Top 10 Colleges for Creative Writing in 2027

By Kory White · Updated Nov 2026 · 4 min read

University of Pennsylvania (Penn Creative Writing)

Direct answer

The University of Pennsylvania is the best college for creative writing, ranked #1 on College Factual’s 2027 Best Creative Writing Schools list, with Carnegie Mellon University at #2 and Johns Hopkins University at #3. The list covers degrees at every level, so we checked each school’s own pages for what undergraduates can study.

At a glance

#	Pick	College Factual 2027 creative writing rank	Best for
1	University of Pennsylvania (Penn Creative Writing)	#1 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing concentration with an honors capstone and a minor open to any student
2	Carnegie Mellon University (CMU Creative Writing)	#2 of 172 schools evaluated	A full creative writing major, not just a concentration
3	Johns Hopkins University (The Writing Seminars)	#3 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing department with its own undergraduate major and minor
4	Harvard University (Harvard Creative Writing)	#4 of 172 schools evaluated	Creative writing courses and a creative thesis within an English concentration
5	University of Virginia (UVA Creative Writing)	#5 of 172 schools evaluated	Two genre-based concentrations at a public flagship
6	Boston University (BU Creative Writing)	#6 of 172 schools evaluated	A city campus with a new creative writing minor open across the university
7	San Jose State University (SJSU Creative Writing)	#7 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing concentration with a student-run literary magazine, at the lowest net price on this list
8	University of Denver (DU Creative Writing)	#8 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing concentration that pairs workshops with literary theory
9	Drexel University (Drexel Creative Writing)	#9 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing concentration with a senior project and publishing practice
10	The University of Texas at Austin (UT Creative Writing)	#10 of 172 schools evaluated	A creative writing certificate you can add to any major at a large public university

Pick by what you want

Best overall

University of Pennsylvania (Penn Creative Writing)

Best dedicated major

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU Creative Writing)

Best creative writing department

Johns Hopkins University (The Writing Seminars)

Best public flagship

University of Virginia (UVA Creative Writing)

Best at the lowest net price

San Jose State University (SJSU Creative Writing)

The ranking

University of Pennsylvania (Penn Creative Writing)

Photo: MatthewMarcucci at English Wikipedia / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictCollege Factual’s #1.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #1 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 96%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 30 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $31,229Undergraduate creative writing: Creative Writing concentration in the English major, built on 13 courses including three Creative Writing Seminars; a Creative Writing Honors Program ends in a capstone project, and the Creative Writing Minor is open to any Penn undergraduate

The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia ranks #1. Its English major has a Creative Writing concentration built on 13 courses, and the Creative Writing Minor is open to any Penn undergraduate.

Go ifA creative writing concentration with an honors capstone and a minor open to any student

Skip ifYou want a program at a public university

Why #1 over #2: It ranks #1, ahead of Carnegie Mellon at #2.

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU Creative Writing)

Photo: Cbaile19 / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe dedicated-major pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #2 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 94%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 11 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $31,671Undergraduate creative writing: The English department offers undergraduate Creative Writing as a primary major, an additional major and a minor, covering fiction, poetry, screenwriting and creative nonfiction, and says it is one of a small number of English departments in the country offering a major in Creative Writing

Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh ranks #2. Its English department offers Creative Writing as a primary major, an additional major and a minor.

Go ifA full creative writing major, not just a concentration

Skip ifYou want a large, general-interest campus

Why #2 over #3: It ranks #2, ahead of Johns Hopkins at #3.

Johns Hopkins University (The Writing Seminars)

Photo: Daderot / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe Writing Seminars pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #3 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Baltimore, Maryland; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 94%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 96 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $18,161Undergraduate creative writing: The Writing Seminars is the university’s creative writing department, offering a major and a minor to undergraduates (courses in fiction, nonfiction and poetry, plus screenwriting or playwriting through the Film and Theater departments) as well as a Master of Fine Arts

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore ranks #3. The Writing Seminars, its creative writing department, offers undergraduates a major and a minor.

Go ifA creative writing department with its own undergraduate major and minor

Skip ifYou do not want to study a foreign language, which majors are expected to show competency in

Why #3 over #4: It ranks #3, ahead of Harvard at #4.

Harvard University (Harvard Creative Writing)

Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictCreative writing within English.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #4 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Cambridge, Massachusetts; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 98%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 85 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $16,816Undergraduate creative writing: Creative writing sits inside the English concentration: about half of English theses are creative, and a new Emphasis in Creative Writing will require at least three creative writing courses, at least two of them workshops

Harvard University in Cambridge ranks #4. Creative writing sits inside the English concentration, where about half of theses are creative, and a new Emphasis in Creative Writing is on the way.

Go ifCreative writing courses and a creative thesis within an English concentration

Skip ifYou want a standalone creative writing major

Why #4 over #5: It ranks #4, ahead of the University of Virginia at #5.

University of Virginia (UVA Creative Writing)

Photo: Karen Blaha / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe public-flagship pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #5 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Charlottesville, Virginia; public; six-year graduation rate 96%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 10 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $21,479Undergraduate creative writing: English majors can join a Poetry Writing or a Literary Prose Writing concentration, and an English minor in creative writing starts in fall 2025; courses from the 3000 level up require a writing sample and instructor permission

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville ranks #5. English majors can join a Poetry Writing or a Literary Prose Writing concentration.

Go ifTwo genre-based concentrations at a public flagship

Skip ifYou want to enroll in upper-level workshops without a writing sample

Why #5 over #6: It ranks #5, ahead of Boston University at #6.

Boston University (BU Creative Writing)

Photo: Chris Rycroft from Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe Boston pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #6 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Boston, Massachusetts; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 89%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 17 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $26,996Undergraduate creative writing: A new undergraduate Creative Writing minor, announced in March 2026, takes six courses across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting and multimedia or hybrid genres, with three workshop-based courses

Boston University ranks #6. Its new Creative Writing minor takes six courses across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting and multimedia or hybrid genres.

Go ifA city campus with a new creative writing minor open across the university

Skip ifYou want a creative writing major rather than a minor

Why #6 over #7: It ranks #6, ahead of San Jose State at #7.

San Jose State University (SJSU Creative Writing)

Photo: Will Buckner / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe Silicon Valley pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #7 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: San Jose, California; public; six-year graduation rate 69%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 16 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $13,741Undergraduate creative writing: BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration: students take workshops in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and scriptwriting and are encouraged to work on the department’s 150-year-old literary magazine, Reed

San Jose State University ranks #7. Its BA in English has a Creative Writing concentration, and its average annual net price of $13,741 is the lowest on this list.

Go ifA creative writing concentration with a student-run literary magazine, at the lowest net price on this list

Skip ifYou want a small private campus

Why #7 over #8: It ranks #7, ahead of the University of Denver at #8.

University of Denver (DU Creative Writing)

Photo: Jeffrey Beall / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe Rocky Mountain pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #8 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Denver, Colorado; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 76%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 28 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $36,037Undergraduate creative writing: English and Literary Arts majors can concentrate in Creative Writing, writing original poetry, fiction, non-fiction or translation while being mentored by practicing writers

The University of Denver ranks #8. English and Literary Arts majors can concentrate in Creative Writing, working in poetry, fiction, non-fiction or translation.

Go ifA creative writing concentration that pairs workshops with literary theory

Skip ifYou want a lower net price than the private schools above it

Why #8 over #9: It ranks #8, ahead of Drexel at #9.

Drexel University (Drexel Creative Writing)

Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe publishing-practice pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #9 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; private not-for-profit; six-year graduation rate 78%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 24 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $38,428Undergraduate creative writing: English BA with a Creative Writing concentration that ends in a senior project in creative writing, with hands-on work through the Drexel Publishing Group, the Writers Room and the Drexel Writing Center

Drexel University in Philadelphia ranks #9. Its English BA has a Creative Writing concentration that ends in a senior project.

Go ifA creative writing concentration with a senior project and publishing practice

Skip ifYou want the lowest net price

Why #9 over #10: It ranks #9, ahead of UT Austin at #10.

The University of Texas at Austin (UT Creative Writing)

Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Answrs VerdictThe certificate pick.

College Factual 2027 creative writing rank: #10 of 172 schools evaluatedLocation, type and graduation: Austin, Texas; public; six-year graduation rate 89%Creative writing degrees awarded: About 89 in College Factual’s most recent data yearAverage annual net price (College Scorecard, 2023 data): $19,678Undergraduate creative writing: An 18-hour Creative Writing Certificate for any University student, to be applied for no later than the end of sophomore year, with an honors option that adds a creative writing project

The University of Texas at Austin ranks #10. It offers an 18-hour Creative Writing Certificate to any University student rather than a creative writing major.

Go ifA creative writing certificate you can add to any major at a large public university

Skip ifYou want a creative writing degree rather than a certificate

How we ranked these

We ranked the colleges in the order of College Factual’s 2027 Best Creative Writing Schools list, which evaluated 172 schools on a blend of student outcomes, affordability and program focus. College Factual says its overall list rolls up its degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at each level, so it is not an undergraduate-only ranking, and its degree counts are its own. We kept its top ten in order and confirmed on each school’s own pages that undergraduates can study creative writing there; the form differs (a major, a concentration, a minor or a certificate), and we say which. Net prices are College Scorecard figures labeled 2023. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.

Questions people ask

What is the best college for creative writing?

The University of Pennsylvania is #1 on College Factual’s 2027 Best Creative Writing Schools list, followed by Carnegie Mellon University at #2 and Johns Hopkins University at #3.

Is this a ranking of undergraduate programs only?

No. College Factual says its overall list rolls up its degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at each level, so it is not an undergraduate-only list. We kept its top ten in order and checked each school’s own pages for what an undergraduate can actually study.

How does College Factual make this ranking?

College Factual says schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS and College Scorecard data, and that 172 schools were evaluated.

Can you study creative writing at Harvard?

Yes, inside the English concentration. The Harvard Crimson reports that about half of English theses are creative and that a new Emphasis in Creative Writing will require at least three creative writing courses, two of them workshops.

Creative writing degrees awarded (College Factual, most recent data year) at a glance

University of Virginia10 degrees

Carnegie Mellon11 degrees

San Jose State16 degrees

Boston University17 degrees

Drexel24 degrees

University of Denver28 degrees

University of Pennsylvania30 degrees

Harvard85 degrees

UT Austin89 degrees

Johns Hopkins96 degrees

Creative writing degrees awarded (College Factual, most recent data year), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.

Official sites

University of Pennsylvania (Penn Creative Writing) · english.upenn.edu
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU Creative Writing) · cmu.edu
Johns Hopkins University (The Writing Seminars) · writingseminars.jhu.edu
Harvard University (Harvard Creative Writing) · english.fas.harvard.edu
University of Virginia (UVA Creative Writing) · creativewriting.virginia.edu
Boston University (BU Creative Writing) · bu.edu
San Jose State University (SJSU Creative Writing) · sjsu.edu
University of Denver (DU Creative Writing) · bulletin.du.edu
Drexel University (Drexel Creative Writing) · catalog.drexel.edu
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Creative Writing) · catalog.utexas.edu

Sources

Prices, specs and availability change; confirm on the official site before you buy.