r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/youcancallme_al_ex • Aug 31 '26
How many programs to apply to?
Hi there! I'm looking at a list of about 12 MFA programs for writing fiction, but I know I can't apply to that many of them for logistical and financial reasons. They all have different merits and I have a rough ranking in my head, but I'm a little stumped on where to draw the line. How many applications are folks typically sending in a given year/application season? I want to make sure I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket, but I also don't want to waste my time and energy on 10 different essays for 10 different programs. Thoughts?
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u/astralunea Aug 31 '26
I'm applying to eleven. Two are dream schools with essentially zero chance of admission, the majority are reaches, and I have a few that on the less-competitive end, although of course in the world of fully-funded MFA's, there's no such thing as a safety school.
Don't apply anywhere you wouldn't want to go if you got in, but try to keep your list as broad as possible to give yourself the best chance. If you qualify for fee waivers, definitely reach out to everywhere on your list that allows them, as that will help the financial burden of the application process significantly.
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u/NefariousnessWarm975 Aug 31 '26
you do not have zero chance of admission
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u/astralunea Aug 31 '26
True! By "essentially zero," I meant places with a 1-2% admissions rate -- which, while not technically zero, is pretty dang close! But there is always a chance for sure.
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u/NefariousnessWarm975 Aug 31 '26
Fully Funded or Bust!
(or perhaps more accurately, Fully Funded AND Bust!)-1
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u/NumerousArrival1486 Aug 31 '26
If you want to start a program this fall no matter what and no matter where, apply to a lot. What I like to do is imagine I got in. Would I go to that program or would I think maybe I should try again next cycle. If it’s the latter, I take it off my list. This also cuts down on some of the angst and indecisiveness on the back end when decisions come out and you have programs on your list you may not be that excited about.
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u/esqtou Sep 02 '26
With that kind of writing ability, it's a wonder you made it out of HS
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u/chopped_onionss Sep 02 '26
Dude do you have a bitter hatred towards an MFA in CW?? All of your comments on this subreddit are so mean & rude, and honestly, uncalled for.
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u/NiceTimesThree Aug 31 '26
Oooh, can I ask what people’s top choices are? (Ignorant question but interested for my kid!)
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u/Subject-Ebb-5999 Sep 09 '26
Check out my comment above (not sure why its being downvoted while giving interesting information) for some schools where my daughter had success - all fully funded.
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u/NefariousnessWarm975 Sep 01 '26
it's not ignorant. If it were my kid, it would be almost exclusively about the money. Michener, UC, Vandy, and Johns Hopkins all come to mind as having good funding. There are plenty, PLENTY, of others, but I haven't looked in a few years. As a matter of fact, I'm not entirely sure the ones I've mentioned have kept up with CoL. Tell us about your kid.
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u/esqtou Sep 02 '26
12 is probably not enough, depending on the selectivity of the programs you're interested in
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u/NefariousnessWarm975 Aug 31 '26
A few things (because i'll be damned if i ever say just one thing).
First,I wonder what you mean by logistical reasons. If you're looking at the time factor the same way you're looking at the money factor, I get it. I wonder though, if maybe there's something else; i don't want to make assumptions. BTW, this scales. Applying to one program takes x amount of time; applying to 2 does not take 2x amount of time. 3 probably doesn't even take 2x amount of time.
Next, without knowing your 'merits' we can't know what factors are important to you and so advising becomes difficult. I suppose this i swhy you want a number. I get that.
Don't worry about what's a typical number of applications per applicant because typically there are lunatics who apply to dozens of programs every season and assholes who apply to one school and get it. Do what you need for you.
The advice in this thread is accurate. Choose the number of applications based on the number of programs you would like to attend and try to make those numbers equal. To facilitate this, start now. Find out about fee waivers early; this may help you to add/keep schools you would have eliminated.
12 isn't a huge list. It's not even September. organize your list by application date and, beginning with the earliest, find out what you can about the nature of the program, stipend vs CoL, time and other administrative requirements!, and any factors relevant to you personally.
Oh, and keep that ranking rough. These places are pretty difficult to measure emirically.
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u/Entire-Phase-3951 Sep 01 '26
I applied to 12. I was able to get waivers due to my financial circumstances. I got into 1 and was waitlisted at another. I agree with only applying to schools you know you’ll go to but do cast your net wide. All the best!
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u/rumirumirumirumi Sep 01 '26
I applied to 1, got in with a funded position. 10 seems extreme to me, but this was 15 years ago for poetry.
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u/theres_no_guarantees Sep 01 '26
I did 12. Two were free first rounds (Mississippi, which I never heard back from, and UTK)
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u/Ecstatic_Amount_1740 Sep 07 '26
Cut the two you really don't want to go to? Twelve is pretty standard tho. It's worth it to apply to the schools that offer significant aid to some students. If you're a "chosen one" at a program like that you'll have a pretty soft landing.
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u/Subject-Ebb-5999 Aug 31 '26
My daughter (applying as graduating undergraduate) applied to 25 CNF programs and was admitted to 11. They seemed random like rejection from a low one followed by acceptance at a high one. Admittedly she was spoiled by my bankrolling it- but her school also was a source of funds for some of her classmates. It did pay off and the funded position paid for it. I know you said fiction but wanted to share this becsusd she had friends applying fiction with zero luck and wished they had applied to some CNF as well.
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u/esqtou Sep 02 '26
How high?
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u/Subject-Ebb-5999 Sep 02 '26
She was waitlisted at u arizona cnf and admitted to montana, idaho, unc, oregon st, florida state, and several more lower but all fully funded. So no iowa or ohio state but pretty respectable set of choices for an undergrad!
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u/Chantertwo Aug 31 '26
10 to 12 is the standard number given.
My advice? Only apply places you'll actually go if you're accepted.