University of Maine at Farmington professor teaching a class in UMF's top-ranked B.F.A. in Creative Writing program, the only Creative Writing program of its kind in Maine.


The University of Maine at Farmington takes pride in offering the only Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the state, with courses in poetry, fiction, screenwriting and journalism. The curriculum includes an apprenticeship program which, like an internship, helps you gain gain job-ready hands-on skills such as editing a literary journal, teaching creative writing and even creating a TV show.


Graduates of the Creative Writing program have landed book deals with well-known publishers like Penguin Books, garnered prestigious recognitions like the National Endowment for the Arts and Stegner awards and worked at major media organizations such as the National Public Radio.

CreativeWritingEDU.org accolate badge 2022UMF Creative Writing Program named one of the nation’s Most Affordable Creative Writing Bachelor’s Program for 2022 by CreativeWritingEDU.org

According to its website, CreativeWritingEDU.org conducted comprehensive research to determine the Most Affordable Creative Writing Bachelor’s Degree Programs in the country, Understanding that there’s no reason a creative writing education should be available only to those who pay top dollar, CreativeWritingEDU.org put together a list of the most affordable Creative Writing degree programs in the United States today.

Schools were evaluated in comparison to the state averages for total estimated cost where they are located. Doing so provides the best way of putting costs in perspective and determining which schools offer a real value. The organization determined that the University of Maine at Farmington Bachelor’s of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing does just that.

It also selected and noted various highlights for each program, important features like:

  • Affiliated or university-published literary journals or presses offering publication opportunities to students
  • Unique internship or fellowship offerings available through the program, like UMF’s Creative Writing apprenticeships
  • Concentrations or genre specializations offered with the degree
  • Stipend or tuition waiver options
  • Whether the school has particularly notable faculty members or a remarkable visiting author program, things UMF is well known for

What Can You Do With A Degree in Creative Writing?

Graduates of the UMF Creative Writing program have gone on to win prestigious awards and fellowships such as the Stegner Award and a National Endowment for the Arts Award. They’ve published books by Penguin, Tin House Books and other major publishers. Others have gone on to work at advertising and marketing firms, National Public Radio, Hub City Press and other presses, to teach at the high school and college levels and some have won awards in journalism.


Data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. Median Salaries for positions in Maine typically fall below those of other New England states.

Here, you’ll do more and receive one-on-one mentoring

In the UMF Creative Writing program, small classes and an emphasis on one-on-one mentoring allow you to discover and develop your writing strengths in the genres of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Here, you’ll work closely with faculty who are published fiction writers, essayists, poets and screenwriters.

You can join the UMF Writers Guild student organization and go to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs national conference. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to share your work aloud at on-campus poetry readings. Our Visiting Writers Series brings to campus some of America’s most important authors. You’ll get to attend small workshops and readings and get the opportunity to meet with these award-winning writers.

In addition to classwork and workshops, you’ll complete an apprenticeship that gives you market-ready job skills and real-world experience. Creative Writing students at Farmington have helped edit The Beloit Poetry Journal; worked at Alice James Books (an award-winning poetry press); taught creative writing in the community; edited the campus literary magazine, The Sandy River Review; written for local newspapers; and even produced their own television shows.

Finally, you’ll complete a Senior Seminar in Creative Writing, where you compile a professional portfolio of your work and celebrate your creative accomplishment by joining fellow UMF student writers for an end-of-semester Senior Reading.


UMF Creative Writing students publish books

Creative Writing student Carrie Close
Creative Writing student Carrie Close with her eight-month-old daughter, Zarya.

University of Maine at Farmington Creative Writing student Carrie Close launched her first published book in April while she was a student at UMF.

Her book, What Have I Done?, is a collection of poems and short stories published by Unsolicited Press. The book launch took place on campus in the Emery Community Arts Center.

A Farmington native, Close attended Mt. Blue High School, and then on to college elsewhere before transferring to UMF into the Creative Writing program.

“After a couple of attempts at college, I just wasn’t sure about the best path for myself going forward, but I followed the lure of Farmington’s Creative Writing program and applied and was accepted into the program, and I am so glad I did,” said Close.


Portrait of Creative Writing student Hannah Binder
Creative Writing student Hannah Binder

Hannah Binder, a Creative Writing student at UMF, always felt she was a writer at heart. Now, with her second published work, there’s no doubt.

Binder, who writes under the name Hannah Paige, came to Farmington from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She was looking for a quality college Creative Writing program that could help her hone her writing skills, and a community she could embrace.

Hannah’s first book, Why We Don’t Wave, was published during her senior year in high school. Her second, 30 Feet Strong, was published in 2019 while she attended UMF, is about a young man born on September 11, 2001, and the connection he has with four people affected by the 9/11 tragedy.


Apprenticeships – Real-World Experience in the Creative Writing

At UMF you can find out, first-hand, what it’s like to work in the Creative Writing field while you learn valuable career skills and develop a strong network of professional contacts.

Here’s a short list of where our Creative Writing students have recently apprenticed:

  • The Telling Room: Portland
  • Ripple Zine: UMF’s Social Justice Magazine
  • The Daily Bulldog: Franklin County’s Online Community Newspaper
  • Farmington Public Library
  • Agni Review: Boston
  • Sandy River Review: A Literary Journal
  • The River: An Online Literary Magazine
  • The Burlington Writers Workshop
  • Nook Farm Writers Collaborative: Mark Twain House
  • Turner Publishing
  • And more

Save nearly $6,000 per year in tuition. This University of Maine at Farmington program qualifies for the New England Regional Program tuition discount.

This price break is for residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont for the 2023-2024 academic year — a savings of $5,880 per year.

See More About the New England Regional Program Tuition Discount Got questions? Ask a professor in this program

Contact Us

Office of Admissions
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine USA 04938-1994
tel  207-778-7050
fax  207-778-8182
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfadmit@maine.edu