International Applicants
The Traditional MFA Program at UCR Palm Desert offers rolling admissions. Applicants may apply to enter in the Fall, Winter, or Spring quarters. Please contact the Program Representative at (760) 834-0926 or michelle.harding@ucr.edu for exact dates.
The Low Residency MFA Program is not currently accepting international applications.
Applicants apply online by visiting http://www.graduate.ucr.edu/admtoc.html. All materials are submitted electronically except transcripts and those should be mailed to the address below. The application fee is paid via credit card, if you do not own one an exception can be made by contacting the UCR Graduate Division. International applications include the following:
Confidential Financial Statement
Online application
Disclaimer form with appropriate fee (by credit card)
TOEFL scores (Test of English Foreign Language)
(if English is the country’s secondary language)
Writing Sample (25 page writing sample of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or the first 25 pages of a screenplay or stage play)
3 Letters of Recommendation (non-academic recommendations accepted)
Transcripts (equivalent to 4 year Bachelor’s Degree)
Mail all materials and the application fee to:
Michelle Harding
MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts
UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center
75-080 Frank Sinatra Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211
Submissions will be read by a faculty committee and will be evaluated on the grounds of quality, originality, and creative potential.
Foreign students must have a sponsor--either themselves or another individual, agency, etc. Sponsors must submit official original documents that attest to the following financial support.
Fees for one year (based on 9 month academic year = $16,560.00
Students must be enrolled in 12 units each term for Visa purposes
Living expenses (based on 9 month academic year) = $13,500.00
Additional expense for one dependent = $3,500.00
Students enter the country on a short term F-1 Visa or J-1 visa if sponsored by their government. To be eligible for the form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for student visa), they must be enrolled in a full course of study each term. Foreign students in all graduate programs on campus must be enrolled in 12 units per term. The fee to process the Visa is currently $100.00 and subject to change.
The amount must be certified as on deposit for the benefit of the student. Agencies must attest to payment of expenses on official letterhead and signed by an official. If an agency insists on issuing the form I-20, we will not send admission documents to the student until the agency provides us with proof of financial support. Bank statements must be current (within last 30 days).
International students must purchase Health Insurance coverage, or show proof of coverage, for the duration of their stay in the United States.
A student on a student visa cannot accept off-campus employment at any time during the first year in the U.S. Spouses of F-1 visa holders (F-2) are not allowed to work under any circumstances.
If admitted, students work with Graduate Division personnel to complete Visa paperwork. Renewals(subsequent Visa’s) are facilitated by the International Education Center.