Admission

To apply to the literature or creative writing program, students may download the application materials from the School of Letters web site or contact the Sewanee School of Letters office and ask that an application packet be sent via the U.S. Postal Service.

Basic Requirements

• A completed application form is required.
• Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited college or university and are required to provide official transcripts of all previous academic work.
• Application to the program requires two letters of recommendation from former professors or other persons able to evaluate potential for graduate study.
• For applicants to the MFA program, a writing sample should include 8 to 10 pages of poems or 15 to 25 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction. For applicants to the MA program, it should include 15 to 25 pages of critical prose, from one or more essays.
• An application fee of $40 is required via check or money order made payable to the University of the South.

All application materials should be returned to the office of the Sewanee School of Letters, to the address below.

Sewanee School of Letters
University of the South
735 University Avenue
Sewanee, TN  37383

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for the 2017-2018 academic year: 

Tuition: $922 per credit hour
Fees: $175

Refund Policy

If a student, after registration, is dismissed or withdraws for any cause except illness, he or she is not entitled to any refund of the sum paid to the University or to the cancellation of any sum due to the University. Refunds for a withdrawal because of illness are figured by prorating fees for the period from the date of withdrawal to the end of the session. The amounts to be prorated are one-half of tuition and room charges and three-fourths of the board charge. No refund is made for the activity fee or any other fee. Notice of withdrawal and requests for refund must be made in writing addressed to the Director of the School of Letters and must be accompanied by a written notice from the health care provider stating that the illness-withdrawal is recommended.

Financial Aid

Admission decisions are made without regard to financial need. If a student indicates interest in financial aid on the application form, the Sewanee School of Letters will notify the University’s financial aid office to send relevant information about Federal Student Aid. Bethany Denton is the University's Loan Specialist attached to the School of Letters. She may be reached at (931) 598-1312 or at finaid@sewanee.edu.

The Bill and Leslye Altemeier Scholarship

The Altemeier Scholarship will be awarded to a public school teacher in the 2015 entering class. Thanks to the generosity of Bill and Leslye Altemeier of San Antonio, the award will cover the recipient’s full tuition for four summers of classwork at the School of Letters and a fifth year to be spent on additional classwork or on writing an original thesis. Students may pursue either the MA or the MFA degree. Applications must be received by March 1.

The William Peterfield Trent Scholarships

Applicants to the MA program can also apply for the William Peterfield Trent scholarship, named for the distinguished Sewanee English professor (1888-1900) and founding editor of the Sewanee Review. These merit-based scholarships will cover 20% of tuition and are renewable for each year the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree.​