Eastern Kentucky University

Bluegrass Writers Studio

Home 9 Applying to the Program

Applying to the Program

When you’re ready, attach a letter of intent and writing sample as one doc (details below) in an email to the program director. Then, follow this link to apply to the EKU Graduate School.

Students may enter the Bluegrass Writers Studio™ program during fall semester, spring semester, or at either the domestic or international summer residency. Deadlines for each are below.

When filling out the online application, you’ll also need to provide us with a Letter of Intent, a Writing Sample, and an Academic History that includes transcripts from all of your previous undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate work. We do not require letters of recommendation.

Letter of Intent and Writing Sample

In your letter of intent (2-3 pages), please tell us a little about the writing sample you’re submitting—including the genre, the approximate date of the work’s most recent revision, and a sentence or two about how the work has evolved. Then, briefly summarize your background as a writer. This might include formal studies, such as an undergraduate degree in creative writing or literature, or informal studies, such as community writing groups, reading groups, or work with a mentor.

Also, please tell us about one work of literature that has impacted you in some way, briefly discussing how and why the work is meaningful to you and how it has inspired your ambition to develop as a writer.

Finally, tell us what you hope to achieve through MFA studies and why you believe Bluegrass Writers Studio might be a good fit for you.

Though you can, and are encouraged to, work in more than one genre while in the program, your writing sample should be in the primary genre you intend to work in while a part of the program.

For fiction and creative nonfiction, send 15-25 pages (double-spaced); for poetry, send 10-15 pages (single-spaced).

Academic History

Bluegrass Writers Studio™ applicants need to have completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree. While a degree in in English is not required, applicants should have significant experience reading and thinking critically about literature.

Applicants with a 2.5+ GPA from an accredited undergraduate institution are not required to submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score. Applicants who achieved an undergraduate GPA of less than 2.5 are required to submit GRE scores, though the MFA Admissions Committee reserves the right to waive any of the above requirements in the event that a writing sample is deemed exceptional and/or the applicant’s last 60 hours of undergraduate work is distinguished.

Bluegrass Writers Studio™ applicants need to have completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree. While a degree in in English is not required, applicants should have significant experience reading and thinking critically about literature.

Applicants with a 2.5+ GPA from an accredited undergraduate institution are not required to submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score. Applicants who achieved an undergraduate GPA of less than 2.5 are required to submit GRE scores, though the MFA Admissions Committee reserves the right to waive any of the above requirements in the event that a writing sample is deemed exceptional and/or the applicant’s last 60 hours of undergraduate work is distinguished.

Bluegrass Writers Studio™ applicants need to have completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree. While a degree in in English is not required, applicants should have significant experience reading and thinking critically about literature.

Applicants with a 2.5+ GPA from an accredited undergraduate institution are not required to submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score. Applicants who achieved an undergraduate GPA of less than 2.5 are required to submit GRE scores, though the MFA Admissions Committee reserves the right to waive any of the above requirements in the event that a writing sample is deemed exceptional and/or the applicant’s last 60 hours of undergraduate work is distinguished.

To apply to the graduate school, follow this link.

Application Deadlines

Fall: August 1
Spring: December 1
Summer International Summer Residency: March 1
Summer Domestic Summer Residency: May 1

To apply to the graduate school, follow this link.

For more information about EKU graduate admissions, please visit the Graduate School online or call 859-622-1745.

Frequently Asked Questions