Graduate Admissions - Creative Writing

Graduate Admissions - Creative Writing Programs

The most important part of your application is a sample of your creative work. Low residency programs base admission decisions primarily on a written sample of the prospective student’s creative work submitted in the genre the student intends to study.

Supporting materials that accompany an application (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement identifying the student’s reasons for pursuing graduate study) are used to help consider the other positive attributes a student might contribute to the university and program communities respectively.

Admission Process

Admission to Saint Leo's Master of Arts in Creative Writing program is a simple, straightforward process. Applicants should submit the following materials 60 days before the beginning of the term in which they wish to enroll.

All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.25 on a 4-point scale; students not meeting this standard may be admitted on a probationary basis at the discretion of the director.

1. Fill out the online application or download, complete and return the application for graduate admission. You should select that you are completing your M.A. Degree as part of a COHORT.
2. Submit a one-time, non-refundable $80 application fee.
3. Send official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you've previously attended to the Office of Graduate Admission. A United States equivalency evaluation must accompany transcripts from foreign institutions, which must be certified by an approved evaluation service. Graduates or former students of Saint Leo University do not need to submit transcripts if they have been previously been submitted and are on file. Download Transcript Request Form.
4. A sample of the applicant’s original creative work in the genre in which the student wishes to specialize. Poets must submit a minimum of 10 and maximum of 25 pages; prose writers must submit between 20 and 30 pages of original work. The document should have minimum 1-inch margins on all four sides of the page. All manuscripts should be in a serif font, in 12-point type. Some good examples are Times New Roman, Garamond, and Cochin. Prose manuscripts must be double-spaced. 
5. Two letters of reference, ideally one professional and one academic. If an academic writer is not possible, the reference letter should address the ability of the prospective student to succeed in graduate study. Recommendations must be completed on forms provided by Saint Leo. Download Professional Recommendation Form.
6. A personal statement detailing the candidate’s reasons for pursuing graduate study in creative writing, and their goals for obtaining the degree. The essay should address the following questions:
   1. What are your professional goals and how will a Creative Writing degree from Saint Leo University assist you in reaching those goals?
   2. Based on your previous collegiate, professional, and life experience, why do you think now this is the right time for you to enroll into the Creative Writing program?
   3. How do you think you will be able to handle an academic rigor of a graduate program that requires students to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA?
7. Determine how you plan to pay for the program. If using Financial Aid, complete the FAFSA online. It is in your best interest to complete the financial aid process as early as possible.

Completed applications will remain active for two years. Conditional admission as non-degree-seeking students may be granted only for up to six semester hours of graduate work.

Application, letters and transcripts can be sent to:

Director of Graduate Admission - MC2248
Saint Leo University
P.O. Box 6665
Saint Leo, FL 33574-6665
grad.admissions@saintleo.edu