Skip to main content
Theatre + Dance Theatre + Dance
  1. Theatre + Dance
  2. Admissions
  3. Graduate Admissions
  4. MFA Playwriting
Monster by MFA playwright Ava Geyer. Photo: Jim Carmody (2019)Monster by MFA playwright Ava Geyer (2019) Photo: Jim Carmody.

Application Information for the MFA Program in Playwriting

We thank you for your interest in the MFA Playwriting Program!

Applications for Fall 2026 will open Wednesday, September 3rd 2025 and close on Wednesday, January 7th 2026.

 

Application Requirements

General information about the application and overall admissions process can be found on the UCSD Graduate Division's admissions page.

Please upload the following materials to the UC San Diego application portal.

  • One play that you have written that best represents your work and demonstrates your strengths as a candidate for our MFA program. Include a one page synopsis and attach to the front of the manuscript.
  • Professional resumé. Official transcripts or unofficial copies of academic records from all post-secondary institutions attended. 
  • A minimum of three letters of recommendation. For the online letter of recommendation process, you must provide the email address of each recommender.
  • Statement of purpose. Approximately two pages in length about yourself and your interest in playwriting. You should take some time in writing this as we are interested in your ideas and your ability to articulate them.

GRE is NOT required.

Interviews

After a preliminary screening based upon the completed application and the submitted scripts, those applicants on the short list will be interviewed at UCSD. Details regarding interviews will be finalized at that time. 

If you have questions about the application process or about the materials required of you, please contact the Graduate Coordinator at cpcaswell@ucsd.edu

 

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.

More information about Proposition 209 can be found here.
More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here.