Tuition, Admission, Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition
Tuition for the MFA in Creative Writing at Butler
University is set at $674 per credit hour for the 2012-2013 school
year. Allowing for small annual increases in tuition, a
student entering the program in fall 2013 should expect total
tuition and fees for the degree around $24,000.
A quick glance at the tuition costs for other MFAs shows
that Butler is an extraordinary value, especially when one
considers the high quality of our faculty and visitors, our small
class sizes, and our auxiliary programming. As our program is
entering only its fourth year, we believe that it is an important
service to provide an affordable MFA to the Central Indianapolis
community, and to encourage out-of-state students that they can
study here without mounting excessive debt.
Applications
The deadline for applications for fall 2013 is March 1,
2013. Applications for the following spring (2014) will be
accepted on a rolling basis after that date. All applications
require: completed application form, official transcript,
personal statement, and writing sample. No GRE is
required.
Questions may be directed to Diane Dubord at Butler
Admissions.
Admissions
The admissions committee of the Butler MFA will notify all
applicants by April 1, 2013, whether they have been accepted,
declined, or waitlisted. In addition, any students receiving
scholarship support or other awards will be notified at this
time. We will ask accepted students to notify us of their
decisions by the third week of April. Students not
responding/deciding at that time may lose their place, and/or their
awards or scholarships.
Every year, we matriculate approximately 15 new students,
divided roughly equally across our three core genres of fiction,
creative nonfiction, and poetry. For fall 2012, we admitted
(without necessarily matriculating) approximately 35% of
applicants. Please note, however, that we are a young and rapidly
growing program, and that our applications-to-admissions ratio is
increasing each year.
Our Students
Approximately half of our new students come from the local
Indianapolis community, and half come from out-of-state. As of
fall 2012, there are roughly 60 active students in the
program. In age, they range from 21 to 65. Approximately
half (mostly, members of the local community) take the program
part-time (1 or fewer courses per semester), and half take the
program full-time (2 courses or more per semester).
Scholarships, Awards, Financial Aid and Other
Information
The MFA at Butler does not offer 'free
rides': tuition remission with fellowship/assistant
support. As a responsible program, we recommend that
applicants receiving such support offers from other programs should
attend those programs. We also believe, however, that the
quality of our MFA is comparable to many well-established and
well-funded programs. As well, we try to minimize the
financial burden of our students, through low tuition and a growing
system of scholarships, awards and stipends tied to professional
development, and easily accessible financial aid. We believe
we are one of the best values in the country.
Scholarships and Awards
A variety of funding opportunities are available.
Students can be awarded partial scholarships as well as work
study opportunities that provide valuable experience for
professional development. Graduate students can work
as Peer Tutors in our Writer's Studio, a 10- to 12-hour-per-week
position; serve as Mentors in our First-Year Seminar program
and undergraduate Creative Writing classes, supporting
faculty in individual classes; coordinate for our Writing in the
Schools program, working for our outreach program with Shortridge
High School in Indianapolis. Our students also receive stipends for
providing targeted support for MFA programs such as our publishing
enterprises, Booth and Pressgang, and Efroymson Center for Creative
Writing (ECCW).
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is available to graduate students through
Federal Direct Loans, Federal Direct Plus Loans, and private loan
mechanisms. As a general rule, graduate students must attend
the MFA full-time (no less than six credit hours per semester) to
be eligible (please consult with the Office of Financial Aid to confirm such
details in your case). Loans are also available for summer
study.
Visit the financial aid website for more
information. For counseling, please contact Financial Aid at (317) 940-8200
or toll free at (877) 940-8200.
Health Insurance
Graduate students taking 6 credits or more per
semester are eligible to voluntarily enroll in the University's
student health insurance plan. Coverage is available for all
eligible students' spouses and dependents but they are not
automatically enrolled in plan coverage. Students must request that
spouse/dependents be added to the policy each year by the
established deadlines.
Details on the University-sponsored student injury and sickness
plan are available at www.gallagherkoster.com/butler. The sponsored
policy is with United Healthcare and it provides our students
access to a wide national network of providers and facilities.
Under this policy, when students utilize Butler's Health Services
on-campus clinic, the policy deductible is waived and covered
services such as physician visits, labs, and immunizations are paid
at 100%. For those who study or live abroad, medical evacuation and
repatriation is covered.
The annual premium for the 2012-2013 academic year plan is
$999. The significant increase from the prior year is due to
required changes for student health insurance plans as a result of
the Affordable Care Act. The plan has been enhanced to include
coverage of preventative care at 100%, internal limits have been
dropped, and the pharmacy coverage will move to a network plan.
For more information, visit www.gallagherkoster.com/butler.