Graduate Student Fellowship

Graduate Steinbeck Fellowships are offered by the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies to exceptional incoming students in the two graduate programs of the Department of English & Comparative Literature, the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in English.


Selection Process

All applicants to the MFA/Creative Writing and MA/English programs are considered for these awards. No additional application is required.

Terms of Award

Graduate Fellows receive a stipend equivalent to full-time, in-state SJSU tuition and fees for the academic year of their appointment. The Fellowship lasts for one academic year and is non-renewable.

Responsibilities of Fellows

Graduate Fellows are required to participate in weekly activities on the University campus, including all campus literary readings sponsored by the Center for Literary Arts and the Spring and Fall readings of the traditional (post-graduate) Steinbeck Fellows. Graduate Fellows will also meet occasionally with the cohort of traditional Fellows for the purposes of networking and mentorship and will participate in the Center’s outreach efforts in San José area high schools.