Requirements for admission

1. Your unofficial academic records/transcripts from all post-secondary institutions. If you are formally admitted, you will need to submit official transcripts prior to entering the program.

2. Three letters of recommendation. In the second step of the application process (after you receive a HawkID) you will be asked to provide the contact information of your recommenders on your Profile. The recommender will then receive an email from the Office of Admissions instructing them on how to upload a recommendation letter. Letters of Recommendation may be submitted through a dossier service (such as Interfolio), please inform the service to submit the letters via email to tara-atkinson@uiowa.edu.

   Letters should be written by persons familiar enough with your intellectual attainments to evaluate your potential as a graduate student in English. MFA students in the Nonfiction Writing Program arrive from a wide variety of backgrounds and it's not unusual for students to be returning to academia after spending time on other pursuits—that time can, in fact, be beneficial to the writing process. Anyone familiar with your writing and goals can provide a letter. Professors who are familiar with you as a student and with your writing goals are recommended when available. If you have been out of school for a while, you might be able to catch up with a former professor. If someone provided a letter of recommendation in the past, they may update the letter or re-send as is. Instructors in other creative genres can provide good insight into your fit for an MFA program. Anyone you might have worked with in a non-degree setting, such as a writing residency or summer program, is a good candidate as well. Other letters of recommendation we've seen from successful applicants have come from professional writers, editors, publishers, producers, directors of literary organizations or libraries, fellow workshop participants and writing partners. Overall, applicants who are ready to undertake an MFA program will have been engaged with their writing and engaged with others about their writing.

3. A brief statement of purpose (no more than 500 words) explaining your reasons for choosing this degree program.
4. We do NOT require GRE scores.
5. Official TOEFL scores for non-native speakers of English. Applicants whose native language is not English, please see list below:
   • Paper-based (PBT) 637
   • Internet based (iBT) 110
   • DuoLingo (DET) 135
   • IELTS Overall scores of 8 with no subscore less than 7 
6. A 20 to 30-page writing sample that represents the best of your work in literary nonfiction.  These can be in any forms of nonfiction and may be a single sustained work or a series of shorter pieces.  Please be sure you double-space your pages and use a 12-point font with 1-inch margins all around.
7. CV/Resume

*Non-native speakers of English should note that most students are funded through teaching, and the Iowa Board of Regents mandates that all non-native speakers of English pass an oral English test in order to teach; the equivalent of an iBT speaking section score of 26 is required. If you are a non-native English speaker, we consider your official TOEFL scores and, additionally, we will conduct a telephone interview with you at an appropriate time in order to discern mastery of spoken English. For electronic submission of TOEFL test scores, the University of Iowa Institutional Code is 6681.

Non-discrimination policy

The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences. The university also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to university facilities. For additional information on nondiscrimination policies, contact the Senior Director, Office of Civil Rights Compliance, the University of Iowa, 202 Jessup Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242-1316, 319-335-0705, ui-ocrc@uiowa.edu.