We don't require the GRE, since we've found it has little predictive value for Creative Writing students. We receive over 300 applications a year, and accept about 50 of those across three genres. Financial aid is very limited, and sometimes the extent of it isn't fully known until the semester is beginning. Some students already in the Program are offered partial teaching assistantships to lead discussion sessions of our introductory Creative Writing courses.
Sharing can reduce that cost.
The unemployment rate in Tucson is very low, though wages often are also. Our MFA students come to us with a variety of backgrounds and undergraduate majors. We strive to maintain as wide a diversity as possible in our student population, but ultimately the primary criterion for admission to the program is demonstrated writing ability.