2027 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in Virginia
[Creative Writing](/majors/english-language-literature/writing-studies/creative-writing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for creative writing students.
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2027 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in Virginia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the creative writing degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Creative Writing Schools
Our analysis ranked Old Dominion University the best value for a degree in creative writing in Virginia. Set in the city of Norfolk, Old Dominion University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,750, compared with $33,780 for out-of-state students. Creative Writing graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Creative Writing graduates of Old Dominion University earn a median of $35,716 early in their careers. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 90%.
Students looking for strong value in creative writing will find it at Randolph College, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Randolph College is a small private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $30,310. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $25,041. Creative Writing graduates of Randolph College earn a median of $43,197 early in their careers. Set against $25,041 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Randolph College admits about 94% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at George Mason University earned it the #3 place for creative writing. George Mason University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. In-state tuition and fees average $14,220, compared with $38,688 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $23,250. Early-career creative writing graduates make about $37,716. That is a strong return on a $23,250 median debt. George Mason University admits about 88% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Virginia Main Campus earned it the #4 place for creative writing. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $23,118, compared with $61,591 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $18,627. Early-career creative writing graduates make about $69,126. Set against $18,627 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 17%.
Students looking for strong value in creative writing will find it at Hollins University, which ranked #5. Hollins University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Roanoke. Students from in state pay about $43,560 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $27,000. Creative Writing graduates of Hollins University earn a median of $26,798 early in their careers. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 68% of applicants are accepted.
Liberty University placed #6 among the best values for creative writing. Set in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $16,173. Students borrow a median of $27,414 to complete the creative writing program here. Creative Writing graduates of Liberty University earn a median of $35,180 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 99%.
University Of Richmond earned the #7 position for value in creative writing this year. University Of Richmond is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of University of Richmond. Students from in state pay about $65,230 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $21,634. Creative Writing graduates of University Of Richmond earn a median of $53,815 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Richmond admits about 22% of applicants.
More Creative Writing Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 7 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
