MFA Application Procedure

Students can begin the program in the Summer/Fall term that begins with the Summer residency or the Winter/Spring term that begins with the January residency.

• The application deadline with priority scholarship consideration for Summer/Fall residencies is February 15. Applications without scholarship are due March 15 for Summer/Fall residencies
• The deadline for Winter/Spring residencies with priority scholarship consideration is October 1. January/Spring Applications without scholarship are due October 15.

1. Manuscript, according to genre directions below.

• Applicants in Fiction and Young Adult Fiction: 20-25 pages of fiction or young adult fiction, typed and double-spaced.
• Applicants in Nonfiction: 20-25 pages of creative nonfiction, typed and double-spaced.
• Applicants in Poetry: 10- 12 pages of poetry
• Applicants in Environmental Writing: Students applying for the Environmental Writing emphasis are admitted as either fiction, nonfiction, or poetry genre students, and should submit according to the page requirements above.

2. MFA manuscript cover sheet attached to each copy of portfolio.

3. Two (2) letters of academic and/or professional references to be mailed from people familiar with your academic record and/or your professional record, your potential as a writer, and your intellectual curiosity and articulateness. Letter should address several of the following: motivation and intellectual ability for graduate work, understanding of major field, personal maturity and ability to contribute to a writing community, and ability to meet deadlines and work independently.

4. Official transcripts from the accredited college or university from which applicant’s highest degree was awarded. A minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is required for full admission.

5. A brief personal statement (up to two typed pages) responding to the following: Whose writing do you admire and why? Why do you want to study the writing of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction? What do you hope to gain from an MFA program, especially a low-residency MFA program?

6. Online application with the $40 application fee.
Online MFA Application

If applying for graduate financial aid:

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit the form to the Office of Financial Planning at Converse University. The priority deadline for applying for federal financial aid is February 15. For more information on how to apply for subsidized and non-subsidized student loans, contact the Office of Financial Planning: 864.596.9019.

Completing Your Application:

Complete your MFA application online through the graduate school application.

Please send official transcripts via email or mail to:

Converse University
MFA Office
580 East Main Street
Spartanburg, South Carolina 29302-1931

• Students currently enrolled in another MFA program (residency or low-residency) who wish to transfer to Converse’s low-residency MFA program must submit a complete application as described below.
• Students attending a full-residency MFA program will begin our low-residency program as first or second-semester students; any credits earned from residency MFA programs will be accepted by Converse University on a case-by-case basis.
• Students who have successfully completed and passed one or more semesters at another accredited low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program may enter the low-residency MFA program at Converse University with one semester’s worth of credits (3 courses or up to 12 hours).