by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Writing Schools” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 856 people earned their degree in general writing, making the major the 500th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value General Writing Schools” ranking looked at 32 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general writing. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general writing programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general writing program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The general writing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value General Writing Schools”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for general writing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ferris State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Ferris is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ferris also made our “Best General Writing Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $12,213 for general writing students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Central Arkansas. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value General Writing Schools. University of Central Arkansas is a public institution located in Conway, Arkansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, UCA has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Arkansas is $16,554 for General Writing students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, 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 Western Michigan University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Writing Schools. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general writing degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. It costs about $20,371 for General Writing students per year to attend Western Michigan University.
Read full report on General Writing at Western Michigan University
Out of the 32 schools in the Best Value General Writing Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Southern University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and it awarded 41 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
GaSou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. It costs about $15,571 for General Writing students per year to attend Georgia Southern University.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Writing Schools. Grand Valley State University is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 37 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, GVSU has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,356 for general writing students per year to attend GVSU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
University of North Alabama came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Florence, Alabama, and it awarded 5 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,699 for General Writing students per year to attend University of North Alabama.
With a ranking of #7, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Central Michigan University is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Central Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $16,007 for general writing students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 full report on General Writing at Central Michigan University
San Diego State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Writing Schools list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s general writing degrees to qualified students.
SDSU also made our “Best General Writing Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $13,845 for general writing students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
With a ranking of #9, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified ’s general writing students in 2020-2021.
CSUSB also made our “Best General Writing Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $8,107 for general writing students per year to attend CSUSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Writing at California State University - San Bernardino
Eastern Michigan University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s general writing degrees to qualified students.
Eastern Michigan also made our “Best General Writing Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $15,127 for General Writing students.
With a ranking of #11, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Oakland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oakland University is $13,449 for General Writing students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. This large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 34 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU Anschutz, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for General Writing students per year to attend University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Writing at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
With a ranking of #13, SUNY Potsdam did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. This small school is located in Potsdam, New York, and it awarded 3 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Potsdam is $14,175 for general writing students.
Montclair State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Writing Schools list. Montclair State University is a large school located in Montclair, New Jersey that handed out 6 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
Montclair State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Montclair State University is $17,381 for general writing students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Kean University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. Union, New Jersey is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general writing degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
Kean did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. It costs about $18,191 for General Writing students per year to attend Kean University.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools ranking, coming in at #16. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 32 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,350 for General Writing students per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
With a ranking of #17, The University of Tampa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. The University of Tampa is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 10 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $32,440 for general writing students per year to attend UT.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Western Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Danbury, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general writing degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Western Connecticut State University is $18,166 for general writing students.
Read more about General Writing at Western Connecticut State University
With a ranking of #19, Calvin University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s general writing degrees to qualified students.
Calvin also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Calvin University is $26,082 for General Writing students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Drake University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s general writing students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, Drake has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drake University is $29,903 for General Writing students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Evansville ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Writing Schools list. This small school is located in Evansville, Indiana, and it awarded 3 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UE, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Evansville is $22,912 for General Writing students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Cabrini University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Writing Schools ranking. Cabrini University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It awarded 4 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cabrini University is $21,020 for General Writing students.
Marquette University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value General Writing Schools list. Marquette is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s general writing degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, Marquette has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $30,380 for general writing students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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%.
Texas Christian University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Writing Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and it awarded 16 ’s general writing degrees in 2020-2021.
TCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Writing Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend TCU is $39,942 for general writing students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 #25, Goucher College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Writing Schools list. Goucher College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our general writing students list, Goucher has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Writing Schools” ranking. It costs about $25,366 for general writing students per year to attend Goucher College.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
