Updated November 2026
TL;DR
The Iowa Young Writers' Studio is the University of Iowa's creative writing program for high school students, taught largely by students and graduates of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Iowa's other graduate writing programs. It runs two separate programs: a two-week Summer Residential Program in Iowa City ($2,500 in 2027) and six-week asynchronous online courses ($475 each). The 2027 residential application is open for just two weeks, January 25 to February 7, 2027, and admission rests on your writing sample, not your grades.
If you write on your own and want to know what serious feedback feels like, the Iowa Young Writers' Studio is one of the best-known places to find out. What sets it apart is its home: Iowa City, the first UNESCO City of Literature in the U.S., and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, whose students and graduates read your application and teach your class. You spend your time on your own drafts, in small workshops, rather than analyzing published books the way an English class does.
Comparing options? See our lists of summer writing programs for high school students, online writing programs and writing internships for high school students.
How much does the Iowa Young Writers' Studio cost, and when is it in 2027?
One two-week residential session costs $2,500 in 2027, and each six-week online course costs $475. The residential fee covers room and board, instruction and materials for your core course, and access to all extracurricular events. Both formats offer need-based financial aid, including several full and partial tuition grants each year.
|
Detail |
Summer Residential Program |
6-Week Online Courses |
|
Where |
University of Iowa campus, Iowa City |
Online, asynchronous |
|
2027 dates |
Session 1: June 13 to 26; Session 2: July 11 to 24 |
Winter: January 17 to February 27, 2027; summer courses run late June through July |
|
Cost |
$2,500 per session, plus a $10 reading fee (waivable) |
$475 per course; free to apply |
|
Eligibility |
Current 10th, 11th and 12th graders |
High school students in grades 9 to 12 (incoming 9th graders for summer), 3.0 GPA or equivalent |
|
What decides admission |
Writing sample (no transcripts accepted) |
Statement of purpose, teacher statement and transcript |
|
2027 application window |
January 25 to February 7, 2027 |
Winter 2027: September 15 to November 4, 2026 (closed) |
|
Decisions |
April 9, 2027 |
Winter: by November 30, 2026 |
|
Acceptance rate |
Not published |
Not published |
Who can apply to the Iowa Young Writers' Studio?
The residential program takes students currently in 10th, 11th or 12th grade, from the U.S. or abroad. The Studio says plainly that it no longer accepts 9th graders for the residential program. The online courses are open to high schoolers in grades 9 to 12 with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent, and summer online courses also take incoming 9th graders. Some online courses add their own grade requirements, so check each course listing.
The Iowa Young Writers' Studio doesn't publish an acceptance rate or cohort size, but classes are capped at 10 or fewer students, so seats in each core course are limited. Give your writing sample real time. If you're a 9th grader who wants professional writing experience now, Ladder Internships accepts high school students in grades 9 to 12 for remote start-up internships, including in media, journalism and marketing.
What can you study at the Iowa Young Writers' Studio?
The residential program offers five core courses: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Writing, TV Writing (Writers' Room) and Playwriting, and you choose one. Fiction covers character, dialogue, point of view, plot and setting; Poetry works on voice, imagery, metaphor and line; Creative Writing mixes poetry, fiction and personal essay. In TV Writing, the class adapts a public-domain short story into a pilot with the instructor as showrunner, and Playwriting builds toward a one-act play. Descriptions are on the core courses page.
The Winter 2027 online catalog has nine courses, covering personal essay, poetry, playwriting, TV writing and translation, among others. The full list is on the online courses page.
6 things to know before you apply to the Iowa Young Writers' Studio
1. The Iowa Young Writers' Studio runs two separate programs
The residential program and the online courses have different applications, admissions criteria, costs and calendars. The residential program is two weeks of writing, seminars, readings and campus life in Iowa City. The online courses run six weeks, take about 3 to 4 hours a week and have no live class sessions, though some offer optional virtual conferences with instructors. You can apply to both in the same year. If you want total immersion, pick residential; if travel or cost is the obstacle, start online.
2. The Iowa Young Writers' Studio residential application is open for only two weeks
Applications are accepted only from 12:00 a.m. CST on January 25 to 11:59 p.m. CST on February 7, 2027, and nothing is accepted outside that window. That's a short window for choosing a writing sample, drafting a statement of purpose and lining up a recommendation, so prepare all three before January. The recommendation upload page opens January 11 and closes February 12, 2027.
3. Your writing sample decides your Iowa Young Writers' Studio admission, not your transcript
The Studio "does not require or accept transcripts" for the residential program. For Fiction, Poetry or Creative Writing, you send up to 10 pages of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or a mix. The Studio wants your strongest work, even if it's not in the genre you hope to study. For TV Writing or Playwriting, you send up to 5 pages of dramatic writing plus short answers about a favorite series or play and a favorite episode or scene, within 10 pages total.
4. Iowa Young Writers' Studio classes are small, and the same teacher runs seminar and workshop
Residential classes have 10 or fewer students, and each course splits into a seminar and a workshop taught by the same instructor. In seminar, you read published work for craft; in workshop, you and your classmates critique each other's drafts. Each day also includes Stretch, a group writing warm-up, and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Observatories, usually outdoor observation exercises with a teacher you haven't had yet. Stretch and Observatories are screen-free: you write by hand in a notebook the Studio provides, with accommodations for students who can't.
5. You live on the University of Iowa campus during the residential program
Students share double rooms in Catlett Hall, eat at Catlett Market Place and have a dietitian on staff for special diets. The Studio matches roommates with a compatibility questionnaire, and the hall is locked at night and patrolled by security. See the housing and meals page for details.
6. The Iowa Young Writers' Studio offers aid, but no credit
Need-based financial aid is available in both formats, and the residential reading fee is waived for students who can't pay it. Accepted residential students apply for aid, which is announced in the spring, and must pay and enroll by May 15, 2027. Withdrawing before June 1, 2027, costs a $100 cancellation fee, and refunds stop after that. Online courses don't carry college credit; students who pass receive a Letter of Completion.
Is the Iowa Young Writers' Studio worth it for college applications?
Yes, if you use it to become a better writer: you leave with revised work, workshop experience and a clearer sense of your voice, all of which you can write about. It isn't a credit program, and attending won't help an application by itself. What helps is what you did with it, such as a portfolio you kept revising or a piece you later published.
If you also want writing experience outside a classroom, pair it with real project work. Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships, where they work on a real project with a company coach, including in media and marketing, with full financial aid available.
How do you apply to the Iowa Young Writers' Studio in 2027?
Both programs use Submittable, which is free; set up the account with your own name and email address, not a parent's. For the residential program, the application page asks for:
Track: Fiction/Poetry/Creative Writing, TV Writing or Playwriting. You can apply to more than one, with a separate form for each.
Writing sample: up to 10 pages, as a Word or PDF file (dramatic tracks: up to 5 pages of dramatic writing plus the two short answers).
Statement of purpose: 1 to 2 pages on why you want to attend and what you hope to accomplish.
Session preference: Session 1, Session 2 or either.
One recommendation: from a teacher or writing mentor, uploaded separately. Share the Studio's guidelines for recommenders with them and follow up.
Reading fee: $10, waivable.
The online course application asks for a 300 to 500 word statement of purpose, a 250 to 500 word teacher statement of support, your transcript and a signed parent permission form. The Studio doesn't accept late or emailed materials.
|
Step |
Residential 2027 |
Online, Winter 2027 |
|
Recommendation upload opens |
January 11, 2027 |
n/a |
|
Application window |
January 25 to February 7, 2027 |
September 15 to November 4, 2026 (closed) |
|
Recommendation deadline |
February 12, 2027 |
With the application |
|
Decisions |
April 9, 2027 |
By November 30, 2026 |
|
Pay and enroll by |
May 15, 2027 |
January 1, 2027 |
|
Program dates |
June 13 to 26 or July 11 to 24, 2027 |
January 17 to February 27, 2027 |
Summer 2027 online courses run late June through July; the Studio hasn't posted their application dates yet, so check the online courses page in early spring.
Common questions about the Iowa Young Writers' Studio
What is the Iowa Young Writers' Studio acceptance rate?
The Studio doesn't publish an acceptance rate. It does cap residential classes at 10 or fewer students, so put real time into your writing sample and statement of purpose.
What does a typical day at the Iowa Young Writers' Studio look like?
Each day starts with Morning Reports for announcements, then Stretch, a screen-free group writing exercise. Your core-course seminar and workshop are the center of the day, with Observatories on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and extracurricular events outside class.
Can 9th graders apply to the Iowa Young Writers' Studio?
Not to the residential program, which takes only current 10th to 12th graders. 9th graders can apply to the online courses, and incoming 9th graders can apply to summer online courses.
Is the Iowa Young Writers' Studio online program live?
No. The online courses are asynchronous, with no live class sessions, but they have weekly deadlines and take about 3 to 4 hours a week. Some courses offer optional virtual conferences with instructors. For a remote option built around real work, Ladder Internships runs eight-week start-up internships for high school students worldwide, at 5 to 10 hours a week, with a company coach and full financial aid available. The next deadline is November 15, 2026, for the Winter I cohort starting December 7, 2026.
Contact us at contact@ladderinternships.com if you have any questions!