THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Students interested in the B.A. degree only need to apply to the Admissions Office, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco 94132. Undergraduate applications may be obtained on line at www.csumentor.edu or by calling (415) 338-7238. There is no department application.
Admission to both the M.A in English: Creative Writing and the M.F.A. in Creative Writing is based on the evaluation of a meaningful sample of the applicant's recent work, which should include one of the following: 15 double-spaced pages of prose (either one or more stories, or 15 pages of a novel); 15 poems; or either a full length play or two short plays, along with a brief synopsis of each play (for theatre only--film scripts, radio plays, or television plays will not be considered). We're looking for quality, ambition and promise.
One of the Department Application Forms (also available from the Creative Writing Department, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco 94132-4162; phone (415) 338-1891) must accompany the manuscript. M.F.A. applicants who wish also to be considered for the M.A. need to submit only the M.F.A. application form. The G.R.E. is not required for admission to either the M.A. or the M.F.A.
Applicants for both the M.A. and the M.F.A. are also required to send two letters of recommendation and an unofficial copy of their college transcript to the Creative Writing Department.
Admission will be in one genre, and priority in writing workshops will be given to students accepted in the genre of the course. Students from other genres will be welcome on a space available basis.
Manuscripts and Department Application Forms (and letters of recommendation and unofficial transcripts) should be sent to The Creative Writing Department, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco 94132-4162. ( No department application forms or manuscripts will be accepted online.)
Applications are only accepted for the fall semester. The application period is the preceding August 1 through December 15. Students accepted into the M.A. in English: Creative Writing with an undergraduate major that is not English are accepted conditionally. These students, in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator, may be required to make up undergraduate course deficiencies in English literature.
In addition to the application to the Creative Writing Department, the official CSU Application for Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Admission is required. This application is submitted online; deadline is December 15th. The SFSU Division of Graduate Studies require one set of official transcripts from each post-secondary institution; these transcripts should be sent to Division of Graduate Studies Admissions, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco 94132-1722, phone number: (415) 338-2234.
All materials received regarding an application for admission to the graduate program and all evaluations of these materials are strictly confidential. Such materials will not be returned to an applicant nor will they be made available to an applicant.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
There are two fellowships of $500 awarded each year to entering graduate students: The Miriam Ylvisaker Fellowship in Fiction, and the William Dickey Fellowship in Poetry. All applicants in fiction or poetry are automatically considered for these awards, which are made at the beginning of the spring semester following admission to the M.A. or M.F.A. program. There is no special application process for these fellowships. Because these fellowships are offered through the Creative Writing Department, please don't call or write the Financial Aid Office about them.
Second year M.F.A.and M.A. students will have the opportunity to apply to teach a beginning Creative Writing course. Every year, approximately five to seven students are hired to teach one class a semester for one year.
For information on loans and scholarships (with the exception of the Dickey and Ylvisaker Fellowships described above), all students should write to the Financial Aid Office, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, 94132, or call them at (415) 338-7000.