MFA Application Guidelines

Your statement of purpose is very important and is given careful consideration in the selection process. It should provide information that will aid the selection committee in evaluating your potential for completing the MFA program. Think of the statement as an opportunity to discuss your work and goals in both a personal and critical context. Your statement must be a PDF file and should be less than 2500 words. There is no minimum length.

Suggested topics:

• Aesthetics
• Community
• Past experiences, including a brief discussion of barriers overcome on the path to grad school
• Reason for low GPA (below B or 3.0) if applicable
• Reason for fewer than 3 letters of reference if applicable
• Background in writing
• What you have read that has been useful or influential to you as a writer
• Experience or interest in theoretical, interdisciplinary, and/or cultural studies
• What you are currently working on
• Recent participation in readings, workshops, or critique groups
• What you hope to get from the MFA Program in Writing
• Reason for pursuing a second MFA degree if applicable

Please be sure to demonstrate familiarity with our program and faculty. Why did you apply to this university and this program? Why do you want to work with a particular faculty member? How do you feel about working as a Teaching Assistant, both in literary arts classes and introductory analytical writing classes?

Further information on the Statement of Purpose is also available here.

This section of the application asks you to articulate why you think our cross-genre program is a good fit for you.

• How is your work cross-genre, mixed form, and/or interdisciplinary?
• What literary and social questions or problems does your writing/arts practice address? (Search "artist's statement guidelines" for examples.)
• What goals and research interests would you like to pursue during your MFA program?
• How might this research university and this program particularly support this goal? 

Be sure to offer a few particulars when answering the last question above. For example, do you envision yourself working with a particular faculty member in the MFA program or Literature Department? Conducting research in one of the Special Collections such as the Archive for New Poetry? Working on an interdisciplinary project with faculty and/or students in another academic department, a cultural center, or perhaps an organized research unit? Researching topics that inform your creative thesis project (e.g., cross-border and migration issues, climate change, social justice issues, bioethics, AI)? Studying how to teach writing at the college level?

Please be concise and specific in this questions section. You can expand on your answers in the statement of purpose section if needed.

A portfolio is required and is weighed heavily in the selection process. You may submit poetry, fiction (composed of one or several stories, a portion of a novel, or a combination), creative non-fiction, and/or hybrid texts, which could include forms such as the graphic novel or visual poetry. Put together a portfolio that emphasizes quality rather than length.

• Include a cover sheet with your name and either the title of the piece or a table of contents if the sample consists of several stories or unrelated pieces.
• Double-space unless the formatting of your material requires otherwise.
• If submitting a novel or book excerpt, include a brief plot synopsis at the beginnning.

While these are not strict requirements, we recommend the following total pages lengths for your portfolio based on the genres of writing: 

Supplemental Content (Optional)

You may supplement your writing sample by uploading (or linking to) an image, video, or audio file.

The MFA Program does not require applicants to submit GRE scores, as we use a more holistic approach to reviewing applications. Please do not submit GRE scores.

For international applicants, English Language proficiency must be demonstrated. International applicants may be exempt from this requirement if they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree with grades of B (3.0) or better from either:

• A regionally accredited U.S. college or university where English is the sole language of instruction, or
• A foreign college or university which provides instruction solely in English. You may verify whether your institution meets this requirement by looking up your institution in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED). If English is not the sole language of instruction listed, if no language is listed at all, or if the institution does not appear on the WHED website, you are required to submit English proficiency exam scores. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) may be used in place of WHED as a means to obtain an exemption from the English proficiency requirement. 

For all other international applicants, UCSD and the Department of Literature accept the following English proficiency exams:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - minimum speaking score of 26 required
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - minimum speaking score of 8 required
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - minimum speaking score of 84 required
• Duolingo English Test (DET) - minimum speaking score of 150 required

For more information on these exams and how to submit your scores to UCSD, visit the English Language Proficiency page.

Applicants will be required to pay the application fee or request a fee waiver at the end of the online application. Your application cannot be reviewed until this fee is paid or successfully waived. Please plan ahead if you will be requesting a fee waiver, as these take time to process and you will need to submit your application early.

The application fees are:

• US Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Undocumented Applicants: $135.00
• International Applicants: $155.00

Fee Waiver Requests

To request a fee waiver, you must first have a completed application that is ready for submission (at least one week prior to the application deadline). Before submitting, review the information on the Graduate Admissions website (Application Fee and Fee Waiver) to determine if you are eligible for a campus fee waiver. 

1. If you are eligible for a campus fee waiver, complete the "Request Fee Waiver" tab within the application, upload documents, and submit your application. Please note all fee waiver requests must be submitted at least one week prior to the application deadline. Your application must be fully submitted for your fee waiver to be processed.
   1. You will receive notification of your fee waiver status (Approved, Denied, or Further Documentation Needed). Please be sure to regularly check the email you entered in the application, as well as the application portal, for these notifications. 
      1. If your fee waiver has been approved, your application will be forwarded to our department for our admissions review process.
      2. If your fee waiver has been denied, you will need to pay the application fee by the application deadline in order to be considered for admission. If the fee waiver is denied after the application deadline, you will have one day to pay your application fee. Failure to pay within the allotted time will result in your application being removed from consideration.
      3. If your fee waiver needs further documentation, it is your responsibility to follow-up with Graduate Admissions and provide the required documents (or pay the application fee).
2. If you are not eligible for a campus fee waiver and would like to request a department fee waiver,
   1. Email the following information to mfawriting@ucsd.edu:
      1. Your full name and applicant number (from the application)
      2. Confirm that you have reviewed the campus fee waiver options are are not eligible for any of the categories
      3. A brief statement (justification) explaining your need for a fee waiver
   2. Our department will review the request and send you an email notifying you of your fee waiver status (Approved or Denied). Please note that we have a very limited number of department fee waivers and they tend to disburse early in the application cycle.
      1. If your fee waiver has been approved, our department will notify Graduate Admissions and they will apply the waiver and forward your application to our department for our admissions review.
      2. If your fee waiver has been denied, you will need to pay the application fee by the application deadline in order to be considered for admission.