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Thank you for your interest in our program! Bowling Green State University offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing. MFA students will be expected to concentrate in either poetry or fiction and all application materials must be sent to the Graduate College. Please follow the guidelines carefully when preparing your application.

Those applying to the Program MUST complete an application to the Graduate College by clicking here. Do NOT send any materials to the MFA Program. We’ll get what we need from the Graduate College.

However, here are MFA Program-specific guidelines to help you complete your application. Once you get a user account on the Graduate College site and begin the application process, look at the sidebar on the left. There you’ll find what you need. For the tabs, “Biographical Information” through “Enrollment Information,” just go with the prompts the Graduate College provides. For tabs that remain:

Academic Interest

• Degree type = Master’s.
• Program of Study = Creative Writing: [Fiction or Poetry] – MFA
• Intended Enrollment Status = Full Time
• Campus = Main – MAIN – Main Campus
• Do you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship = Yes or No
• Select from available start terms listed below = Fall [Year]

Test Scores

Provide your test scores here. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a U.S. 4.0 scale (or its equivalent) and applicants with a previous graduate degree from an accredited university are not required to submit standardized test scores. For applicants who do not meet the GPA requirement or who do not have a previous graduate degree, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test or the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) are accepted for the Creative Writing Program.

Information regarding the GRE may be obtained here. In order to send test scores directly to BGSU, please use the following code: 1069.

Information regarding the LSAT may be obtained here.

Please note that the Literature in English Advance Test of the GRE is not required for admission to the MFA Program. However, international applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Successful completion of ELS 112 will also be accepted for this requirement.

Recommendations

Follow the Graduate College instructions. The MFA Program requires three (3) letters, uploaded to the Graduate College site by the letter writers themselves. Do NOT ask letter writers to send paper letters to the MFA Program or to the Graduate College.   

Statement of Purpose

Follow the Graduate College instructions. Upload your statement of purpose. Please limit your statement to 1-2 double-spaced pages.

Writing Sample

Follow Graduate College instructions. BUT PLEASE FOLLOW THESE IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MFA PROGRAM: Upload a SINGLE, continuous document as your “Writing Sample,” paginated sequentially in the order indicated below:

• A sample of your writing: FOR FICTION: 20-30 double-spaced pages. FOR POETRY: 10-15 pages with poems single- or double-spaced.
• An 8-15 page double-spaced sample of academic or professional writing.

Please do not submit screenplays, children's stories, fantasy or science fiction.

Concluding Remarks

Applicants will be expected to meet the admission requirements of the English Department. Based on a 4.0 grading scale, the minimal GPA to be accepted is 3.0 overall, and at least 3.2 in English courses taken, although an English major is not necessary.

Students may also wish to apply for additional financial aid available through the Office of Student Financial Aid, telephone 419-372-2651.

Thank you for applying!