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Department MFA Thesis Year Fellowship

Top priority will be given to applications of promising Literature MFA students who convincingly demonstrate that all degree requirements, including the thesis defense, will be completed by the end of the upcoming academic year. Future funding for this fellowship depends on recipients finishing during the award year. Because this is intended to be a terminal award, except for extenuating circumstances, no department funding (employment, fellowships, etc.) will be granted after the award period.

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Promising students who will be entering their 3rd year next year.
  2. Promising students who have made satisfactory progress towards completing the thesis such that a thesis-writing-year award will be sufficient for the candidate to complete all MFA degree requirements during the award year.
  3. Acceptance that the award precludes any other campus employment for recipients during their tenure as Thesis Year Fellow.
  4. Eligibility for student support through the award period: Students must be in good academic standing and within normative time (3 years) during the award year.

Award

Department MFA Thesis Fellow receives a stipend of $35,000, distributed over 9 months. The department also pays resident tuition/fees for the year.

Application

The application for the 2024-2025 fellowship is now closed. The application for 2025-2026 fellowship(s) will likely open in SP25, so please check back.

Application materials required:

  • Cover Letter (1-2 pages, single-spaced). It should include an introduction to the applicant, their artistic and intellectual interests, and their thesis project.
  • Curriculum Vitae (3-­page maximum)
  • Thesis Excerpt (25-30 pages)
  • Academic timeline with projected date of completion, including progress to date. The timeline makes clear which chapters are complete, which have been drafted, which have been planned but not drafted, and which remain unwritten. The timetable of work is a realistic one, including a realistic period of time for revision of the entire thesis.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their application is completed and all required information/attachments have been provided. Incomplete submissions will be disregarded: