IE · Master's
Trinity College Dublin
MPhil in Creative Writing
Trinity College Dublin
Course Overview
Trinity College Dublin's MPhil in Creative Writing is delivered through the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing — within the School of English at Trinity, founded 1592, Ireland's oldest and most prestigious university (top 90 globally, QS 2025). The Oscar Wilde Centre is one of Europe's leading creative-writing institutions, with director Carlo Gébler and faculty including major Irish novelists, poets, and playwrights. Trinity sits in the city centre of Dublin — a UNESCO City of Literature with four Nobel Prize-winning writers (Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, Heaney all Trinity alumni or associates). The 1-year intensive Master's is a workshop-led programme capped at ~14 students per cohort, combining fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction workshops with seminars on the craft of writing, contemporary Irish literature, and a final-year manuscript portfolio (novel-in-progress, short story collection, or poetry collection).
Sri Lankan applicants from English, Comparative Literature, or any rigorous humanities background apply on the strength of their writing portfolio — Trinity admits primarily on the writing sample (25-30 pages prose or 12-15 poems) and the personal statement. The MPhil is small, selective, and serious — graduates have published with Faber & Faber, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Tramp Press, and Stinging Fly, and many have won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature or been Costa-shortlisted. Ireland offers the Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) — 1 year for honours degree (Level 8) graduates, 2 years for Master's (Level 9) graduates — to seek employment after the MPhil.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Sri Lankan Bachelor's (Hons) in English, Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, or any humanities discipline — Second Upper (2:1 equivalent) / GPA 3.0+.
- check_circle Sri Lankan local degrees from Colombo (Faculty of Arts, Department of English), Kelaniya (English, English Literature), Peradeniya (English), J'pura, OUSL all accepted with Second Upper or higher.
- check_circle Writing Sample (25-30 pages prose for fiction / non-fiction OR 12-15 poems) — the single most important admissions factor.
- check_circle Personal Statement (500-1,000 words) on writing trajectory and engagement with the craft.
- check_circle Two academic references — ideally from writers, English professors, or editors familiar with your work.
- check_circle Updated CV with prior publication, literary prize, or creative work history.
English Proficiency
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 7.0 Overall (min 6.5 in each section).
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 100 Overall.
- check_circle Cambridge English C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: 185.
- check_circle Waived if your Bachelor's was taught and assessed entirely in English at a recognised institution (most Sri Lankan applicants from Colombo English department, Kelaniya English, Peradeniya English qualify with an MOI letter).
- check_circle Note: For a creative writing MPhil, demonstrated mastery of English in the writing sample matters more than test scores.
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (€) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (1 year) | €28,000 | Rs. 9,660,000 |
| Living Expenses in Dublin (12 months) | €15,500 | Rs. 5,347,500 |
| Student Visa, IRP & Application Fees | €450 | Rs. 155,250 |
| Health Insurance (private cover required for non-EU) | €1,000 | Rs. 345,000 |
| Books, Literary Events & Travel | €1,200 | Rs. 414,000 |
| Total Programme Investment | €46,150 | Rs. 15,921,750 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
Eligible for Ireland's Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) — 2 years of post-study work rights for Master's graduates, leading into the General Employment Permit and the Critical Skills Employment Permit pathways. Trinity MPhil Creative Writing graduates publish through Faber & Faber, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Tramp Press, Stinging Fly Press, plus Irish literary magazines (Banshee, gorse, Poetry Ireland Review), and route into roles at the Irish Writers Centre, the Arts Council of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature programmes, plus literary agencies (Lisa Richards Agency, Curtis Brown Dublin office). Many take editorial / commissioning roles at Penguin Ireland, Hachette Ireland, O'Brien Press, plus academic creative-writing positions at UCD, NUI Galway, Maynooth, UL. Sri Lankan returnees route into English department posts at Colombo Faculty of Arts, Kelaniya, Peradeniya, J'pura, OUSL, plus into literary journalism at Daily FT, The Sunday Times, Roar Media, Groundviews, plus the rapidly-growing Sinhala/Tamil/English short-fiction scene (Gratiaen Prize-affiliated writers' collectives, Fairway National Literary Awards judging panels). Strong route into Sri Lankan publishing houses (Sarasavi, Sooriya Publishers, Vijitha Yapa Publications, Perera-Hussein) and into literary translation work between Sinhala/Tamil/English.
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