2023 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing (Income $0-$30k) in California
14
Ranked Colleges
522
Degrees Awarded
$17,400
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 6,817 people earned their degree in creative writing, making the major the 120th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 522 creative writing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in creative writing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent creative writing programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the creative writing program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Creative Writing Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #1 spot on the list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.
Fresno State also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $3,859 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Fresno Creative Writing Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.
SDSU also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $7,169 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Creative Writing at San Diego State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,810 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Creative Writing at University of California - Riverside
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California Creative Writing Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
CSULB also took the #11 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,663 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Creative Writing at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $6,540 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Creative Writing at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #7, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 22 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $10,705 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Creative Writing at SFSU
Mills College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mills has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mills College is $17,236 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Mills College Creative Writing Report
With a ranking of #9, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Redlands, California, and it awarded 10 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Redlands also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $20,409 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Creative Writing at University of Redlands
California Baptist University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $21,769 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal Baptist Creative Writing Report
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.
USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,023 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USFCA.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full USFCA Creative Writing Report
Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Moraga, California, and it awarded 16 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k list, SMC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,783 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Mary’s College of California.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SMC Creative Writing Report
California College of the Arts came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
California College of the Arts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California College of the Arts is $29,530 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Creative Writing at California College of the Arts
Chapman University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 58 diplomas to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Chapman has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $34,946 for california creative writing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Creative Writing at Chapman University
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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