International Students

Application information: 

Click here for the Graduate College's informational page on international students. Please be sure to read through everything on this page. Contact the Graduate College (graduatecollege@fau.edu) or the MFA Advisor (mfa@fau.edu) with questions.

When applying to graduate school, you're actually applying both to the department and to the Graduate College. As such, before you send in any application materials, be sure to apply online here and then pay the $30 application fee.

Deadline for Fall admission:  January 15

Applications must include:

  1. Writing Sample
    Fiction: 20 to 25 double spaced pages of literary fiction (this can be one story or several)
    Creative Non-Fiction: 20 to 25 double spaced pages of literary creative non-fiction (this can be one piece or several)
    Poetry: 15 to 20 pages of poetry
  2. A Brief Statement of Intent
    The Statement of Intent should discuss the following two things: First, what fuels your desire to earn an MFA degree? Second, you should place your writing within a literary tradition, describing your experiences as both a reader of literature and a writer (specific to the genre in which you are applying). For example, what writers do you see as standouts within the same tradition, and what specifically do you admire about their writing? What traditions do those writers follow (or break away from) and do you feel your writing similarly follows or breaks from expectations of the genre?  Applicants should consider these questions simply as a guideline; the statement of intent should be composed creatively and in whatever way that best captures the interests and influences of the individual writer. Also, please let us know if you'd like to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in your statement of intent.
  3. Two letters of recommendation: please include this form with your letters of recommendation.
  4. Undergraduate transcripts (minimum 3.0 GPA). For international students, transcripts must evaluated by a third party organization. Here is a link to NACES (the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services): http://naces.org/members.html. Transcript evaluations should be sent directly to the Graduate College:
    Florida Atlantic University
    Graduate College
    SU-80, Room 101
    777 Glades Road
    Boca Raton, FL 33431
  5. Online application
  6. Application fee

The GRE is no longer required for admission.

The writing sample, statement of intent, and two letters of recommendation can be uploaded online. If you have trouble with this process, you can send them directly to the Department of English (see address below); all other application materials should be sent to the Graduate College. You can contact the Graduate College (graduatecollege@fau.edu or 561-297-3624) with any questions about transcripts or the online application process or fee.

Application documents (writing sample, statement of intent, and two letters of recommendation) may be sent to the following address if you have trouble with the online submission process:

Attn: English Graduate Advisor
English Department, CU 306
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431

Admission is competitive. The department's graduate committee reviews and deliberates upon all applications for each enrollment season shortly after the deadline.

More information for international students:

For the I-20, you will need your acceptance letter, any offer of funding, and personal financial information. You can find more information on this here.

The I-20 is half of your visa; the other half is from your embassy

The Embassy gives visa and passport and the I-20 is basically a visa letter issued by the college. Please be aware that even if visa doesn't expire for several years, if the I-20 expires before, the visa is no longer valid. The College only issues I-20s if you have enough funding for a full academic year (tuition and living expenses). It will add any other family members (parents, spouses, children) to your expenses.

To prove funding: get a letter from the bank that shows you have enough money (make sure the letter is dated and that it shows the currency equivalency). The bank account can be your account, your parents', or your guardian's (if it's a guardian's account, you must have a letter from the bank and from the guardian that says that money is available to you).

You need medical insurance proof in order to register for classes. Contact Student Health Services: http://www.fau.edu/shs/ - here is a link to the student insurance plan at FAU (click the international student link for the specific form): http://www.fau.edu/shs/fees_insurance/student_insurance.php

Housing on campus: http://www.fau.edu/housing/ - this can be really useful for at least the first year as you get your bearings. Also, if you don't have a vehicle, on campus housing is convenient.

You need to get your Social Security number in order to be paid. You must wait ten days after you land to apply. After ten days, go apply for your social security number, and then update records with HR.

Social Security Administration
Address: 621 NW 53rd St, Boca Raton, FL 33487
Phone: (800) 772-1213

If you need an extension on your I-20, the same process must be repeated.

If you have a GTA, you'll have to attend the International student teacher orientation: http://www.fau.edu/international/internationalassistants.php. If its schedule conflicts with the English Department GTA orientation, let them or your advisor know, and a makeup session will be scheduled for you.