Announcing the Poetry School MA in Writing Poetry Scholarship 2025

We’re delighted to announce that, as of Saturday 1 March, applications are open for the Poetry School MA in Writing Poetry Scholarship 2025.

This is a full fee scholarship award to the Poetry School / Newcastle University MA in Writing Poetry for an outstanding UK-based applicant who is currently underrepresented in the poetry world.

By underrepresented poets, we mean talented creatives who face barriers to opportunities due to mental health issues, physical health/disability, sensory impairment, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, substance misuse, survivors of abuse, working class and low-income backgrounds, and those from the LGBTQIA+, and Black, Asian and global majority communities or traveller communities*.

This accredited MA uniquely combines masterclasses, workshops, and individual teaching with a core footing in the professional poetry world, encompassing all aspects of creative practice. There is expert tuition from nationally and internationally renowned poets Glyn Maxwell and Meryl Pugh and additional guest tutors throughout the year. Students come together for a one-week summer school in July, alternating between London and Newcastle each year.

The Scholarship will be awarded on a competitive basis to an applicant who has applied for 2025/26 entry to the MA in Writing Poetry and has selected to study in London at Poetry School. The funding is for both years of the two-year MA course. Funding for the second year is released on satisfactory completion of the first year, including regular attendance and commitment to the programme.

Please note, to be considered for the scholarship, you must first apply for the course here: application to the MA in Writing Poetry and note in your application that you would like to be considered for the scholarship. Once you have submitted your application for a place on the programme, you can apply for the scholarship.

To do so, please email a 500-1000-word statement for the attention of Tessa Foley to [email protected] detailing why you are an eligible candidate for the Scholarship and would otherwise not be able to afford the course fee. Please also send the poetry portfolio that you have submitted to the course application.

Deadline for Scholarship applications: 5pm, Thursday 17 April 2025
Please be aware that scholarship places will be released according to funding availability and therefore, notification of successful application may be delayed.

Contact: Tessa Foley, MA Manager at the Poetry School, at [email protected].

You can find out more about our MA in Writing Poetry on our website.

There is other funding available for MA in Writing Poetry students. Details of these are available here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/study/postgraduate-funding/

*This definition is taken from the Creative Future website (with permission).