The Fulbright/Manchester Metropolitan University Award in Creative Writing is a Fulbright U.S. Student Program partnership award, run with the US-UK Fulbright Commission, for one American graduate to study in Manchester.
It funds one year of the MA or MFA Creative Writing at the university’s Manchester Writing School, where students specialise in the novel, poetry, scriptwriting, writing for children and young adults, or creative non-fiction.
Benefits & funding
- First-year tuition waived
- Living stipend of £1,999.10 a month, £19,991 over the 10-month grant
- £1,500 travel stipend, plus support for Fulbright Commission enrichment events
- Accident and sickness cover; no support for dependants
Eligibility
- US citizens or nationals at the deadline; permanent residents are not eligible; dual citizens may apply
- A bachelor’s degree conferred before the grant starts (final-year students may apply); in the arts, four years of professional training or experience can stand in, confirmed with IIE first
- Not eligible: PhD holders, or anyone who lived abroad five or more of the six years before the deadline
- Not eligible: six or more months in the UK in the year before the grant (undergraduate study abroad excepted), or extensive previous UK experience
- Part-time and distance-learning courses are not covered; earlier time at the university is a competitive disadvantage, not a bar
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
“Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period. … In the creative and performing arts fields, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement. … Applicants who currently hold or will hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) by the national application deadline. … Anyone who has resided abroad for five or more years in the six-year period preceding the national application deadline.” Eligibility
Eligible nationalities
USA
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Application process
- 1Submit the Fulbright online application, choosing this award, with a creative writing sample and three recommendations by 6 October 2026, 5pm ET.
- 2Apply separately to Manchester Metropolitan for the MA or MFA, ideally before 13 January 2027; Fulbright does not cover that application fee, and the award depends on admission before arrival.
Program timeline
6 October 2026, 5pm ET
Fulbright deadline (2027–28 cycle)
university application, ideally by
13 January 2027
recommended / not recommended notice
End of January 2027
final decisions, on a rolling basis
Spring 2027
grant starts
Fall 2027