Whether you studied at a top creative writing university or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author, you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? If you’re considering an MFA, this article walks you through the best full-time, low residency, and online Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.
What are the Best Creative Writing MFA Programs?
Before we get to the list of best MFA creative writing programs, let’s start with the basics. What is an MFA in Creative Writing, anyway?
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes two to three years to complete. Applications typically require a sample portfolio (usually 10-20 pages) of your best writing. Moreover, you can receive an MFA in a particular genre, such as fiction or poetry, or more broadly in creative writing. However, if you take the latter approach, you often have the opportunity to specialize in a single genre.
Wondering what actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then, you finish the degree with a thesis project. Thesis projects are typically a body of polished, publishable-quality creative work in your genre, whether fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.
Why Should I Get an MFA in Creative Writing?
You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.
The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.
Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.
Fourth: resources. MFA programs are often staffed by brilliant, award-winning writers; they offer lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and teaching positions; and run their own (usually prestigious) literary magazines. Such resources provide you with the knowledge and insight you’ll need to navigate the literary and publishing world post-graduation.
But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers and share feedback, advice, and moral support in relationships that can last for decades.
Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs
Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:
Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs
These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.
Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.
Full-Time MFA Programs
These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).
Pros: Lots of top-notch non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.
Low-Residency MFA Programs
Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.
Pros: No major life changes required.
Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.
Online MFA Programs
Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.
Pros: No major life changes required.
Cons: These MFAs have less name recognition.
The Top 20 Creative Writing MFA Programs
The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications, and impressive alums. We’ve ranked programs within the following categories:
- Fully Funded MFA Programs
- Full Residency MFA Programs (Unfunded)
- Low Residency MFA Programs
- Online MFA Programs
Fully-Funded MFA Programs
1) Johns Hopkins University
This two-year MFA program for fiction or poetry offers an incredibly generous funding package: a $40,520 teaching fellowship each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a junior lectureship position after graduation. Many grads publish their first book within three years (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).
Location: Baltimore, MD
Incoming class size: 8 students (4 per genre)
Admissions rate: 4-8%
Alumni: Chimamanda Adichie, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren
2) University of Texas, James Michener Center
The only MFA that offers full and equal funding for every writer, full stop. It’s three years long, offers a $30,000 academic year fellowship plus a $4,000 summer stipend (for a $34,000 total annual award), and provides full tuition plus a health insurance stipend of approximately $4,000. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, with concentrations available in fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting. Fellows can also apply for conference attendance grants of up to $1,000 per academic year.
Location: Austin, TX
Incoming class size: 12 students
Acceptance rate: 2-3%
Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith
3) University of Iowa
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year creative writing MFA program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar (the Fox Head). All students receive full funding through fellowships and teaching assistantships, including tuition remission, a living stipend, and subsidized health insurance. The Iowa Arts Fellowship currently provides a $23,306 academic year stipend plus full tuition and 50 percent of mandatory fees. The Translation MFA, co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years long but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.
Location: Iowa City, IA
Incoming class size: ~45 across fiction and poetry combined; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation
Acceptance rate: Under 3%
Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li (2026 Pulitzer winner), Jennifer Croft
4) University of Michigan
Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $25,980 stipend, summer funding ($6,000), and health care.
This is a 2-3-year program in either fiction or poetry, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice” and have outreach programs in the community.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Incoming class size: 18 (9 in each genre)
Acceptance rate: 2% (enrolled)
Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward
5) Brown University
Brown offers an edgy, well-funded creative writing MFA program in a place that only occasionally dips into arctic temperatures. All students are fully funded for 2 years, which includes tuition remission and a $37,925 yearly stipend. Students also get summer funding ($4,396) and, you guessed it, that sweet, sweet health insurance.
In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a digital and cross disciplinary track. Fiction and poetry tracks are offered as well.
Location: Providence, RI
Incoming class size: 12-13
Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh
6) University of Arizona
This 3-year program with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction tracks has many attractive qualities. It’s in “the lushest desert in the world,” and is consistently ranked among the top creative writing programs nationally, with particular strength in nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona’s dry heat is good for arthritis.
This notoriously supportive program is fully funded. Moreover, teaching assistantships that provide a salary, health insurance, and tuition waiver are offered to all students. Tucson is home to a hopping literary scene, so it’s also possible to volunteer at multiple literary organizations and even do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.
Location: Tucson, AZ
Incoming class size: Approximately 5
Acceptance rate: Approximately 1%
Alumni: Francisco Cant煤, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace
7) Arizona State University
With concentrations in fiction and poetry, Arizona State is a three-year, fully-funded creative writing MFA program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Moreover, it encourages cross-genre study.
Funding-wise, everyone has the option to take on a teaching assistantship position, which provides a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a yearly stipend of $15k. Other opportunities for financial support exist as well.
Location: Tempe, AZ
Incoming class size: 8-10
Acceptance rate: 3-5% (sigh)
Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam
8) University of Virginia
UVA’s three-year, fully-funded MFA is one of the most selective programs in the country, averaging over 690 applicants per year for just 10 fellowships (a roughly 1.4% acceptance rate, sigh). The funding is generous: up to $37,080 per year in fellowship support and teaching wages for the first two years, $29,660 the third, plus full tuition coverage, enrollment fees, and health insurance. First-year students have no teaching obligations, which means more time to write (and to enjoy Charlottesville’s mild Virginia weather, which is far less brutal than Iowa winters).
Students concentrate in fiction or poetry, with the option to graduate in two years on an accelerated schedule. The program is one of only five in the country that awards an annual $15,000 Henfield Prize to a currently-enrolled student for outstanding fiction work. Starting in year two, students teach creative writing classes of their own design rather than freshman comp, which is a rare and useful pedagogical perk.
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Incoming class size: 8 (4 in fiction and 4 in poetry)
Acceptance rate: Approximately 1.4%
Alumni: Ann Beattie, Rita Dove, Claudia Emerson, Jonathan Lethem, Phil Klay, Joshua Ferris, Henry Taylor
9) University of California, Irvine
UC Irvine’s three-year MFA is the major fully-funded option on the West Coast, meaning no need to relocate to a place where the average January temperature requires medical-grade thermal underwear. The program admits up to 12 students per year (up to six in fiction, up to six in poetry) through Teaching Assistantships that provide full tuition coverage, university health insurance (medical, dental, AND vision), and a nine-month salary of approximately $34,000 for the academic year.
The program is famously rigorous, with admission described by the department as “highly competitive.” Students teach one undergraduate composition or creative writing course per quarter (three courses per academic year), earning both academic credit and income. Out-of-state students are required to establish California residency by the end of year one to continue receiving financial support.
Location: Irvine, CA
Incoming class size: Up to 12 (up to 6 per genre)
Acceptance rate: Highly competitive (estimated 1-2%)
Alumni: Michael Chabon, Alice Sebold, Richard Ford, Aimee Bender, Yiyun Li, Glen David Gold, Whitney Otto
Full Residency MFA Programs (Unfunded)
10) New York University
This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU also has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes. Concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are available. All accepted students are offered half-tuition scholarship and there are additional fellowship opportunities.
Location: New York, NY
Incoming class size: ~60 (20-30 students accepted in each genre)
Acceptance rate: 2-3%
Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Lim贸n, Ocean Vuong
11) Columbia University
Another 2-3 year private creative writing MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers. Finally, teaching positions and fellowships are available to help offset the high tuition.
Location: New York, NY
Incoming class size: 110
Acceptance rate: Not publicized (boo)
Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang
12) Sarah Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence offers a concentration in speculative fiction in addition to the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction choices. Moreover, they encourage cross-genre exploration. With intimate class sizes, this creative writing MFA program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere, and many teaching and funding opportunities are available.
Location: Bronxville, NY
Incoming class size: 40-50
Acceptance rate: Not publicized
Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado
Low Residency MFA Programs
13) Bennington College
This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer. The rest of the time, you’ll be spending approximately 25 hours per week on reading and writing assignments. Students have the option to concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Uniquely, they can also opt for a dual-genre focus.
The tuition is $24,172 per year, with partial scholarships available. Additionally, Bennington offers one term of tuition remission in the form of a full-immersion teaching fellowship to MFA students, which is extremely rare in low-residency programs.
Location: Bennington, VT
Acceptance rate: 45-53%
Incoming class: 30-35
Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others
14) Institute for American Indian Arts
This two-year creative writing MFA program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres, including screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition, each student is matched with a faculty mentor who works with them one-on-one throughout the semester.
Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 in tuition a year, it boasts being “one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country.”
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Incoming class size: 21
Acceptance rate: Not publicized
Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder
15) Vermont College of Fine Arts
VCFA is the only graduate school on this list that focuses exclusively on the fine arts. Their MFA in Writing offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction; they also offer an MFA in Literary Translation and one of the few MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, either in-person or online. Here, they receive one-on-one mentorship that continues for the rest of the semester. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.
VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition and fees for the full two-year program is approximately $59k.
Location: Various; recent residencies were in Colorado and California
Incoming class size: 25-30
Acceptance rate: 63%
Alumni: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya
16) Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson is the OG low-residency MFA, founded in 1976 by poet Ellen Bryant Voigt as the first low-residency program in the country (and the world). The four-semester program offers tracks in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, with January and July ten-day residencies on Warren Wilson’s mountain campus in Asheville, NC. The rest of each semester is spent working one-on-one with faculty mentors through contracted exchanges.
The student-to-faculty ratio is remarkable: usually 3:1 and never more than 5:1. Tuition runs approximately $10,324 per semester plus residency fees, with substantial need-based aid available. The Holden Scholarship covers full tuition and residency fees for a student of color for the entire four-semester degree. Warren Wilson does not offer teaching assistantships (no on-campus teaching duties), which means students can keep their full-time jobs throughout the program.
Location: Asheville, NC
Incoming class size: 20-25
Acceptance rate: Highly selective (not publicized)
Alumni: Andre Dubus III, Rick Barot, Erin Belieu, Tracy Daugherty, Marianne Boruch, Maud Casey, Carl Phillips
17) Antioch University Los Angeles
Antioch’s two-year low-residency MFA is the only program in the country with an explicit social justice focus. Every student completes a community-based field study, not as a fluffy add-on, but as a core requirement of the degree. The program offers an unusual genre breadth: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for young people, screenwriting, playwriting, and literary translation, with dual-genre tracks available.
The 10-day residencies in June and December are hybrid by design. Students can attend in-person at the Culver City, Los Angeles campus or fully online, which is genuinely useful for parents, full-time workers, or anyone who’d rather not fly cross-country twice a year. Tuition runs approximately $10,000 per year, with merit and need-based scholarships including the Eloise Klein Healy Scholarship Fund and two $10,000 scholarships for UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Certificate holders each cycle.
Location: Culver City, CA (with online residency option)
Incoming class size: Approximately 30
Acceptance rate: Not publicized
Alumni: Tananarive Due, Wendy C. Ortiz, Antonia Crane, Steph Cha, Joseph Mattson
Online MFA Programs
18) University of Texas at El Paso
UTEP is considered one of the best online creative writing MFA programs, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Accordingly, this program is geared toward serious writers who want to pursue teaching and/or publishing. Intensive workshops allow submissions in Spanish and/or English, and genres include poetry and fiction.
No residencies are required, but an optional opportunity to connect in person is available every year. This three-year program costs about $25-27k total, depending on whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident.
Location: El Paso, TX
Incoming Class Size: 10
Acceptance rate: “Highly competitive”
Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies on the UTEP program page
19) Bay Path University
This 2-year online, no-residency creative writing MFA program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Featuring a supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and an optional yearly field trip to Ireland.
There are many tracks, including publishing, narrative medicine, and teaching creative writing. Moreover, core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, food/travel writing, and the personal essay. Tuition is approximately $31,000 for the entire program, with scholarships available.
Location: Longmeadow, MA
Incoming class size: 20
Acceptance rate: Over 50%
Alumni: Alumni testimonies available on the Bay Path program page
20) University of New Orleans
UNO offers what may be the best-kept-secret online MFA in the country. It has consistently been ranked among the top online MFA programs and is taught by the same award-winning faculty as the residential program. The decisive cost advantage: ALL online MFA students pay in-state tuition regardless of where they live. No non-resident fees, no premium for being on the wrong side of the Louisiana state line. The degree requires 45 credit hours, completable in five semesters full-time or stretched out part-time around work and life.
The program offers tracks in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. UNO is also a “studio/research” program, meaning it’s structured around both creative writing workshops and literary studies coursework. This is useful preparation if you’re planning to teach at the college level after graduation. No required residencies, no travel costs, no relocating to New Orleans (though Mardi Gras is an option).
Location: New Orleans, LA (100% online, no residency required)
Incoming class size: Not publicized
Acceptance rate: Not publicized
Alumni: Recent graduates have published widely in literary magazines and small presses
Best MFA Creative Writing Programs: Final Thoughts
Whether you’re aiming for a fully funded, low residency, or completely online MFA program, there are plenty of incredible options available. All of them will sharpen your craft while immersing you in the vibrant literary arts community.
Hoping to prepare for your MFA in advance? You might consider checking out the following:
- Best English Programs
- Best Colleges for Creative Writing
- Writing Summer Programs
- Best Writing Competitions for High School Students
Inspired to start writing? Get your pencil ready:
- 100 Creative Writing Prompts
- 100 Tone Words to Express Mood in Your Writing
- 60 Senior Project Ideas
- Common App Essay Prompts
Best MFA Creative Writing Programs: References
The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students, by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
Individual program websites for the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, University of Texas Michener Center, University of Virginia Creative Writing Program, UC Irvine MFA Programs in Writing, Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers, Antioch University Los Angeles, and University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop.
