The Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing Application Form

The Application Process

Please note that an applicant must hold a Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited university. No exceptions can be made to this requirement.

Please make sure you read the entire page before emailing with questions. As a Low-Residency program we endeavor to have all of our information readily available on our website.

Click here to access our FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS page.

Application Checklist/Procedure:

Step 1: Fill out the departmental questionnaire at the bottom of this web page.

Step 2: Fill out the Graduate Application here. Rememer to note that you are applying to the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing in the comments box at the end of the application.

Step 3: Have transcripts* from ALL institutions attended sent to:

Low-Residency MFA Program
EDUATION Bldg 210
The University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA 70148

Step 4: Have your GRE Scores sent to UNO. The UNO code is R 6379. The GRE is only waived for those who already hold a Master's degree. However, this is a Grad School requirement, and not a departmental one, so it is not a determining fator in your admission.

Step 5: Have your three letters of recommendation sent by email. We prefer your recommenders to use the recommendation form located at: http://lowres.uno.edu/lowresapprec.htm, but we can also accept recommendation letters in regular email format, sent to bill.lavender@uno.edu. We highly recommend that you have these emailed or sent via the form above. Snail mail rec letters can hold up your application.

Step 6: Send in a manuscript. This should be done via email with attachments (either Word or PDF). See requirements below.

Step 7: Send in your personal statement describing your genre and recent accomplishments and stating why you wish to pursue a degree in creative writing.

Step 8: Email Jennifer Stewart or call 504-280-7457 to pay your $25 departmental applicaton fee via credit card. If you wish to send in a check, you may do so, however, your application will not be considered complete, and will remain pending until a check is received, processed, and cleared.

Step 9: Email Jennifer Stewart to make sure that all your materials have been received, and to check on the status of your application. Also, if you are interested in having your application expedited, please email Jennifer and let her know as soon as possible, and read the info on expediting your manuscript below.

Use the following standards for manuscript size:

Fiction Writers: 2 short stories or 30 pages of prose fiction.

Creative Nonfiction Writers: 30 pages of creative nonfiction.

Poets: 10 poems.

Scriptwriters: One complete film script.

Playwrights: One complete dramatic script.

* If your application will need to be expedited, you may also need to send informal copies (ie, photocopies or scans), via email, with official copies to follow. Please note that the university requires offical copies of transcripts from all colleges or universities you have attended, not simply the one that granted your degree. If you have transfer credit on your transcript, we must also have official transcripts from the institution that granted that credit. Note also that "official" means that the transcript is issued from the institution that granted the credit directly to the University of New Orleans. Sealed transcripts issued to the student are not considered official. In most cases, official transcripts can be ordered from the web sites of the issuing institutions.

Admission to the Low-Residency MFA Program

Admission will be based on the manuscript you will submit with the application and your letters of recommendation; admission to the Graduate School is contingent on previous transcripts. You are required to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. You are also required to take the GRE, unless you already have an advanced degree (Masters or above) in a related field. UNO's school code for GRE reporting is R 6379.

Application Deadlines:

As of Fall 2007 we have adopted a rolling admissions policy. All applications will be read as soon as they are complete. Generally, however, we will need to receive applications by early March for admission beginning in the Summer or Fall, and by early October for admission beginning in the Spring. In certain cases, the admission process can be expedited. If you require a rapid turnaround, please inquire by email.

Application Fees:

There is an application of $25 due with this departmental questionairre, and a $40 application fee (plus late fees, at certain times) for the University Application. See Step 8 above.

Contact Information

Email-- jennifer.stewart@uno.edu

Ground Mail-- Low Residency MFA Program | University of New Orleans, Metro College | New Orleans, LA 70148

Telephone-- 504 280 7457 | Fax 504 280 7317

Low Residency MFA Application Questionaire

Type the password you see in the graphic below in this box:

(The form will not send unless this case-sensitive password is entered correctly.)

Semester and Year you plan to begin	Genre
Name:	First Last
Address
City		State or Province
Zip		Country
SS#	(no spaces or dashes)	Date of Birth
Email		Telephone

Education(begin with most recent)

University: Dates:
Major/Minor: Degree:
University: Dates:
Major/Minor: Degree:
University: Dates:
Major/Minor: Degree:
University: Dates:
Major/Minor: Degree:

Undergraduate GPA: Graduate GPA:

GRE Scores: Verbal Quantitative: Analytical: Test Date:
Note: The GRE is required unless you already have a master's degree or higher in a related field. Please indicate scores here even if you already have an advance degree. If you have not yet taken the GRE you may be admitted provisionally but must then take the test within your first semester of study. GRE scores greatly assist in the application process, however.

List the names of the three people who are well acquainted with your qualifications to write to the Program in support of your candidacy: