by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Writing Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Writing Studies is the 81st most popular major in the country with 12,529 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, writing studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,208 and had an average of $24,626 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Writing Major” ranking looked at 654 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in writing studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful writing studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended Writing Major” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for writing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern New Hampshire University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major list. Southern New Hampshire University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 727 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 654 schools in the Most Well Attended Writing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Full Sail University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Winter Park, Florida, this large private for-profit school awarded 437 diplomas to qualified ’s writing students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Writing Major. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 329 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Writing Studies at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Writing Major. Old Dominion University is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 244 ’s writing degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Writing Studies at Old Dominion University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Emerson College. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Writing Major. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 202 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Writing Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
With a ranking of #7, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major list. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 154 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school handed out 135 diplomas to qualified ’s writing students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Writing Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking, coming in at #9. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s writing degrees to 134 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Writing Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. WCUPA is a fairly large school located in West Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 125 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full West Chester University of Pennsylvania Writing Studies Report
Western Washington University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 120 degrees to qualified ’s writing students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Writing Studies at Western Washington University
Johns Hopkins University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 112 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s writing degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Miami University - Oxford came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Writing Studies at Miami University - Oxford
University of Arizona landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 113 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
With a ranking of #16, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major list. New School University is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 91 ’s writing degrees to qualified students.
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.
Grand Canyon University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Writing Major list. Grand Canyon University is a large private for-profit school situated in Phoenix, Arizona. It awarded 89 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lindenwood University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Writing Major list. Located in Saint Charles, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 89 diplomas to qualified ’s writing students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Liberty University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 88 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Vermont College of Fine Arts did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking, coming in at #19. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Montpelier, Vermont. It awarded 88 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Writing Studies at Vermont College of Fine Arts
Georgia Southern University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. Located in Statesboro, Georgia, this large public school handed out 86 diplomas to qualified ’s writing students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Writing Studies at Georgia Southern University
Clemson University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking, coming in at #22. Clemson University is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 74 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Writing Major list. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 73 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Writing Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver
Columbia College Chicago came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Writing Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 69 ’s writing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #24, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Writing Major list. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s writing degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Writing Studies at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 51 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 53 | Weber State University | Ogden, UT |
| 53 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 53 | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR |
| 53 | Arcadia University | Glenside, PA |
| 53 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 58 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
| 58 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 58 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 58 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
| 58 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH |
| 63 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 64 | University of Idaho | Moscow, ID |
| 64 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | University of Southern Maine | Portland, ME |
| 91 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 91 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 94 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 94 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 94 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 94 | SUNY Oswego | Oswego, NY |
| 98 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 98 | Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma, WA |
| 98 | Goddard College | Plainfield, VT |
| 98 | Antioch University - Los Angeles | Culver City, CA |
| 98 | The University of Tampa | Tampa, FL |
| 98 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
