Apply to Our Program

Deadline: We are resuming our usual admissions cycle for the academic year 2025-26. The deadline for applications is 15 January 2025.

You must apply to the University online through the UF Online Application Portal. The portal will guide you through the process and provide information on the application fee. All applicants should choose Fall as their application term. We do not admit for spring or summer.

The application fee is non-refundable. It is valid for one calendar year; that is to say, an application may be updated within one year from the original anticipated term of admission without payment of a new application fee. UF currently does not offer application fee waivers.

Note that no application materials will be accepted that have not been uploaded to the admissions website.

The materials you will need for your application are:

• Test scores: We no longer require GRE scores for admission. International applicants may be required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS tests (see below)
• Updated resume or CV: Upload online as a pdf file. Pursuant to Florida Statute, your application requires inclusion of all post-high school education and employment, as well as information about ongoing international affiliations and research funding. Please ensure this information is included on your curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé.
• Statement of purpose: We do not require a statement of purpose. On the application, please upload a complete MFA Fiction Manuscript Cover Sheet or MFA Poetry Manuscript Cover Sheet to the statement of purpose field.
• Writing Sample: Upload online as a pdf file. Fiction applicants should submit two stories, part of a novel or longer narrative, or a story and part of a novel or longer narrative, the total not to exceed 6,000 words. Poetry applicants should submit six to ten poems. Admission to the program is based primarily upon the manuscript. The writing faculty considers your writing before all else. Please upload your manuscript as the “Other Upload” file and be sure to include your full name on the first page of the manuscript itself. If you have trouble with your upload, please contact crw-admissions@english.ufl.edu.
• Transcripts: UF requires official transcripts from all institutions you have attended.
  • If you have not yet completed a program, you may upload unofficial transcripts to the online application.
  • You may also upload official transcripts to the online application.
  • If you would like to send official electronic transcripts, UF accepts electronic transcripts only from e-SCRIP-SAFE, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, and FASTER. Please have electronic transcripts sent to graduate@admissions.ufl.edu. (Please also submit an unofficial transcript through the online application).
  • You may also send an official paper copy of your transcript to UF at Office of Admissions, 201 Criser Hall, PO Box 114000, Gainesville, FL, 32611-4000. Please do not send your transcripts directly to the Creative Writing or English Departments.
  • International students must send transcripts in the native language and an English translation, along with a copy of the degree certificate in English and the native language.

Letters of Recommendation: We require two recommendations. These should be completed by someone who is familiar with your academic record and writing and is in a position to assess your ability to succeed in the program. You will provide their information on your online application. After the application is submitted, your recommenders will receive instructions for submitting their letters electronically. We do not accept hard-copy letters of recommendation. If they have trouble submitting their recommendations, please contact crw-admissions@english.ufl.edu.

Notes for international applicants

International students should consult the University Admissions requirements for TOEFL IELTS and SPEAK.  The minimum scores for students holding a teaching assistantship in the Creative Writing department are, for the TOEFL, 550 on the written Speaking Portion or 28 on the internet-based test. The department may accept students with scores of 23-27 on a conditional basis pending the satisfactory completion of a course in Academic Spoken English. For the IELTS, UF requires a score of 6; for the MELAB, a minimum score of 77.

International applicants are exempt from the English proficiency requirement if they have been enrolled for one academic year in a degree-seeking program at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in a country where English is the official language prior to your anticipated term of enrollment at UF, or if you are from one of the countries listed under the “Countries Exempt from English Proficiency” toolbar on the International Applicants page here.

Florida law requires all non-U.S. students who are going to be graduate teaching assistants—even if exempted from the IELTS, MELAB and TOEFL requirement—to prove adequate command of the English language. One way to demonstrate oral proficiency in order to teach is to take the SPEAK test.

Transcripts: International students may use unofficial transcripts for the admissions process. However, once admitted, they must provide official transcripts and certificates of degree. UF requires transcripts in the native language and an English translation, as well as copies of the degree certificate in the native language and an English translation.

Further useful information may be obtained through the University of Florida International Center.

Additional fellowship materials

• All applicants are automatically considered for graduate school and department fellowships. You do not need to apply for these awards separately.