Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Catalog Year 2025-2026

Based on VCCS Curriculum for ENGLISH

Transfer Guidance

Transfer Admission Requirements

• Students interested in the Creative Writing BFA must submit an application that includes the submission of a letter of recommendation from a VCCS creative writing faculty member, a writing sample, and short reflections on their own work and their feedback to other student writers. Contact MasonCW@gmu.edu for specifics.

• Transfer applicants must present a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.

• Prior to applying, VCCS applicants must complete an English composition equivalent to ENGH 101 (ENG 112). Students may provide secondary school coursework or test scores demonstrating English language proficiency.

• Prior to applying, VCCS applicants must complete a college-level math course.

• GAA applicants must present a minimum 2.85 cumulative GPA. For more information about Guaranteed Admission Agreement Requirements, visit: https://www.vccs.edu/transfer-programs/

Important Links & Dates

• Office of Transfer Services: https://www.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/apply-now/how-apply/transfer/office-transfer-services

• Admission Application: By Oct 1 or March 1 at https://www.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/apply-now

• Financial Aid: https://www.gmu.edu/financial-aid

• FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid: March 15 for Fall admission and November 1 for Spring admission at studentaid.gov

What Should I Consider When Selecting Courses?

• Because acceptance to the BFA in Creative Writing is competitive, we advise students to take some college level coursework in creative writing before applying to the program. Most institutions offer Introduction to Creative Writing as well as writing classes in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Creative Nonfiction. Successful completion of even one creative writing course before coming to Mason will make the internal application process much easier by ensuring the applicant will have a strong writing sample and an enthusiastic Instructor recommendation. In most cases, transferred creative writing classes at any level can be applied to foundational requirements in the major.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year. For help, see Transfer Steps and Resource Center at www.TransferVirginia.org

• Connect with an advisor at your community college and George Mason within your first year. College Connect available in your account at www.TransferVirginia.org

Is This Degree Right For Me?

• Deepen your passion, find your people in George Mason's BFA Program. Join a community of writers committed to sharpening their craft and yours in one of the country's only undergraduate BFA programs in creative writing. The BFA is structured to give students ample opportunity to learn to write and think creatively while also developing writing skills for the job marketplace. Study with award-winning faculty who will work to develop your literary art and help chart your journey toward sustaining a vibrant writerly life.

What Is The Impact On My Degree Of Work I Have Already Completed?

• Associate Transfer Degree Completion: Students who complete a transfer associate degree (AS, AA, AA&S, or AFA) from a Virginia Community College will receive a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower division) Mason Core general education categories. To be eligible for the waiver, students must provide the George Mason Office of Admissions with a final, official transcript reflecting the degree conferral date. As a prerequisite for ENGH 302, ENGH 101 is not waived. Students must transfer in or complete ENGH 100 or ENGH 101 at George Mason with a C or higher.

• Dual Enrollment - Completion of Associate Degree in HS: Applicants are required to apply as freshmen.

• Credit for Prior Learning: Credit by exam may be used to fulfill General Education and/or major requirements. See: https://www.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/apply-now/how-apply/transfer/transfer-credit-policy

• Catalog Year: Catalog year is determined by first term of attendance at George Mason.

Is This College Right For Me?

• Located in Fairfax, Virginia, within the Washington metropolitan area, George Mason enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate students from all 50 states and more than 130 countries in 78 in-demand majors.

• More than 4,500 new transfer students choose George Mason each year, and the university has been recognized as the most diverse in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report.

• Transfer students are welcome to live among our 7700-student residential community or off campus. The Office of Contemporary Student Services is dedicated to the support of off-campus transfers.

• 65% of George Mason students receive financial aid.

• 22 Division I men's and women's sports teams, plus club and intramural leagues, and more than 400 student organizations.

• For more information, visit: https://www.gmu.edu/transfer

• Learn more about our college at www.TransferVirginia.org

Did You Know That…

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?

• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at George Mason University?

What Can I Do With This Degree?

• Explore possible careers, salaries, and job outlook at www.TransferVirginia.org

Program Successes & Highlights

• Established in 2023 and awarded annually, the Bill Miller BFA Scholarship for Diversity in Creative Writing provides scholarship support for undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

• Our recent graduates have enjoyed a variety of successes in publishing, scholarship, education, and social justice. Andrew Joseph White's (BFA 19, MFA 22) debut novel HELL FOLLOWED WITH US was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022. Emma Tull (BFA 24) has a short story appearing in the Spring 2025 issue of Short Vine Journal. Julija Pivo (BFA 20) won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Fellowship to Lithuania. Tulane Simpson (BFA 22) was selected to present their project Eco-Androgyny: Environmentalism Beyond the Gender Binary as part of Posters on the Hill.

Do More With Your Degree!

• BFA students can enhance their majors by working with WATERSHED LIT: Center for Literary Engagement and Publishing Practice, a collective of organizations whose missions create and promote transformative experiences in the literary arts at George Mason and beyond, including a major book festival, an independent press, a daily online poetry anthology, a center for international writers, an annual conference, a project focused on the teaching of writing, and two highly regarded literary journals.

• For an intensive experience in professional development, consider our new minor in Dynamic Publishing with an Art & Design track and an Editorial & Production track.

• Highly motivated transfers may elect to apply for the English Honors program, which offers advanced, topic-driven seminars taught by research faculty. English Honors is a stepping stone toward post-graduate study or a variety of research and writing-intensive careers.

Other Than Classes, Are There Other Program Requirements?

• To preview the requirements for the internal application to the BFA, email the major advisor, Laura Scott at lscott@gmu.edu. You are also welcome to apply before transferring, but acceptance is contingent on acceptance to George Mason. Applicants with strong writing samples, instructor recommendations, and experience in writing workshops are most likely to be accepted into the BFA on their first attempt, but if we need more evidence of readiness for a structured creative writing program like ours, we may ask the applicant to re-apply with more information. We want to include anyone who is passionate about creative writing, but we also want to make sure our BFA students are fully prepared for the program.