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2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

212 Ranked Colleges
6,817 Degrees Awarded
$5,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 6,817 people earned their degree in creative writing, making the major the 120th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 212 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in creative writing. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality creative writing programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing (Income $30-$48k)

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,777 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 1.0% 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 UChicago

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 212 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #6 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $917 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at Northwestern University

3

Out of the 212 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 134 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Columbia has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,699 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Creative Writing at Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 212 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 17 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also took the #24 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $1,396 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.9% 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 Harvard

5
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Out of the 212 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 84 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $4,859 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Creative Writing at Johns Hopkins

6
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

With a ranking of #6, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 35 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Brown has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,842 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brown University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Brown Creative Writing Report

7
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Wellesley has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley is $8,021 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Full Wellesley College Creative Writing Report

8
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Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,853 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Creative Writing Report

9
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $2,446 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full WUSTL Creative Writing Report

10

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. It costs about $6,399 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 more about Creative Writing at UW Seattle

11

With a ranking of #11, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 46 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. It costs about $5,670 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Creative Writing at U-M

12
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Vanderbilt also did well on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at Vanderbilt

13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 9 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,609 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities Creative Writing Report

14
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 20 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $3,035 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CCNY Creative Writing Report

15
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.

Emory also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $8,976 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Emory.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Creative Writing at Emory

16
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,608 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Creative Writing Report

17
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 12 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $2,857 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Creative Writing at UF

18
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,105 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Brooklyn College

19

Iowa State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $11,427 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Creative Writing at Iowa State University

20
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 9 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,133 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Cornell University

21

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. 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.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at Fresno State

22

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 4 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $4,788 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 UW - Madison

23

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,036 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Creative Writing Report

24

With a ranking of #24, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $5,632 for creative writing students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Creative Writing at USF Tampa

25
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

NC State excels when it comes to creative writing quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Creative Writing Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $9,448 for Creative Writing students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Read more about Creative Writing at NC State

Rest of the Best 32 in Best Value Creative Writing Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 32 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona
27
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
28
29
30
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University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
31
32

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