The residencies take place each year in late July at the College at Florham in Madison, New Jersey, and in early January at the Wroxton, England campus. Students enrolled in the single genre MFA must complete a minimum of three residency periods during the course of study. All new students begin the program with a residency. 

The residencies offer individual conferences with mentors; group workshops; readings and instruction by distinguished visiting writers; presentations by publishing professionals; faculty lectures; student readings; and other literary-related activities. There also are several hours of unscheduled time for writing, revision, and socializing. Students must attend all scheduled events, as the residency is part of the coursework. 

The New Jersey residency includes a travel day (many students travel to Manhattan) and the Wroxton residency includes a travel day when students may wish to visit Oxford or London.