Low-residency writing programs have been around since 1976, with the opening of Goddard College in Vermont. They’re becoming more popular with every passing year, and more schools have opened to meet the demand. Today some of the more popular low-residency programs are in Vermont (Bennington, Goddard, and Vermont College of Fine Arts), North Carolina (Warren Wilson), Los Angeles (Antioch), Seattle (Seattle Pacific University), and in Louisville (Spalding University).
A low-residency writing program is designed to allow you to do the bulk of your work at home, working with your teacher through letters and e-mails. Typically you are required to attend a residency at the college for two weeks twice a year.
Typical Low-Residency Semester
A student in the poetry genre at Vermont College of Fine Arts will be required to submit 12-15 new poems a semester, submit revisions of those poems, and read and write reports on about 12 books of poetry and craft. The student would mail her work to her instructor, who would then respond with useful criticism, encouragement, and ideas.
The student would likely be busy nearly every evening and weekend, keeping up with the work, but at the same time be able to continue working full-time and continue to live where she's always lived. During the last semester of work the student will be required to write a master’s thesis, and for the last residency, teach a class and give a public reading. At the end of two years the student will have earned the MFA.
Required Residencies
The residencies themselves are usually packed with activities and can be very intense. You’ll meet with your instructor for the coming semester and design a plan that fits into your life. Faculty are published experienced writers and teachers, some of them very famous. There are faculty and guest readings and lectures nearly every day and evening. There are writing workshops that focus on individual work at each residency. You meet fellow writers both in your genre and in other genres. Great friendships often come from residencies. Most students live in dorms on the campus during the residency and take their meals on campus with the other low-residency students.
Low-Residency Program Costs
The costs of attending a low-residency program are approximately the same to attend a “regular” MFA program. You can count on approximately $4,000 a year, plus your transportation and books costs. Financial aid is available for accredited low-residency programs just as for regular master programs.
If you’ve reached the point in your writing where you think a master of fine arts can help you move forward as a writer, check into low-residency MFA programs.
