Transfer Students

Applicants who have completed 24 or more transferable college credits at any accredited institution.

Admissions Process

Transfer applications are reviewed and decisions returned as quickly as possible once your application is complete and includes an application, an application fee (unless waived), and official transcripts for all colleges, two letter of recommendations, personal statement and a portfolio in the intended program of study.

A complete application will be sent to the Admission Review Committee to determine acceptance. The review process can take 1-2 weeks.

Application Form

Please submit either an online application or a hardcopy application form by the priority consideration deadline for the term to which you want to attend. We recommend the online application for faster response.

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—July 27
• Spring Term—January 4

Transfer Admissions Requirements

IAIA has consortium partnerships with other colleges and admissions requirements may vary according to the partnership agreements. To view our partnerships, visit Articulations Agreements. Also make sure to contact the Office of Admissions and Recruitment.

Portfolio Requirements

The portfolio requirements vary among the majors and have specific requirements. Please submit a portfolio in the intended area of study.

Major Program: Creative Writing Portfolio Requirement

• 15 to 20 pages of original work (poetry, fiction, playwriting, or nonfiction)

Major Program: Indigenous Liberal Studies Portfolio Requirements

1,000 word essay including:

• What you expect to gain through participation in the Indigenous Liberal Studies Program/Native American Studies program.
• What experience you have had as a member of or working for an Indigenous or local community.
• What issues facing Indigenous or local communities seem most important to you.

Major Program: Museum Studies Portfolio Requirements

700-word statement of interest in the Museum Studies program. The statement should include:

• Goals and any special training or previous relevant employment or other experience.
• Current knowledge of the museum/cultural center field.
• The kinds of experiences he/she hopes will be a part of his/her college education.
• Reasons for choosing the Museum Studies degree program.

Major Program: Cinematic Arts & Technology Portfolio Requirements

• Up to five individual films (narrative, documentary, animation or experimental in nature), with a total running time of no more than 20 minutes. Applicants are encouraged to submit work on DVD media when possible, which should be able to be played on a standard DVD player. Applicants must check their work to meet this requirement. Do not send .flv, .swf or Windows Media files. If an applicant’s work is posted on the web, he/she should send the URL(s)as part of the portfolio as well.
• A short film demonstrating foundational skills and promise toward the program.

Major Program: Studio Arts Portfolio Requirements

A minimum of 10 art pieces (photographs only) related to the applicant’s intended major and created within the past two years.

• Applicants may email their files as a Power Point or Word document to the Office of Admissions at admissions@iaia.edu.

Please do not submit:

• Original paintings or artwork.
• Original three-dimensional pieces, such as jewelry, pottery, or sculpture.

IAIA is not responsible for lost or misdirected items. Portfolios will not be returned.

An applicant for transfer to IAIA will present the above requirements at his/her scheduled Admissions Committee meeting. The Admissions Committee will determine the qualifications of the student and officially admit or deny the student acceptance into the major program. If accepted, the student will be assigned a Major Advisor and will file a degree plan with the Registrar’s Office.

Certificate and Online

Applicants who would like to earn a certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, or Native American Art History either in-person or online. For students with no college credit or less than 24 transferable college credits must apply as a Freshman. Visit the Online Certificate Programs page for more information.

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—July 27
• Spring Term—January 4

Certificate Admissions Requirements

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

IAIA offers one graduate degree—a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree—as a Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing program with two intensive residency periods per year (summer and winter). It is designed as a two-year program and requires the completion of 48 credit hours.

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing with the following areas of emphasis—Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Screenwriting.

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—February 15

Low Residency MFA Admissions Requirements

Admissions Information for Low Residency MFA

The graduate application for the MFA in Creative Writing is available at IAIA Online Application. Please note that although the Low Residency MFA Program begins with an on-campus residency in July, the July residency is considered part of the Fall semester. Please choose “Fall” not “Summer” on the application. If you find you need to submit additional materials, please e-mail those documents to admissions@iaia.edu or mail them to the Admissions Office at the address below.

Your application will not be considered for admission until it is complete.

Materials must be received by 5 pm on February 15 for full consideration. Applications completed after 5 pm on February 15 will be considered for any remaining openings, wait-listed, or considered for the following year. At this time, we are only accepting students into the program in the fall semesters.

Admission will be competitive; we will be accepting only thirty students into the program each year. There is no separate application for the Institute of American Indian Arts’s Scholarships; students who apply before February 15 will be considered for all IAIA scholarships.

A bachelor’s degree is required, but it need not have been with an English or writing major. Students who have completed a significant number of undergraduate hours may request an exception to the bachelor’s degree requirement; however, given the competitive nature of the admissions process, such an exception will be granted rarely. Contact the MFA Director at jdavis@iaia.edu to get information on the bachelor waiver criteria.

For questions about the application process, please contact admissions at admissions@iaia.edu.

Creative Manuscript

Please submit examples of your work in one of these areas:

• poetry: a maximum of 10 pages (single-spaced, not more than one poem to a page)
• fiction: a maximum of 20 pages (double-spaced)
• creative nonfiction: a maximum of 20 pages (double-spaced)
• screenwriting: a maximum of 30 pages (industry-standard formatting)

You may apply in two genres, but a complete manuscript must be submitted for both genres in which you choose to apply. Each manuscript should be typewritten, single-sided, numbered in the lower-right hand corner, and set in 12 point Times Roman (or Courier for a screenplay). Please do not staple. Manuscripts will not be returned. Any pages beyond the maximum will not be read.

Personal Essay

Please submit an essay (2–3 typed, double-spaced pages) in which you address the following questions:

• How long have you been writing seriously?
• What previous study have you done in writing and literature?
• Is there any additional experience that seems particularly relevant to your application?
• Are you prepared to hear direct criticism of your work and apply that criticism to revision?
• What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of your writing?
• Do you foresee anything that might prevent you from devoting 25 hours per week to your study or from corresponding consistently with your faculty advisor?

More than transcripts or letters of recommendation, the essay gives us some understanding of your experience with writing and criticism, your goals for work in the program, your readiness to work in the low-residency format, and the appropriateness of your admission.

Craft Essay

Please submit a writing sample (3–4 pages, double-spaced) that demonstrates your abilities as a reader and critical thinker. This sample may be something formal that you have written previously for a class, or you may write a short essay on a literary work you’ve recently read. The essay should in some way engage questions dealing with the writer’s craft and/or ways in which the writer’s work has served as a model for your own literary ambitions.

To applicants who are reapplying: If you are reapplying to the IAIA MFA in Creative Writing Program within one year of your previous application, submit the following: 1) a new or revised creative manuscript, 2) a new or revised personal essay, 3) a new or revised craft essay, 4) a new application form, and the $25 application fee. Updated references and transcripts are optional.

Residency-Only MFA in Creative Writing (Non-Degree)

Writers wishing to deepen and refine their work and expand their writing community are invited to attend the MFA Residency week as non-degree students.

Join us for seven full days of craft talks, workshops, panels, classes, conferences, and readings featuring some of our finest contemporary writers, as well as guest editors and agents. The twice-annual residencies are rare opportunities to engage in sustained and meaningful conversation with others who share your passion for writing.

Residency-Only MFA Admissions Requirements (Non-Degree)

International

• Applicants who are or will be in the US with a valid visa status i.e., F1, J1.

Applicants that are Canadian First Nations, must FIRST complete an International application until the Jay Treaty verification is provided, where they will then be changed to domestic applicant.

• International students must apply for admission at least six months prior to the date of expected enrollment.
• International applicants must have graduated from a school equivalent to the twelfth grade in the United States.
• International students are not eligible for federal financial assistance.
• All international students in F-1 status must take at least 12 semester hours in their degree plan each semester while attending IAIA.
• An I-20 A-B will not be issued from the Institute until the applicant has completed the admissions file and has been accepted.
• All documents submitted with the application must be official or original.

Admissions Process

International students must apply for admission at least six months prior to the date of expected enrollment. Complete applications will be sent to the review committee for admissions and can take 1–2 weeks. After your application is reviewed, the process will begin to establish I-20 paperwork to get your F-1 Visa and can take 1–2 weeks. Student transferring from another US institution, must also adhere to the transfer application requirements.

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—February 4
• Spring Term—July 4

International Admissions Requirements

Non-Degree

Non-degree and audit students are full-time or part-time students who wish to take a course or courses during the semester without earning credit toward a degree. If non-degree and audit students later wish to apply to a degree program, students must submit all of the required items for admission to that degree program before the respected application deadline.

• Pay regular tuition and fees and are subject to IAIA’s rules and regulations
• Must live off-campus
• Register for classes after degree-seeking students have registered–this registration is through the admissions office on a space available basis and with the permissions of the Instructor and the Academic Dean
• May not request credit status for a class after the last day to add a course according to the Academic Calendar
• Are not eligible for Financial Aid from IAIA

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—August 4
• Spring Term—January 4

Non-Degree Admissions Requirements

Readmission

Students who wish to return to IAIA who have previously attended IAIA and have been away for more than two consecutive semesters must complete the Readmissions Application. Students need to have left in good academic standing and not have a financial hold on their student account.

Priority Deadlines

• Fall Term—August 4
• Spring Term—January 4

Readmissions Requirements