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2023 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing (Income $48-$75k) in California

14 Ranked Colleges
522 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Creative Writing is the 120th most popular major in the country with 6,817 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree 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.

More Ways to Rank Creative Writing Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing (Income $48-$75k) in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $8,030 for california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Creative Writing at Fresno State

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 102 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also took the #3 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,126 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full University of California - Riverside Creative Writing Report

3
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 15 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,698 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Creative Writing Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #11 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,189 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at CSULB

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 45 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $22,826 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Creative Writing at USC

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 11 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $13,275 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Irvine.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Creative Writing at University of California - Irvine

7
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 22 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,065 for california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at SFSU

8
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

Mills College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Mills is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

Mills did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mills College is $22,894 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at Mills

9
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

University of Redlands did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 10 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Redlands also took the #14 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,947 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Redlands.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at University of Redlands

10
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #10, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $25,553 for california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at California Baptist University

11

With a ranking of #11, Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Moraga, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k list, SMC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $28,773 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SMC Creative Writing Report

12
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k list, California College of the Arts has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $31,474 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California College of the Arts.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at California College of the Arts

13
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #13, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USFCA is $36,818 for california creative writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of San Francisco Creative Writing Report

14
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s creative writing degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $38,525 for California Creative Writing students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Chapman Creative Writing Report

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