First-Year Writing Requirement

First-Year Writing Requirement courses teach students the discipline and skills needed for college-level writing.

First-Year Writing Requirement Course Goals

The goal of the First-Year Writing Requirement is to prepare students to write in diverse academic contexts. As a broad preparation for the range of writing tasks students will encounter at the University of Michigan and beyond, FYWR courses emphasize evidenced, academic writing in a variety of genres and rhetorical situations. This course is foundational for students to master the kind of analysis and argumentation found in sophisticated academic writing. Click here for more information and specific course goals.

Directed Self-Placement

Rather than placing students in the course Sweetland judges appropriate, we ask students to examine their own writing skills through the Directed Self-Placement for Writing process. This allows students to choose the writing course that is best suited to their needs. Learn more about the Directed Self-Placement for Writing.

Deciding which first-year writing course to take

Students have a variety of options when planning to fulfill their first-year writing requirement. In addition to the many topics available in FYWR courses, students may also elect to take WRITING 100: Transition to College Writing or WRITING 120: College Writing for Multilingual Students prior to completing a course that satisfies the requirement. Click here for more information on selecting the best course for you.

Current First-Year Writing Requirement Courses

Courses that fulfill the first-year writing requirement are taught in a variety of subjects, including Classical Civilization, Comparative Literature, English, History, and Slavic Languages and Literatures. Click here to explore all the options available to you.

Transfer Courses to Satisfy the FYWR

Transfer students who have taken writing courses at another college or university may be able to use these courses to satisfy the First-Year Writing Requirement. They should consult the list of approved courses from other colleges and universities, as well as the list of courses that are not approved, to see whether a course they completed elsewhere satisfies the First-Year Writing Requirement at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Advanced Placement (AP), Creative Writing, or Journalism courses do not fulfill the FYWR. For more information and to consult the list of courses, click here. If your course is not listed as approved, you may fill out this form to petition for transfer credit.

Developing a First-Year Writing Requirement Course

The Sweetland Center for Writing approves the departmental curricular offerings that satisfy the LSA First-Year Writing Requirement (FYWR). FYWR courses must be reapproved every five years. Click here for information on developing a new FYWR course.

First-Year Writing Awards Ceremony & Publication

The First-Year Writing Award winners were recognized at the third annual First-Year Writing Awards Ceremony. The winning essays were collected and published in the book Excellence in First-Year Writing 2012. Congratulations to the winners!