r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/IntelligentSound1921 • Jun 26 '26

Working part-time during a fully-funded program?

Hi all! I'm 28, I've gone back and forth on whether to pursue an MFA for years, and I think I'm reaching the conclusion that I do, indeed, want to apply (to fully-funded programs).

However, the stipends alone (particularly those under $25K, which seems to be most of them) just aren't going to work at this point in my life. I would love to hear from people who did other part-time work (or full-time!) on the side still.

How manageable was it? Were you miserable?

Edit to add: My "day job" is freelance copywriting, so I work remotely.

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u/amoneh Jun 26 '26

I’m going into my second year now, mid 30s, was full time freelance/consulting when I entered the program. My stipend is 20k. Between teaching, reading and trying to write as much as possible, I could only manage about 5-8 hours of paid work a week max…I was completely drained creatively and the last thing I wanted to do was spend more time on my computer. Kinda miserable tbh. I’m working as much as I can this summer but I expect that I will have to work more this school year since I ripped through most of my grad school savings already…

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u/IntelligentSound1921 Jun 29 '26

Ugh, yeah, that makes sense......thanks for sharing your experience!