Creative Writing Scholarships and Graduate Assistantships

MFA Scholarships

Merit scholarships: 25% of overall tuition
Hamline offers annual scholarships to those incoming students whose application materials demonstrate the most promise. The scholarship is awarded to 10% of incoming students, and one scholarship is offered to a student who identifies as a writer of color.

Deborah Keenan Poetry Scholarship: $1,000
The Deborah Keenan Poetry Scholarship is offered annually to a poet in the program whose work shows considerable promise.

Judi Shaw Memorial Scholarship: $1,000 
The Judi Shaw Memorial Scholarship, named for former MFA student Judi Shaw, is offered bi-annually to an incoming MFA student who shows considerable promise as a writer.

Richard P. Bailey Endowed Scholarship: $1,000
This scholarship, named for former Hamline president Richard Bailey, assists a writer in the MFA program who has demonstrated financial need and excellent writing ability.

• CWP communications assistant— $1000 tuition reduction per semester
• Managing editor of CWP literary journals—$1,000 tuition reduction per semester
• Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop assistant—$1000 tuition reduction per semester
• Research assistants—$1000 tuition reduction per semester
• Water~Stone Review assistant editor positions—$1,000 tuition reduction each

Teaching assistants are paired with a faculty member and assist in teaching an undergraduate creative writing course such as Forms and Elements, Intro to Creative Writing, Multigenre Workshop, Runestone: Introduction to Literary Publishing, etc. Compensation: $1,000 tuition reduction.

Completion of the course Composition Theory & Pedagogy is required to hold these positions.

• Runestone: Introduction to Literary Publishing associate editor/teaching assistant positions—$1,000 tuition reduction each
• Teaching Internships—$1,000 each

Employees of our Learning Partners receive a 10% discount on tuition and a waiver of application and processing fees when newly enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Apply for this discount when applying for admission. To learn if you qualify, see our list of learning partners and eligibility requirements.

All Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing students, who demonstrate service to AmeriCorps (including Minnesota Reading Corps and Math Corps), the military, or the Peace Corps, are eligible to receive a 10% tuition discount. To apply, simply indicate your service as part of your admission application.

Hamline alumni are eligible to receive a 10% tuition discount when they enroll in any master’s program.

Financial aid is available to all MFA candidates in creative writing. It is not necessary to have an admission decision to begin the financial aid process. For information, please go to the Hamline financial aid website. You can also email the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@hamline.edu, and a financial aid counselor will contact you.