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2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

15 Ranked Colleges
522 Degrees Awarded
$23,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

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 “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the creative writing program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Creative Writing Schools

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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 in California For Those Getting Aid” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california creative writing students with aid.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Creative Writing in California (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 8 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $6,230 for california creative writing students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Fresno State Creative Writing Report

2
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 15 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students with aid list, SDSU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for california creative writing students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at San Diego State University

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 102 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $11,822 for california creative writing students with aid per year to attend UCR.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read more about Creative Writing at UCR

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for california creative writing students with aid.

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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at CSULB

5
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 22 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,459 for California Creative Writing students with aid 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%.

Full SFSU Creative Writing Report

6

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 11 ’s creative writing 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 $12,209 for california creative writing students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at UC Irvine

7
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

Mills College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. 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.

Mills also took the #12 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,949 for california creative writing students with aid per year to attend Mills College.

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 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at Mills College

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 45 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students with aid list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for california creative writing students with aid per year to attend University of Southern 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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Creative Writing at USC

9
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 10 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist also took the #17 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $26,719 for california creative writing students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Read more about Creative Writing at California Baptist University

10
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

National University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend National University is $20,722 for california creative writing students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at National University

11
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

With a ranking of #11, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Redlands, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $26,098 for California Creative Writing students with aid.

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

12
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. USFCA 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.

In addition to being on our california creative writing students with aid list, USFCA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $40,053 for California Creative Writing students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at USFCA

13

Saint Mary’s College of California landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Saint Mary’s College of California is a small school located in Moraga, California that handed out 16 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

SMC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Mary’s College of California is $37,232 for california creative writing students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. 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.

Full Saint Mary’s College of California Creative Writing Report

14
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

With a ranking of #14, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid 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 estimated yearly cost for Chapman is $44,198 for California Creative Writing students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Full Chapman University Creative Writing Report

15
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

California College of the Arts landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 16 ’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.

California College of the Arts also made our “Best Creative Writing Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $33,122 for California Creative Writing students with aid per year to attend California College of the Arts.

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%. 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.

Read more about Creative Writing at California College of the Arts

Notes and References

References

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