Admission to the MFA Program The program is currently accepting applications to the MFA Program for this Summer 2002. The application period will run from November 1, 2001 to March 1, 2002. As part of students’ applications, the MFA Advisory Committee, chaired by the MFA Coordinator, will evaluate portfolios of original work. Students must hold a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution and they must have maintained at least a B average in their major subject. Admission will be based primarily on originality and range of the work submitted, indicated potential for growth, and ability to contribute productively to a community of writers. Letters of reference, a critical essay, and personal statement will also be considered. We wish to attract students who have been working independently as writers, with a serious commitment to developing their art in a rigorous community of peers. _________________________________________________________ Admissions Requirements A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least a B average in the major Portfolio of original work: 20-25 pages for fiction, creative non-fiction, or plays; 12-15 pages for poetry critical essay in genre of major interest (10 pages) personal statement (brief 1-2 pages) two letters of reference from traditional academic sources or writers conversant with the applicant's work completion of the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination with minimum score of 500 on the verbal portion of the exam Other admission criteria include: a satisfactory grade point average; a baccalaureate from an accredited institution; completion of the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination with minimum score of 500 on the verbal portion of the exam; and completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 580 by all applicants who have not attended post-secondary educational institutions for at least three years where English is the principal language of instruction. Further, a score below 58 on any of the three parts of the TOEFL will require that a student enroll in remedial courses appropriate to the area of weakness; the MFA Graduate Coordinator will specify the number of semesters of remedial work. The new TOEFL equivalencies will be 237, with 23 for listening and 24 for structure and reading. While not mandatory, two years of foreign language are recommended. The verbal portion of the GRE should be taken as soon as possible. Accepted students for each summer session must respond with their intention to attend by May 1. The first summer of the MFA program was held at CSU, Chico, the second at CSU, Northridge and our third year was at CPSU, San Luis Obispo.  Our Summer 2002 residency will return to CSU, Chico. Enrollment in state-support semesters/quarters may occur. Students will be able to enroll in state-support terms at any of the consortium campuses. Students may also enroll at Consortium campuses during the Fall and Spring semesters.  For more information on concurrent enrollment contact the CSU, Chico, Department of English at 530-898-5124. It is required that students in the program have access to computers for facilitating exchange among them, counterbalancing the effects of distance.

_________________________________________________________ Return to MFA Creative Writing Consortium Main Page            Admissions      Summer Residency      FAQ     Inquiry CSU, Department of English CSU Chico California State University, Chico California 95929-0250   530-898-5124 Carole Oles, MFA in Creative Writing Coordinator at coles@csuchico.edu copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 MFA Creative Writing Consortium, California State University Webmaster - Kyle McDowell, km44@mail.csuchico.edu This page was last updated on October 2nd, 2001.