Application Requirements

All applicants for graduate study at George Mason University must meet the admission standards specified in the Admission chapter of the University Catalog.

Included with their application, all applicants must submit the materials required by the university listed on Application Requirements. Below are clarifications and additions for applicants to this program.

MFA in Creative Writing - Additional Requirements and Instructions 

• Goals Statement. The goals statement should be 750-1000 words and address professional and academic plans. A well-structured goals statement should also explain the applicant's interest in the program, relate the program to the applicant's career and academic plans, discuss research interests, and highlight information that may be useful to the admissions committee.

• Two letters of recommendation. The recommendations should be academic, rather than professional or personal.  Requests for letters are submitted as part of the online application process.  

• Portfolio of original work.  Portfolio requirements vary according to genre. Read the information below carefully.

• Fiction portfolios should consist of at least two complete short stories.  Applicant portfolios in fiction may contain novels or novellas as well as the two short stories.  The reason for requesting stories is to ensure a fair consideration and because most workshops are based on short stories. A fiction applicant's portfolio should include more than one work in order to represent the breadth of his or her abilities. 
  
  Fiction portfolios should be single-sided and double-spaced.  A cover letter to expain excerpts or chapter selections from novels may be appreciated by the admissions committee.
  
  
• Nonfiction portfolios should consist of at least two complete essays or the equivalent totaling no more than 50 pages.  A nonfiction portfolio may contain longer essays, biographies or autobiographies, but applicants should submit more than one work.
  
  Nonfiction portfolios should be single-sided and double-spaced.
  
  

• Poetry portfolios should include up to 10 pages of poems and a table of contents.   Applicants in poetry are welcome to submit long poems or shorter poems up to the requested 10 pages. 

  Poetry portfolios should be single-sided and include no more than one poem per page with adequate margins and a readable font. The applicant's name should appear on every page and pages should be numbered and referenced in the table of contents.

• Writing Sample.  1000-word nonfiction writing sample, preferably literary analysis.  The writing sample is optional, however is required of applicants who wish to be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship.  Read More >>   

Application Deadlines

Fall: January 02

All applicants are strongly advised to submit applications and all supporting documentation by the programs' posted deadline dates. Applicants with international academic credentials should apply 30 days before the program deadline date.

Applications are accepted for fall semester only.