE scores are not required.
Funding and Graduate Assistantships
The English Department offers a very limited number of graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs). GTAs receive a stipend and a 9-credit tuition remission in fall, winter, and spring terms and are appointed for two years, depending on performance and available funding. GTAs will, in their first year, typically tutor in the Writing Center for two quarters and teach WR 121Z: Composition I for one quarter. In their second year, GTAs will typically teach each quarter, though they may opt to spend a quarter in the Writing Center. Applicants who would like to be considered for a GTAship should submit a short (1-2 page) essay describing their interest in and qualifications for the position. They should describe and reflect on any experience they've had as a teacher or tutor, especially of college-level writing, and discuss how they hope to grow as a teacher through their experience as a GTA.
See the English Department graduate student funding page for more information on funding options, including University-wide graduate assistantships, awards, and scholarships.
MFA Offer Guidance
As members of an access institution that serves the public, our MFA faculty seeks to provide clear and frank information so that students can engage in the careful and well-informed planning of their education. We therefore offer this guidance to students receiving enrollment offers from MFA programs.
- We, like many schools, are a signatory to the CGS April 15 Resolution, which states: "Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution." This helps students fully consider all competing aid offers. If requested by a signatory university to decide sooner, consider tactfully noting the Resolution. They may not be aware of their status as signatories, but they are expected to honor it.
- Quickly deciding for or against enrollment does not necessarily confer a financial advantage. If you have an aid offer you're considering accepting, it can be in your interest to first apprise other programs you were admitted to, as they may improve their offers.
- Consult the US Department of Education College Scorecard, which lists each college and program's actual median annual costs, median student debt, and median salary after graduation.
- If the net costs of a graduate institution are not feasible, consider the potential benefits of waiting and applying again the following year. Your application materials can grow stronger in the interim, and your prospects of a better offer may improve.
English Language Proficiency Requirement
If the applicant's native language is not English, and the applicant has not received a baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalently accredited non‐U.S. institution with instruction exclusively in English, the student must demonstrate English language proficiency. Such applicants must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 80. The International English Language Testing System exam (IELTS) may be substituted for the TOEFL; the minimum acceptable score is 6.5. For further information about the English Language Proficiency Requirement, visit the Admissions' English Language Proficiency page, or contact International Admissions at 503-725-8410 or gradschool@pdx.edu.