Apply to the Creative Writing MFA Program

Admission Requirements, Deadlines, and Financial Aid

General graduate school requirements include:

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree
• A Roosevelt University Graduate School Application  [online] or request or download [pdf] an application
• Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended at the
  undergraduate or graduate level
• Three letters of recommendation
• Nonrefundable application fee of $25

The Roosevelt graduate degree in creative writing offers specialties in fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction augmented by courses in play writing, screen writing, and literary magazine production. The program strives to provide its students with the best in creative teaching provided by instructors with strong credentials both in teaching and writing.

Admission requirements specific to the MFA Creative Writing Program include:

• A Creative Writing Supplemental Application
• A portfolio of written work demonstrating the applicant’s talents in a chosen specialty:
• Fiction: submit at least three different pieces of fiction (short stories, novella, or a novel excerpt) totaling twenty pages
• Creative nonfiction: submit no fewer than three pieces of creative nonfiction (personal essays, memoir excerpts, a chapter from a biography, or other work in progress) totaling twenty pages
• Statement of purpose
• Resume of publications and readings, if applicable

A committee composed of creative writing faculty will carefully review all materials and make final decisions on acceptance. The writing portfolio is the most important factor in their decision. Applicants who show promise but whose portfolios need development may be referred to other courses to build portfolios that will qualify them for admission. After a student completes at least two introductory workshops and at least one literature course, the revised portfolio will be reviewed and the student notified if he or she may advance to candidacy.

Deadlines for Application

Students are urged to file their application early. For prospective students applying to begin fall semester: February 1.

The application deadline has been extended to March 15, 2013.

All MFA application materials must be mailed to:

Office of Admission
1400 N. Roosevelt Blvd.
Schaumburg, IL 60173

Phone: (312) 281-3252, or toll-free: 1-(877)-Apply-RU
Fax: (312) 281-3356

Email: gradadmission@roosevelt.edu

Read the graduate admission pages for more information about financial aid, housing, how to apply, and steps to take once you are admitted. See also the graduate admission Creative Writing section.

Financial Aid  

Roosevelt offers financial aid to graduate students through federal programs, notably guaranteed student loans and work-study. University-based assistance may also be available to qualifying students through the Graduate Scholarship program. In addition, a graduate assistantship is available per year on a competitive basis through the Department of Literature and Languages. The Friends of American Writers, a Chicago literary organization founded in 1922, also funds a scholarship, which is awarded to an outstanding candidate in the MFA program. One work-study position as assistant to the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program is available for students interested in developing their arts administration skills.