Tuition, Fees, and Aid

The EOU MFA program prides itself in being one of the most affordable and best value low-residency options anywhere. All told, our MFA program costs $6,000-$7,000 less per year than most comparable low-residency programs in the region.

Up-to-date tuition rates are found here. For the 2024-2025 academic year, Graduate tuition at EOU is $537 per credit, and the MFA program requires 60 credits across two years. Thus tuition is $16,110 per year if full-time. There is also a one-time matriculation fee of $350, as well as a student fee of $75 attached to each MFA course that amounts to $750 per year (this student fee supports visiting author appearances at the La Grande Lit Week during the summer residency, the online Ars Poetica reading and conversation series, as well as other student opportunities).

Other program costs include any travel to and from Wallowa Lake and La Grande for our two weeks of summer residency as well as room and board. At Wallowa Lake, one can camp, stay in the iconic and atmospheric Wallowa Lake Lodge, or stay in town in Joseph, so costs are variable. Similarly, in La Grande one can opt to say in an EOU dorm room for a mere $162 for the week, or choose to stay in a hotel or AirBnB.

After filling out a FAFSA, students are currently eligible for direct federal loans of $20,500 per year (with a 1 percent loan fee and 8 percent interest rate as of December 2024; see current loan fees/rates here), sufficient to cover tuition and other basic costs for the degree like books, travel, and stays during summer residencies. These Title IV loans are capped in aggregate at $138,500, including any previous undergraduate or graduate loans. If additional funds are needed, students can also apply for a federal “PLUS loan” that is capped at the cost of program attendance (with a 4.2 percent fee and 9 percent interest rate as of December 2024); plus loans are approved unless there’s a record of “adverse credit.”

We are pleased to say that, once a student fills out at a FAFSA and enrolls in the program, they will automatically receive an EOU MFA Creative Writing Award of $500-1500 applied toward tuition (the award amount based on the determined level of need). This award is renewable for a second year so long as regular progress toward the degree is achieved in good standing. 

Please note that students must be enrolled in a minimum of five credits in a term in order to receive federal financial aid. For additional inquiries related to financial aid, students should contact EOU’s financial aid office by calling  +1 (541) 962-3550 or e-mailing fao@eou.edu.  

More information about possible scholarships from the EOU Foundation can be found here: https://www.eou.edu/scholarships/

(Senders take full responsibility for any activity resulting from sensitive information being sent from private E-mail through the university E-mail system)