Admission 

Admission Prerequisites

Students admitted to the School of Letters must:

• Have earned a Bachelor's degree at an accredited institution.
• Demonstrate adequate writing proficiency and preparation in literature.
• Demonstrate the seriousness required for graduate-level study.

Application Deadlines

December 1 - Rolling Admission begins. Applicants will continue to be accepted into the program until the entering class is filled.

January 31 - Priority Deadline. Applicants who meet the priority deadline will automatically be considered for merit scholarships such as the Blake & Bailey, Elliott, or Trent scholarships.

March 15 - Final deadline. This is the last day to submit an application, including transcripts and recommendations.

Application Form

All parts of the application will be completed online. The application form will include contact information, education history, any publications and awards, and work history. Note that admission decisions are made without regard to financial need.

Application Statement

You will be asked to prepare an application statement and to upload this statement as a separate document. In a page or two, tell us why you want to attend the School of Letters. Please avoid writerly origin stories rooted in early childhood. We’d like to hear about the writers you’re currently reading, the kind of work you’re interested in doing while enrolled here, your expectations in pursuing an MFA, and any previous workshop or publishing experience you might have. We would also like to know what has drawn you to Sewanee in particular, whether it’s our faculty, location, summer-focused structure, or some combination thereof. We want to get a sense of who you are as a writer, and to feel like you have some sense of who we are as a writing program.

Writing Sample

For applicants to the MFA program, the writing sample should include 8-10 pages of poems, or 15-25 pages of fiction or literary nonfiction. These can be uploaded via .pdf.

Two Letters of Recommendation

Recommendations should come directly from former professors or other persons able to evaluate your potential for graduate study. You will provide their names and email addresses, and they will be contacted automatically by email to complete a recommendation form and also upload a letter of recommendation.

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts from all colleges and graduate schools previously attended should be sent from those institutions directly to: Sewanee School of Letters, University of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN 37383. For electronic documents, use the email address sletters@sewanee.edu.

Expenses

Tuition and fees for the summer session are generally announced by February 15. For the Summer 2025 session, the Advent 2025 semester, and the Easter 2026 semester, tuition is $1000 per semester hour and fees are $200 per term.

A student must satisfy all financial obligations to the University. The University will neither confer a degree upon nor provide academic transcripts to a current or former student who has unsatisfied financial obligations to the University.

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. More information regarding financial aid may be obtained by contacting the Financial Aid representative to the School of Letters at (931) 598-1312 or finaid@sewanee.edu, or at the financial aid website.

The code of conduct and student rights and responsibilities pages provide important information on need-based aid for admitted students.

The Sewanee School of Letters Scholarships

THE BLAKE & BAILEY FAMILY FUND EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Through the generosity of the Blake & Bailey Family Fund, all admitted K-12 educators will be awarded a scholarship to cover 20% of their tuition. The scholarship is renewable each year the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree and submits proof of employment.

THE JILL MCCORKLE FIRST YEAR FICTION SCHOLARSHIP

Each year one incoming fiction student will receive the Jill McCorkle First Year Fiction Scholarship, which will cover 100% of tuition costs for the first summer term, up to 7 credit hours. In honor of award winning author and longtime Sewanee friend Jill McCorkle, the scholarship is funded through an anonymous donor. All fiction applicants are eligible.

THE SARAH BARNWELL ELLIOTT SCHOLARSHIPS IN FICTION, NONFICTION, AND POETRY

Applicants to the program that demonstrate exceptional ability in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry will be considered for the Sarah Barnwell Elliott Scholarship, named for noted writer, suffragist, and member of the Sewanee community. These competitive merit-based scholarships will cover 30% of tuition and are renewable for each year the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree.

THE WILLIAM PETERFIELD TRENT EDITING AND PUBLISHING SCHOLARSHIP

The William Peterfield Trent Scholarship is named for the distinguished Sewanee English professor and founding editor of the Sewanee Review. The scholarship is awarded to one or more recipients with a demonstrated interest in editing and publishing. These scholarships will cover at least 20% of tuition and are renewable for each year the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. The number awarded depends on scholarship funding for the year.

THE JAMES AGEE SCHOLARSHIPS

All applicants to the program who teach at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School will be considered for the James Agee Scholarship, named for the St. Andrew's-Sewanee School graduate and renowned author. These merit-based scholarships will cover 50% of tuition and are renewable for each year the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Scholarships cannot be stacked. No more than one scholarship can be awarded per student.