MFA Tuition and Financial Aid

The 2023-2024 comprehensive tuition rates for the MFA program are $640 per credit hour or $7680 per semester (includes full-time tuition, plus room & board), well below the national average for low-residency MFA programs.

Upon acceptance, a $400 deposit is required to hold the student’s place in the program. This deposit is non-refundable and is applied to tuition. There is also an access fee of $80 for Fall and Spring terms (each term) and $50 for Jan and Summer terms (each term).

Full payment of tuition and registration fees are due two weeks before the beginning of each residency (early May for the Summer Residency and Fall Mentoring Semester and early December for the January Residency and Winter/Spring Mentoring Semester) and may be paid online before arrival at the residency. The Graduating Residency fee of $650 is due one week before arrival for the residency. Tuition is nonrefundable after the tuition payment deadline. See the MFA semester calendar here.

Housing Costs

All enrolled MFA students receive room and board during both the summer residency session and the winter residency session at no additional cost. The MFA program works with Residential Life to provide on-campus room & board during the summer residency session, and with local hotels to provide room and board during the winter residency session.

Financial Assistance

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (available for second Year MFA Students)

The Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing and the Department of English at Converse are authorized by the administration to fill two to three Graduate Teaching Assistantships each year for second-year MFA students who have successfully completed at least 24 graduate hours in the MFA program at the time of the appointment. The MFA program provides “Quarter-time” appointments that offer an adjunct course stipend and involve teaching only one course per semester. Teaching opportunities exist for both traditional classroom courses and online courses; therefore, students do not need to relocate to the area to be considered for a TA position. The course stipend for graduate teaching is $1500 per course.

The Graduate Teaching Assistantship in the MFA program serves three purposes: it provides financial support for graduate students, allowing them to pursue their studies; it provides teaching experience for graduate students, under the supervision of a full-time Converse faculty member; and, finally, it provides a service for Converse and Department of English. Appointments to Graduate Teaching Assistantships are made by the Chair of the English Department upon the recommendation of the Director of Creative Writing. Prior to the appointment the student must be admitted to the graduate MFA program as a bona fide candidate for degree, and must have completed at least 24 hours of graduate credit in the MFA program.

The Clemson-Converse Literature Series National Publishing Scholarship

The MFA Publishing Scholarship is an opportunity for graduate MFA students to work on a collaborative venture between Converse’s MFA program and Clemson University Press. The scholarship provides the opportunity for MFA students to participate in the marketing, management, and manuscript review of a national poetry prize conducted through the Clemson-Converse Literature series. Students receive a scholarship in the range of $250 to $500 for work conducted for the national contest. Second-year and graduating residency semester students in the Converse MFA program are eligible to participate.

Work scholarship (available for first or second-year MFA students)

A limited number of partial work scholarships are available for qualified first and second-year MFA students (dependent on annual budget approval). Students receiving these scholarships may perform office duties or residence hall duties during residency sessions. Approved work scholarships are open to applications from all MFA students.  When available, scholarships range in amounts from $500-$750.

Writing Center Assistantship

In addition, MFA students living in the Spartanburg/Greenville area may apply for an annual assistantship working in the Converse Writing Center. The Writing Center position is open to student applicants from all Converse graduate programs, and provides a tuition waiver for up to 4 credit hours.

Contact the MFA director for additional information about scholarships and assistantships.

Loans

Many students choose student loan funds to assist with their educational costs in the MFA program. You do not have to demonstrate “financial need” to secure a Federal Stafford Loan, but you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The FAFSA opens for applications on October 1. For more information on how to apply for subsidized and non-subsidized student loans, contact the Student Financial Aid Office.