Poets and Writers has generously shared Seth Abramson's article, "The Top Fifty MFA Programs in the United States: A Comprehensive Guide" at its site. This four page article is actually just an excerpt--the full text appears in the Nov/Dec 2009 newsstand issue. I feel that rankings can make artists and academics uncomfortable, but there's enough reason and humility to this project that I respect what Abramson executed here.
"By and large, students find that their experiences are circumscribed by entirely unforeseeable circumstances: They befriend a fellow writer; they unexpectedly discover a mentor; they come to live in a town or city that, previously foreign, becomes as dear to them as home. No ranking ought to pretend to establish the absolute truth about program quality, and in keeping with that maxim the rankings that follow have no such pretensions."
Of course, with that said, here are the rankings:
1-50 (three programs at spot #50) 53-132.
For explanations, background, and general wisdom, again, read the article.
Hey...not bad! ASU's MFA program is sometimes ranked in the top 20, but I'll take 26!
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