Canada · Last published September 2026 entry; 2027 instructions pending
UBC Creative Writing BFA personal statement
UBC's Creative Writing BFA major is a later-entry program normally taken in years three and four, not a general first-year supplement. Its last published guidelines require a personal statement about the applicant's development as a writer and how they work in a writing community, plus original manuscripts in a primary and secondary genre. Applicants need third-year standing and CRWR 200 or an equivalent course.
Writing format
One-page, 250–500-word personal statement and manuscripts in two genres
What to prepare
- 1Explain a question, commitment, or lived experience that shaped your writing, then show how it appears in a specific choice in your work.
- 2Describe how you learn from other writers and support their growth; UBC asks about participation in a community of writers as well as individual goals.
- 3Select original work in two genres and check the genre-specific page limits in the current guidelines rather than assuming one length fits both manuscripts.
How to approach the writing
- The last published guide asks for one Word or PDF document ordered as personal statement, primary genre, then secondary genre.
- The faculty reviews the materials anonymously. Remove your name and identifying details from the statement and manuscripts while following the school's separate file-naming rule.
Before you submit
UBC's current linked PDF is for applications made January 6–February 28, 2026 for September 2026 entry. It has not published the next BFA cycle on that page. External applicants must first apply to UBC and have an active student number; check both 2027 deadlines and updated statement or manuscript rules before submitting.
Read UBC Creative Writing BFA application guidelines for 2026–27 ↗Read UBC Creative Writing BFA application page ↗Official source checked 2026-09-25.