Scholarships and Financial Aid
English and Creative Writing students can apply for a wide range of local, state, and federal financial assistance. These include grants, scholarships, loan programs, work study, and more.
Financial Aid
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Includes the State University Grant and other aid programs administered by the CSU system.
Apply: Financial Aid Office website
Info: More on CSU aid programs
Fresno State Scholarships
Includes over 1,000 opportunities totaling more than $3.8 million annually in university scholarships.
Apply: Scholarships Office website
Info: Fresno State scholarships FAQ
Graduate Funding Opportunities
Includes merit awards, need-based awards, research awards, travel grants for creative and scholarly presentations, and more.
Undergraduate Funding Opportunities
Includes undergraduate research grants, Instructionally Related Activities funding, ASI Budget Call, and more.
Apply: Undergraduate Studies office website
Info: Associated Students, Inc. website
Scholarships
Benck Family Scholarship for Poetry
One scholarship (amount varies) is awarded every other fall, in odd-numbered years, to a graduate student studying poetry in the Creative Writing MFA program.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the creative writing faculty. This is an apply-to award; students must select the opportunity to qualify.
2019-20 recipient: Erika Ceballos
2017-18 recipient: Paul Sanchez
2015-16 recipient: J.J. Hernandez
Edward and Alberta Brown Scholarships
Scholarships (amounts vary) are awarded each fall to students in the liberal arts who are studying literature and creative writing, with preference given to incoming graduate students in the MFA Program.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the creative writing faculty. This is an auto-match award; English Department students automatically qualify.
2020-21 recipients: Rosie Bates, Michael Cantú, Mialise Carney, Amber L. Carpenter, Wenmimareba Klobah Collins, Andrea A. Marin Contreras, Cristina Sandoval, Gaoyong Yang-Vang
2019-20 recipients: Brock Allen, Aidan Castro, Martín Gutierrez, Sydney Hinton, Carolina Mata, Ernesto Reyes, Bradley Samore, Rolando Villarreal, Jacqueline White
2018-19 recipients: Mariah Bosch, Alejandra Espinoza, William Freeney, Angel Gonzales, Yia Lee, Jer Xiong
Professor Emeritus Cheng Lok Chua English Scholarship
One scholarship (amount varies) will be awarded each fall to a student who is pursuing a degree in English who demonstrates significant interest in multiethnic literatures.
Students will apply through the University's general scholarship application, and
selection will be made by the English faculty.
Will soon be awarded for the first time.
Whitney Alan Fisher Memorial Scholarship
One scholarship (amount varies) is awarded each fall to a second- or third-year student in the MFA Program.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the creative writing faculty. This is an apply-to award; students must select the opportunity to qualify.
2020-21 recipient: Shelby Pinkham
2019-20 recipient: Jer Xiong
2018-19 recipient: Jessica Turney
C. G. Hanzlicek Poetry Writing Fellowship
One fellowship of $1,000 is awarded each spring to a second-year poetry student in the MFA Program, as nominated by the poetry faculty.
2020-21 recipient: Mariah Bosch
2019-20 recipient: Kirk Alvaro Lua
2018-19 recipient: James O'Bannon
Philip Levine Scholarship in Creative Writing
One scholarship (amount varies) is awarded each fall to a deserving student based on compelling writing and artistic potential in English or Creative Writing, with preference given to a second- or third-year student in the MFA Program.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the creative writing faculty. This is an auto-match award; English Department students automatically qualify.
2020-21 recipient: Will Freeney
2019-20 recipient: Esmeralda Gamez
2018-19 recipient: Krystal Cantú
Larry Levis Scholarship in Creative Writing
One scholarship (amount varies) will be awarded each fall to a student who demonstrates significant interest in pursuing a career in creative writing, with preference given to a second- or third-year student in the MFA Program.
Students will apply through the University's general scholarship application, and
selection will be made by the creative writing faculty. This is an apply-to award; students must select the opportunity to qualify.
Will soon be awarded for the first time.
Andrés Montoya Memorial Scholarships
Two scholarships of $500 -- one at the undergraduate and one at the graduate level -- are awarded each fall to students who demonstrate significant interest in Chicano/a culture and/or history and who are pursuing a career in the field of creative writing.
How to apply (276kb)
About the scholarship (196kb)
2020-21 recipients: Mariah Bosch, Michael Cantú
2019-20 recipients: Kirk Alvaro Lua, Carolina Mata
2018-19 recipients: Alexandra Carrillo, Javier Lopez
Soul Vang Scholarships in Honor of Nouchue Vang and Ying Yang Vang
Two scholarships (amount varies) are awarded each fall to students who demonstrate significant interest in the Hmong or Asian American cultural experience.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the creative writing faculty. This is an auto-match award; English Department students automatically qualify.
2020-21 recipients: Lee Lee, Tony Vang, Gaoyong Yang-Vang
2019-20 recipient: Manivone Sayasone
2018-19 recipients: Yia Lee, Jer Xiong
Professor Emeritus Eugene Zumwalt English Scholarships
Scholarships (amounts vary) are awarded each fall to students who are pursuing a degree in English.
Students apply through the University's general scholarship application, and selection is made by the English faculty. This is an auto-match award; English Department students automatically qualify.
2020-21 recipients: Claudia Amador, Sean McGuinness, Karisa Stockbridge
2019-20 recipients: E. Makaela Bowen, Fernando Fernandez, Bekah Izard, Graciela Sierra-Moreno
2018-19 recipients: Manuel Alfaro, Jewel Crosson, Reymundo Escobedo, Karley Lassley
For a full list of funding opportunities in our graduate Creative Writing Program, please see the MFA financial assistance page.