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Admission Requirements
The normal minimum requirement for admission to the MFA program is a baccalaureate degree, in an honours program or the equivalent, from a recognized degree-granting institution. There is no requirement as to the discipline in which the degree was earned. Successful applicants will be expected to have achieved an average standing of at least second-class honours (B-) in their last four semesters of study. Note, however, that a limited number of students be admitted to the MFA without having satisfied the degree requirement and/or academic standing requirement set out above, if they are assessed as qualified to undertake graduate studies in creative writing on the basis of other experience and practice.

Admissions Portfolio
Students will be selected for admission to the MFA program primarily on the basis of a portfolio. The portfolio should be between 25 and 40 pages in length and may contain published and/or unpublished work and/or work-in-progress. It must include a minimum of three separate works (or excerpts from separate works). Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit works in more than one genre, e.g., fiction and poetry. Considerations of balance over the program as a whole, with respect to genres in which applicants are particularly interested and particularly strong, will have some impact on admission decisions. Please note, all applicants must submit two hard copies of the portfolio.

How do I apply on-line?
You can access Guelph’s on-line application for graduate studies at the following website: http://horizon.ouac.on.ca/webapp/account.d2w/report?ident=ACCOUNT_DSP&merchant_rn=810327&action_id=choose

The online application website offers the convenience of submitting your application electronically as well as paying the application fee on-line. It also provides links to a wealth of information about preparing for graduate studies, University admission requirements, the financial aspects of enrolling in a graduate program, as well as answers to other questions you have about graduate school.

What supporting documentation is required?
Once you have submitted your application online, the rest of the application package is self-administered: you must assemble all of the following documentation and forward as a complete package to the address at the bottom of this page:

* a copy of the completed online application form
* the admissions portfolio as described above (TWO hard copies: unbound and single-sided; please double space all fiction and non-fiction; poetry and drama may be single spaced; one electronic version is also required); please email the electronic version of your portfolio to mstrimas@uoguelph.ca and  be sure to include, in the subject  line, your first and last names, as well as the word, “portfolio”
* official transcripts
* two letters of reference (along with the referee form, which can be downloaded from the application portal)
* a letter of no more than three pages in which you describe your aspirations as a writer and an indication of the genres in which you are most interested
* the application fee (to be paid online when you apply)
* certification of English language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB test scores) for students whose first language is not English

What is the deadline for applying?
Applications should be submitted by December 15th, 2011 (postmarked). Please note that many courier companies do not send to PO Boxes (and note that there is no one to sign for a package at the PO Box). If a piece of your application package is going to be late, please notify Meaghan Strimas.

Where do I send my application file?
Please forward your complete application package to:

Creative Writing MFA
University of Guelph
P.O. Box 187, Stn. E
Toronto, ON
M6H 4E2