MFA in Creative Writing Admissions and Financial Support

We are excited to receive your application!

Read this entire page! Admission to the MFA in Creative Program at Cornell University is highly competitive with about 1% of applications admitted. The Graduate Admissions Committee considers several factors for admission to the graduate program, and all applicants must meet the general admission requirements set by the Graduate School. Once admitted, all students are fully funded by the Department for two years through assistantships, provided suitable progress is being made toward completing the degree.

Deadlines and Details:

• Please use the Graduate School's online application. The application for Fall 2026 will be live on September 15, 2025.
• The application deadline is December 1, by which all application materials must be submitted. Including Letters of Recommendation.
• You can find information about the application fee and waiver process on the Graduate School's website.
• We only accepts students for the fall semester. We do not have a spring admissions cycle.
• All materials need to be uploaded to the application. No hard copy materials will be accepted.
• Be sure to read through our FAQ at the bottom, as well as the Graduate School's admissions and admitted student FAQ. The Graduate School's admissions team can be contacted via their form.
• The English Language proficiency policy is set by the Graduate School. Please their website for further specifications, including information on exemptions.
• We ask that applicants not reach out to faculty and students. Among the factors we consider as part of the admissions process is whether applicants have a fit with faculty research interests and goals. Prospective students are encouraged to investigate field faculty members’ research areas before applying and identify those faculty members with whom they might be interested in working. The application allows you to "tag" faculty and it is also helpful if you mention names in the research statement. This represents the collaborative approach Literatures in English takes to admissions. Moreover, we share a commitment to interacting with prospective applicants in the fairest way possible.
   

Eligibility: Applicants must currently have, or expect to have, at least a BA or BS (or the equivalent) in any field before matriculation. International students, please verify degree equivalency here. Applicants are not required to take the GRE test or meet a specified GPA minimum.

To Apply: All applications and supplemental materials must be submitted on-line through the Graduate School application system. While completing your application, you may save and edit your data. Once you click “submit,” your application will be closed for changes. Please proofread your materials carefully. Once you pay and click submit, you will not be able to make any changes or revisions.

DEADLINE: Dec. 1, 11:59 p.m. EST. This deadline is firm. No applications, additional materials or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

Academic Statement of Purpose

Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe, within 1000 words: (1) your academic interests, (2) your academic background, preparation, and training, including any relevant professional experiences, (3) your reasons for pursuing graduate studies in this specific program, and (4) your professional goals.

Personal Statement

Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, it should provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together.

Writing your Personal Statement provides you with an opportunity to share experiences that provide insights into how your personal, academic, and/or professional experiences demonstrate your ability to be both persistent and resilient, especially when navigating challenging circumstances. The statement also allows you to provide examples of how you engage with others and have facilitated and/or participated in productive collaborative endeavors. Additionally, it provides you with an opportunity to provide context around any perceived gaps or weaknesses in your academic record.
Content in the Personal Statement should complement rather than duplicate the content contained within the Academic Statement of Purpose, which should focus explicitly on your academic interests, previous research experience, and intended area of research during your graduate studies.
A complete writing prompt is available in the application portal.

Creative Writing Sample

Please submit your required writing sample according to the limits stated below. Excess pages will not be reviewed. All writing samples must be originally written in English. Translated work will not be accepted.

• Fiction applicants: Your sample must be between 6,000 and 10,000 words, typed, double-spaced, in a conventional 12- or 14-point font. It may be an excerpt from a larger work or a combination of several works.
• Poetry applicants: Your sample must be 10 pages in length and include a combination of several poems, where possible.

Three Letters of Recommendation

Please select three people who best know you and your work. Submitting additional letters will not enhance your application. In the recommendation section of the application, you must include the email address of each recommender. After you save the information (and before you pay/submit), the application system will automatically generate a recommendation request email to your recommender with instructions for submitting the letter electronically. If your letters are stored with a credential service such as Interfolio, please use their “online application delivery” feature and input the email address assigned to your stored document, rather than that of your recommender’s. The electronic files will be attached to your application when they are received and will not require the letter of recommendation cover page.
Please do not postpone submitting your application while waiting for us to receive all three of your letters. 
For more information please visit the Graduate School's page on preparing letters of recommendations.

Transcripts

Scan transcripts from each institution you have attended, or are currently attending, and upload into the academic information section of the application. Be sure to remove your social security number from all documents prior to scanning. Please do not send paper copies of your transcripts. If you are subsequently admitted and accept, the graduate school will require an official paper transcript from your degree-awarding institution prior to matriculation.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

All applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency. For more information, please view the Graduate School’s English Language Requirement.

All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed two years of funding (including a stipend, a full tuition fellowship and student health insurance). This applies to both international and domestic students. 

Year One:

Graduate Assistantship with EPOCH. Students read submissions, plan special issues and assume other editorial and administrative responsibilities.
Summer Teaching Assistantship, linked to a teachers' training program. Summer residency in Ithaca is required.

Year Two:

Teaching Assistantship through the Knight Institute

Optional MFA Lecturer Appointments

Degree recipients who are actively seeking outside funding/employment are eligible to apply to teach for one or two years as a lecturer. These positions are dependent on an application, successfully graduating, and are not guaranteed. They are made possible by an endowment established by the late Philip H. Freund ’29 and a bequest from the Truman Capote Literary Trust.
 

Check out the questions below and review program timeline and procedural guide for more information! If you have other questions after reviewing all the supplied materials reach out to English_Grad@cornell.edu 

Can I have an application fee waiver?  

Visit the Graduate School for information regarding application fees, payment options, and fee waivers. Please do not send inquiries regarding fee waivers.

What is the status of my application?

When you submit your application, the status will be listed as "In Progress."  When all materials, including 3 letters of recommendation, are received, the status will be updated to "Complete".  Applications with missing LORs or holding for official language test scores will be updated to "Incomplete". Please do not inquire about the status of your application. 

Should I "Waive Access" for my Letter Writers?

If you are comfortable, our department encourages applicants to waive access.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 allows you to review letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf after you enroll at Cornell University. You can waive your right to inspect your recommendations by checking “waive access” below each recommender’s address and before you submit the request. Waiving your right lets your recommenders know that you will not view their letters and lets the review committee know that your recommenders have provided their candid and truthful support. Read more here.

Can I have an English-Language Equivalency Exemption?

This is a Graduate School policy that all applicants are required to fill out for both domestic and international directly on the application. Read about the process here including exemptions. The Department of Literatures in English cannot grant exemptions. 

Have my Language Test Scores arrived? 

Applications will be reviewed using self-reported tests submitted with the application. Official test scores must be sent to Cornell through ETS. Before an offer of admission is made, test scores must match self-reported scores. Tests must be taken prior to Dec 1.

Can I have feedback on my application?

The admission review committee members are unable to review application materials or applicant credentials prior to official application submission. Once the committee has reviewed the applications and made admissions decisions, they will not discuss the results or make any recommendations for improving the strength of an applicant’s credentials. Applicants looking for feedback are advised to consult with their undergraduate advisor or someone else who knows them and their work.

When does the review process start?

Application review begins after the submission deadline. Notification of admissions decisions will be made by email or by telephone by the end of February.

Can I talk to current students and faculty?

Unfortunately, due to the volume of inquiries we receive, faculty and current students are not available to correspond with potential applicants prior to an offer of admission. Applicants who are offered admission will have the opportunity to meet faculty and students to have their questions answered prior to accepting. Staff and faculty are also not able to pre-assess potential applicant’s work outside of the formal application process. Please email english_grad@cornell.edu instead, if you have questions.

Can I visit the campus? 

The department does not offer pre-admission visits or interviews. Admitted applicants will be invited to visit the department, attend graduate seminars and meet with faculty and students before making the decision to enroll.

Can I transfer credits?

Transfer credits are not available toward the MFA program. 

Can I do this program online/remote?

No, the MFA is an in-person program. Residence in Ithaca, NY is required.

Do you accept genre fiction/sci fi/fantasy/speculative fiction/etc?

Yes, we accept genre fiction. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our faculty and their current work to see if the program would be a good fit for you. You can find our faculty bios here: https://english.cornell.edu/creative-writing-program

Can I apply if I already have an MFA?

We consider applications from applicants who already hold an MFA as long as they are applying to a genre different from what their current MFA. For example, if your MFA is in Fiction then we would welcome your application for Poetry.

What classes can I take?

 Refer to the program timeline and procedural guide for more required course information, and review Cornell Course Roster for classes offered.

Can I do the MFA as part of the Employee Degree Program?

The MFA program does not currently accept Employee degree applicants due to the integral role assistantships play in the program.