by our College Data Analytics Team
[Writing Studies](/majors/english-language-literature/writing-studies/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their writing studies graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 72 schools on the early-career earnings of their writing studies graduates.
What’s on this page:
The right writing studies school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. That is why we developed our Highest Paid Writing Studies Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its writing studies graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Writing Studies Graduates list, to help you decide. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send writing studies graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked Arcadia University the top school for writing studies graduate earnings in the United States. Located in the suburb of Glenside, Arcadia University is a private not-for-profit institution. Writing Studies graduates of Arcadia University earn a median of about $84,341 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Clemson University earned it the #2 place for writing studies. Clemson University is a public school located in the suburb of Clemson. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from Clemson University typically earn about $82,517 annually.
University Of Southern California produces some of the highest-paid graduates in writing studies, landing the #3 spot this year. University Of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. Students who complete the writing studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $73,165.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Washington Bothell Campus earned it the #4 place for writing studies. Located in the suburb of Bothell, University Of Washington Bothell Campus is a public institution. Writing Studies graduates of University Of Washington Bothell Campus earn a median of about $115,188 a year early in their careers.
University Of Washington Seattle Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in writing studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public institution. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from University Of Washington Seattle Campus typically earn about $115,188 annually.
Mount St Marys College landed the #6 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Set in the city of Los Angeles, Mount St Marys College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Mount St Marys College make a median of around $70,010 per year.
Cuny City College placed #7 among the highest-paying schools for writing studies. Set in the city of New York, Cuny City College is a public institution. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from Cuny City College typically earn about $64,449 annually.
Ashland University landed the #8 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Set in the town of Ashland, Ashland University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Ashland University make a median of around $61,708 per year.
University Of North Carolina At Wilmington came in at #9 for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Wilmington, University Of North Carolina At Wilmington is a public institution. Students who complete the writing studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $61,204.
Johns Hopkins University placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for writing studies. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Johns Hopkins University make a median of around $68,039 per year.
The University Of Texas At El Paso came in at #11 for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of El Paso, The University Of Texas At El Paso is a public institution. Writing Studies graduates of The University Of Texas At El Paso earn a median of about $56,065 a year early in their careers.
Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham earned the #12 position for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Madison, Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Fairleigh Dickinson University College At Florham make a median of around $56,767 per year.
Kennesaw State University landed the #13 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Kennesaw State University is a public school located in the suburb of Kennesaw. Writing Studies graduates of Kennesaw State University earn a median of about $55,464 a year early in their careers.
Boise State University came in at #14 for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Boise, Boise State University is a public institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Boise State University make a median of around $55,136 per year.
Towson University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying writing studies schools. Set in the city of Towson, Towson University is a public institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from Towson University make a median of around $53,974 per year.
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #16 position for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh. Students who complete the writing studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $53,254.
New York University landed the #17 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Located in the city of New York, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from New York University typically earn about $61,865 annually.
University Of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #18 for writing studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Amherst, University Of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from University Of Massachusetts Amherst make a median of around $52,025 per year.
The University Of Montana placed #19 among the highest-paying schools for writing studies. The University Of Montana is a public school located in the city of Missoula. Early-career writing studies graduates from The University Of Montana make a median of around $51,995 per year.
Queens University Of Charlotte landed the #20 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Queens University Of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Charlotte. Students who complete the writing studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $55,682.
Depaul University landed the #21 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Depaul University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from Depaul University typically earn about $55,373 annually.
North Carolina State University At Raleigh landed the #22 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Located in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a public institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from North Carolina State University At Raleigh make a median of around $51,233 per year.
Lindenwood University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying writing studies schools. Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Charles. After graduating, writing studies degree recipients from Lindenwood University typically earn about $56,012 annually.
University Of San Francisco landed the #24 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Set in the city of San Francisco, University Of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the writing studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $51,069.
National University landed the #25 spot for writing studies salaries this year. Located in the city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career writing studies graduates from National University make a median of around $60,763 per year.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning writing studies graduates:
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their writing studies graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 72 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.