Admission

To apply to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, students may access the online application.   

Students admitted to the Sewanee School of Letters must have completed a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution.  That degree need not have been in English or Creative Writing, but admitted students must be able to demonstrate, with academic transcripts, writing samples, and letters of recommendation, adequate preparation in English and American literature, the conventions of literary criticism, and proficiency at writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, playwriting or screenwriting.  Additionally students must demonstrate, through a statement of purpose and letters of recommendation, the seriousness required for graduate-level study.

Basic Requirements

• A completed application form.
• A writing sample that includes eight to ten pages of poems, 15 to 25 pages of fiction or literary nonfiction, or 25 to 30 pages of a play or screenplay.
• An application statement.
• Two letters of recommendation from former professors or other persons able to evaluate potential for graduate study.
• Official transcripts (electronic or paper) from all colleges and graduate schools previously attended should be sent from those institutions directly to:

Sewanee School of Letters
The University of the South
735 University Avenue
Sewanee, TN  37383
sletters@sewanee.edu

Applications for the summer session are accepted beginning December 1, and will be read beginning January 31 until the entering class is full or until April 30. 

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for the summer session are generally announced by February 15. For the Summer 2023 session, the Advent 2023 semester, and the Easter 2024 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, they are 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 calculated 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 William Peterfield Trent Scholarships

Applicants to the Master of Arts 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.​ Students should indicate their interest in this scholarship on their application.