Graduate Programs Graduate Financial Aid MFA Financial Aid Support for Graduate Students

Financial Aid Support for MFA Graduate Students

Financial Aid Support for Graduate Students in the
MFA Program in Creative Writing

In the first year, all MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver and a stipend, either through a fellowship or by gradership/fellowship combination, of $16,000 and $6,000 in summer funding. Many of these fellowships are awarded through Helen Zell Fellowships. Applicants will also be considered, where appropriate, for Rackham Merit Fellowships, which offer, together with English Department funding, a stipend and summer-funding package equalling $22,000, as well as health insurance. Second year support includes a complete tuition waiver, stipend (currently $16,135), and health care benefits through a Graduate Student Instructorship teaching an undergraduate creative writing or composition course. Additionally, several fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students. Specific packages are described below.

Zell Summer Funding

A summer funding stipend between the first and second years of the program of $6,000 is awarded through the generous support of Helen Zell. The total first year package equals $22,000.

Additional Funding:

Conference Travel

Every MFA student is guaranteed up to $350 towards conference travel. Many students choose to use these funds to help pay for a trip to the annual AWP conference.

Postage Reimbursement

MFA students are eligible to receive up to $50 in the first year and up to $100 in the second year to reimburse costs of sending work out to publications and contests.

Funding by Application:

Summer Internships

During the summer between the first and second years of the MFA program students are able to apply for funding in support of various internship opportunities. Students are expected to obtain an internship in education, arts administration, and publishing (book or magazine). Through the support of Helen Zell the MFA Program is able to support internship efforts for up to $2,000. Some previous internships have been with FSG, Another Chicago Magazine, the Poetry Foundation, Time Asia, and Copper Canyon Press.

Civitas Fellowships

Civitas Fellowships are awarded to a small number of MFA students after an application process. Participating graduate students will be expected to work an average of 10 hours a week for 30 weeks for InsideOut Detroit (travel time and preparation time included). The work may include team-teaching creative writing classes in the Detroit Public Schools, helping the writers at InsideOut with their classroom work in the Detroit schools, helping the administrators at InsideOut prepare annual literary magazines and readings by the students in Detroit , and helping with the production of the literary magazines in the Detroit schools. Civitas Fellowships are the result of efforts by the following: InsideOut Detroit, the MFA Program in Creative Writing, the Office of the Provost, and the Dean of the College of Literature , Science and the Arts.

Thesis Research/Travel Grant

MFA students can apply for a Thesis Grant to help support them in the completion of their thesis. The funding can be used for travel to do research. There are two times during the academic year when students may apply for the Thesis Grant, October (to be used over the winter break or spring break), and March (to be used over the summer break after the first year in the program).

Moveen Residency

Thanks to the generosity of poet and nonfiction writer Thomas Lynch, the MFA Program is able to select one student--based on a short essay competition--to be in residency at Thomas Lynch's cottage in Moveen, Ireland each May. The MFA Program is able to offer the winner $3500 towards travel and expenses.

Various Prizes:

The Hopwood Awards

Each year Hopwood Awards are given in various categories. Please click here to be taken to the Hopwood Awards homepage to learn more about these prizes, their benefactor, Avery Hopwood, and the Hopwood Awards Program's annual lectures and guest readers.

The Meijer Award

Thanks to the generosity of Hendrik Meijer, each year a Meijer is given to a graduating MFA. The award is given to alternating genres, poetry and fiction, on alternating years. If a first year MFA wins the Meijer Award, the money is held until graduation. The Meijer Award is given in the amount of $25,000 and is judged by a national judge.

The Zell Post-Graduate Award

Thanks to the generosity of Helen Zell, each year 7 Zell Post-Graduate Awards are given to graduating MFAs. The Zell is given in the amount of $25,000, and is judged by a national judge.

The Farrar Prize in Playwriting

Although we do not offer a concentration in playwriting, an award or awards up to $5000 will be offered to a current first year MFA student or students who are working on playwriting and stagecraft in addition to their specific genre. Although prior accomplishment in the field of dramatic writing will strengthen your application, this funding is not designed primarily to reward prior accomplishment, but rather to support specific, on-going projects in the field of playwriting. Funds may be applied to support while writing a play, for instance, or to research and travel costs towards writing a play, etc. In the recent past, students have requested funding for summer work, but the project you propose need not be limited to the summer months, so long as it takes place while your are enrolled in the MFA Program at Michigan.