Application Checklists

Application Form PDF

In order to be considered for admission to the MFA program in creative writing, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or have equivalent experience practicing creative writing as that experience is reflected in the quality of the prospective student's application portfolio.
2. Submit a completed graduate application form
3. Submit official transcripts from the college or university from which their highest degree was awarded. If the candidate does not hold a bachelor's degree, a high school transcript must be submitted. Transcripts must be received in a sealed envelope. They may be sent separately, or along with the other application materials.
4. Submit one copy of a portfolio of creative writing in each genre for which you are applying, consisting of approximately 25 pages of fiction, creative nonfiction, or writing for stage and screen, or 10 pages of poetry.
5. Submit one copy of a one-page, typed, single-spaced essay on the prospective student's reasons for applying to the MFA program and expectations for the program.
6. Provide one letter of academic or professional reference that speaks to the applicant's ability as a writer or potential as student. Letters of recommendation may either be sent separately or along with the other application materials.
7. Submit a $45 application fee for each genre in which you are applying.

Application deadlines: Applications must be postmarked by March 15 for the Summer/Fall term which begins in May, or by October 15 for the Spring term, which begins in January.

Application Form PDF

In order for your application to be considered:

• The manuscript, essay, and application form must be submitted in triplicate.
• Your manuscript must represent work in the genre in which you plan to concentrate: 25 typed pages of fiction.
• Pages must be numbered, and your name should appear on each poem, story, or chapter.
• Your manuscript must be typewritten, in a 12-point font. Fiction and creative nonfiction must be double-spaced. 
• The personal essay should state: highlights of what you’ve been reading during the last two years, and what you have learned from any literary influences (new or old) and how you have applied what you’ve learned to your own work; what you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of your own work; experience with critical evaluation of your work; what you hope to gain from an MFA program; and possible obstacles to carrying a 25-hour-a-week workload. The essay must not run over the limit of five typed, double-spaced pages.

You must arrange for the MFA Office to receive:

• *Three letters of recommendation sent directly (not enclosed with your application) to our offices: Meg Kearney, Solstice MFA Director, Pine Manor College, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
• Official college transcript(s) from any school(s) where you received a degree or transfer credits.

Please ensure that ALL materials are clearly labeled Solstice MFA Office to ensure proper on-campus delivery.   Deadline is October 15.