by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 6,817 people earned their degree in creative writing, making the major the 120th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,331 creative writing graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major” ranking, we looked at 262 colleges that offer a degree in creative writing. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their creative writing program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree creative writing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hampshire College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Hampshire is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 33 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Sweet Briar College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major. Sweet Briar, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 262 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Emerson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 133 degrees to qualified bachelors’s creative writing students in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Agnes Scott College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major. Agnes Scott is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Georgia. It awarded 22 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Art Academy of Cincinnati. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Art Academy of Cincinnati is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.
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.
Knox College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Susquehanna University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development is a small school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico that handed out 5 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Read more about Creative Writing at Institute of American Indian Arts
Warren Wilson College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. This small school is located in Swannanoa, North Carolina, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Beloit College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking, coming in at #10. Beloit, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Cornell College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 15 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Salem College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking, coming in at #12. Salem College is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Goddard College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Goddard College is a small school located in Plainfield, Vermont that handed out 6 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hamilton College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Clinton, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
With a ranking of #15, DePauw University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greencastle, Indiana. It awarded 23 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. 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 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.
University of Maine at Farmington came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. This small school is located in Farmington, Maine, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Creative Writing at University of Maine at Farmington
Roanoke College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbia College Chicago came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 ranking of #20, Stephens College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Stephens is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Austin College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Austin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sherman, Texas. It awarded 11 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Franklin and Marshall College ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Lancaster, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Read full report on Creative Writing at Franklin and Marshall
Oberlin College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking. Oberlin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Kansas City Art Institute did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major ranking, coming in at #24. Kansas City Art Institute is a small school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 5 bachelors’s creative writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Creative Writing at Kansas City Art Institute
Saint Mary’s College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s creative writing degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
