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UC Riverside

Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA

Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts

UCR Low Residency MFA Creative Writing Student - Fiction

How to Apply

When to apply


Application Deadlines
  • Fall Admission: Applications are due Aug. 1. Fall quarter typically begins the last week of September. 
  • For instance: If you would like to start school Fall of 2026, your application is due by August 1st, 2026. 
  • Spring Admission: Applications are due Feb. 1. Spring quarter typically begins the last week of March.
  • For instance: If you would like to start school Spring of 2027, your application is due by February 1st, 2027. 
  • These dates are the official dates FOR THIS PROGRAM ONLY. Please ignore any other dates you might see on the application portal for general graduate program study.  

How to apply

 
The Fall 2026 application is open!

To apply, go to the UCR Graduate Division website.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Create Account," then follow instructions to create an account.

Once logged in, click "Start New Application."

Under Application Type, select "Graduate Application: '26-'27."

Within your application, under "General Information," select "Fall 2026."

Under Program Details, select "Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts: PD/LR."

(There are two creative writing MFA programs at UCR. To apply to the Palm Desert Low-Residency program, please select the option with "PD/LR" at the end of the program name.)

Fill in all other required information.

Completing your application includes submitting: 

  • An application fee 
  • A Graduate Statement of Purpose  
  • A 25-page writing sample for your intended major (fiction, playwriting, poetry, nonfiction, or screenwriting). Your writing sample must be for your major. Do not send work outside of your intended major. A faculty committee will read your submission. It will be evaluated on the grounds of quality, originality, academic prowess, and creative potential.
  • Three letters of recommendation. Non-academic recommendations are accepted. When you fill out your application, you will input the name and email address of each recommender. Once you enter and save that contact information, your recommenders will automatically receive an email with instructions for uploading their recommendation letter. (You can choose to waive your right to review the letters or not.) Please contact your recommenders as early as possible. Even if you're not ready to submit your application, you can start the process of having your letters uploaded. All three of your letters must be received within one week of the close of the application cycle, by August 7, 2026.
  • You do not need to submit a teaching statement.
  • Transcripts from all college-level institutions you've previously attended. This includes any institutions from which you received transfer credits toward any undergraduate or graduate degree (city colleges, universities, etc.). This also includes institutions from which you received credits for non-degree programs (including extension programs). If the institution is mentioned on your application, you will need to provide a transcript. You can provide unofficial transcripts, which you can upload directly to your application. You will also need to provide official transcripts if you admitted. (A transcript must be sent directly from the institution to UCR for it to be considered official. Please visit the UCR Graduate Division web page on how to send official transcripts.)