Hone your craft, find your community with Spalding MFA

The Spalding University MFA is one of the nation’s first low-residency MFA in Writing programs, and it remains one of the most respected. You’ll write more here and receive more one-on-one faculty feedback than in nearly any other MFA program. Our students thrive with this extra attention in our encouraging, non-competitive environment. Over four mentored independent-study courses and five residencies, you’ll work with our outstanding faculty of actively publishing and producing writers. You’ll hone your craft, explore across genres, learn about the business of writing, and build a lifelong writing community.

We believe artists flourish in a culturally rich environment. We’re located in downtown Louisville, known for its arts, dining, parks, and historic neighborhoods. Friendships form at our “dormitory,” the elegant 1920s-era Brown Hotel, a short walk from campus. Each residency includes an interrelatedness-of-the-arts element, be that a theatre performance, museum visit, or other memorable experience.

Enrich your writing with cross-genre exploration.

You’ll focus on your own writing in an in-depth, one-on-one mentorship with a different faculty member each semester. At residency, you’ll workshop in your area of concentration—or stretch creatively with a workshop in another area. You’ll learn about every genre we teach: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, and writing for TV, screen, and stage. Cross-genre exploration will make you a better writer and, if teaching is your goal, a more prepared instructor. 

Lifelong writing practice, lifetime community. 

During one-on-one independent study, you’ll build writing into your daily life at home. This practice gives you the discipline to keep writing for a lifetime. And our tight-knit, active alumni community will support your writing career long after graduation.

Publish, produce, and find professional success.

Our alums have careers as editors, professors, nonprofit administrators, media professionals, content developers, podcasters, and more. They publish creative work with top presses, write for the television and film industries, and have plays produced nationally and internationally. Our students learn about the business of writing through virtual seminars with actionable advice from writing, editing, and publishing professionals.  

Affordable tuition and a special $2,500 scholarship.

Spalding’s tuition is among the most affordable of any top-tier low-residency MFA. We also offer an MA in Writing (MAW) and a graduate certificate—and you can roll those credits into the MFA program, earning two credentials for about the cost of one.

And thanks to a generous grant from the Renau Foundation, we’re awarding a limited number of $2,500 scholarships to incoming students who complete the FAFSA and demonstrate need. Other scholarships are available as well.

Apply by our early-decision deadline of August 1, or send in your application in the weeks that follow, to begin your studies with our fall residency on campus, November 11-18. Learn more at our website or email us at [email protected] to request an application fee waiver code. It will save you $30 when you apply.