2027 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in Iowa
[Creative Writing](/majors/english-language-literature/writing-studies/creative-writing/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for creative writing students.
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2027 Best Value Creative Writing Schools in Iowa
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in creative writing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Creative Writing Schools
For return on investment in creative writing, no school beat Iowa State University this year. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,787 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $28,881. Typical student debt for creative writing graduates is $23,496. Soon after graduation, creative writing degree recipients from Iowa State University generally make around $54,204. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in creative writing will find it at University Of Iowa, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,283, with out-of-state students paying around $33,371. Students borrow a median of $24,862 to complete the creative writing program here. Early-career creative writing graduates make about $29,651. That is a strong return on a $24,862 median debt. University Of Iowa admits about 84% of applicants.
Cornell College came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best value creative writing schools. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Mount Vernon. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $52,660. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the creative writing program here. Early-career creative writing graduates make about $18,241. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 80%.
More Creative Writing Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
