Admissions requirements: Master of Fine Arts

Offered jointly by the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University, the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction programs are open to those who hold a four-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

Applicants who do not meet the standard admission criteria above may be considered using a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Click here to learn more.

Additional requirements

• Transcripts

For application purposes, unofficial or official academic transcripts and degree certificates (if degree conferral not stated on transcripts) are required for every post-secondary institution attended. Transcripts should include your first and last name, degree (if relevant), program type and name of issuing university.

Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded to your application status portal after you have submitted your application.

Official transcripts: should you be accepted for admission to your program of choice, all official and final transcripts will be required for each post-secondary institution attended within 90 days of the start of your program. For more information on official transcript submission, please see these Next Steps.

Additional transcript details

• • Transcripts are not required for any courses or degrees you have completed at the University of King’s College or Dalhousie University.
  • Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by an English translation provided by the institution issuing the transcript.
  • Notarized copies of transcripts are not permitted.
  • Degree and graduation certificates must be included if the transcript does not indicate the type of degree and date granted.
  • Transcripts submitted with applications become the property of the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University, are subject to verification, are not available for copying and will not be returned to the applicant.

• Reference letters

Two reference letters are required.

• • Applicants who have completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree within the past three years are required to provide two academic references.
  • Applicants who have completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree three to five years ago can submit one academic and one relevant professional reference or two academic references.
  • Applicants who have completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree more than five years ago can submit two relevant professional references, one academic and one relevant professional reference or two academic references.

Additional reference letter details

• • Reference letters provided to the University of King’s College or Dalhousie University for purposes of determining a candidate’s suitability for admission to an academic program will be kept confidential. This confidential reference may be used internally by either/both institutions for the purposes of considering the applicant for institutional, provincial and federal awards or scholarships.
  • Applicants are requested to provide all contact information for their referees within their application for admission. Please use institutional, professional or governmental email addresses wherever possible; personal emails, including those on such services as Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail, may be subject to further verification.
  • Referees will receive an email with a secure link to provide their confidential reference through the reference portal unless the applicant indicates that the reference letter will be coming directly to the department. All confidential reference letters that are not submitted through the secure portal should be sent to admissions@ukings.ca.

• Personal statement

Your statement (approximately 500 words max) should outline your educational/professional experience, your goals for the program and your reasons for wanting to attend the MFA in Creative Nonfiction or Fiction program. Explain any gaps or deficiencies in your academic record, and any other factors you wish to have considered.

• Project idea

Description of the idea(s) (approximately 250 words max) you want to pursue as your major Creative Nonfiction or Fiction project.

• Portfolio

A maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of your best nonfiction/fiction work, preferably including a sample from the proposed MFA project.

All submissions should be in prose; poetry is not accepted in the portfolio submission.

• Resume/CV

Use of AI tools in personal statement, project idea, portfolio or other supporting materials: use of AI or other tools for checking spelling, grammar and punctuation is permitted as long as the applicant uses the tool in such a way that requires the applicant to accept individual changes, so the applicant is aware of and approves each suggested spelling, grammar or punctuation change.  AI tools may not be used for generative editorial work or autonomous content creation. This includes using AI to suggest, generate or implement editorial changes that go beyond spelling, grammar or punctuation. 

Submitting your supporting documents: supporting documents can be uploaded to your application directly, except for official transcripts. To prevent any delays in processing, we recommend your school(s) send official transcripts by email to admissions@ukings.ca.

For more information on providing supporting material that cannot be uploaded to your application, please see these Next Steps.