Admission

Applicants must have:

• a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• a 30-page writing sample of the applicant's strongest writing in one genre only. For fiction and nonfiction applicants the sample may be made up of a small group of short stories or essays, or may be a stand-alone excerpt from a longer work of prose fiction or nonfiction); for poetry applicants, the sample should be a 15-20 page writing sample.
• a one-page essay/statement of purpose or intention describing your goals for MFA study, and listing writing, scholarly, professional, and other relevant experience (in it, please indicate clearly if you are applying for an assistantship).
• official transcripts (originals must be sent directly from institution/s last attended to the Office of Graduate Admissions at ODU)
• 2 letters of recommendation

All applications, including those from students requesting financial aid, are due on March 1.

How to Apply

• Fill out the online application at the Graduate Admissions website.

Phone: (757) 683-3685
Toll-free: (800) 348-7926
Fax: (757) 683-6512
Email: gradadmit@odu.edu

• Please note that original transcripts are required, and must be sent directly from those institutions to our Office of Graduate Admissions.
• All application materials must be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Admissions (757-683-3685, Office of Graduate Admissions, 220 Alfred B. Rollins Jr. Hall, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0050).
• Application Fee Waivers available on Request. Please contact kwascom@odu.edu

If you have any questions about the application process, contact Kent Wascom (Graduate Program Director) at 757-683-3928 or cwgpd@odu.edu.

Due to the number of applications that our program receives, we cannot meet with potential students, offer campus visits, or critique the writing samples from applications. ODU's MFA in Creative Writing is a small program with no more than ten to twelve students per genre at a time - and for that reason, we sometimes have to reject solid applicants. We urge all applicants to apply to other programs, in addition to ODU's MFA program.