Creative writing programs are competitive and sometimes cutthroat. It is an ever-expanding field of study, with more and more schools offering it as a separate major from your standard English track.
If you’re interested in writing, committed to honing your craft, you’ll need a creative writing program that will whip your writing into shape. To help you start out your hunt, we give you some of the Best Colleges for Creative Writing Undergraduate Programs.
For all students interested in studying creative writing, the proliferation of college creative writing programs across the United States is great. View our complete list to find schools that offer programs of study in Creative Writing. Good Luck!!!
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Columbia University
The creative writing program in The School of the Arts combines intensive writing workshops with seminars that study literature from a writer’s perspective. While students develop and hone their literary technique in workshops, the creative writing seminars broaden their sense of possibility by exposing them to the various ways, historically, that language has been used to make art. The writing workshop is the core element in the practice of creative writing, and it should be a selective and highly rigorous course. Students in the workshop produce original works of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, and submit them to their classmates and professor for a close critical analysis.
Founded In: 1754
Ranking: 1st
Acceptance Rate: 6%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 212-854-1754
Apply Now: https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate
Emory University
Emory’s program is world-renowned and, at 26 years old, is well established within the university. The undergraduate Creative Writing Program at Emory celebrates its 26th birthday this year. In this program, students can approach the study of literature in a creative way – through their own writing – as well as by the more traditional method of critical analysis and reading. Students may also pursue their personal interests and investigate specific genres, including poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting.
Founded In: 1836
Ranking: 2nd
Acceptance Rate: 25%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 404.727.6123
Apply Now: http://creativewriting.emory.edu/home/
Washington University in St. Louis
The English Department at Washington University is constantly seeking to expand the opportunities for undergraduate creative writers, through coursework, an array of on-campus events, and community outreach. Their undergrads have gone on to study in some of the most prestigious graduate creative writing programs in the country. Undergraduate creative writers will find a supportive, vibrant writing community at Washington University, where they will have opportunities to read their work at events. Creative writing classes at Washington University are taught by our MFA Faculty, our second-year MFA students, and a core of devoted lecturers working hard to meet the needs in this expanding field.
Founded In: 1853
Ranking: 3rd
Acceptance Rate: 16%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: (314) 935-5190
Apply Now: https://english.artsci.wustl.edu/writing/creative
Princeton University
The Lewis Center for the Arts is designed to put the creative and performing arts at the heart of the Princeton experience. The Program in Creative Writing offers Princeton undergraduates the opportunity to craft original work under the guidance of some of today’s most respected practicing writers including Kirstin Valdez Quade, Jhumpa Lahiri, Paul Muldoon, Joyce Carol Oates, James Richardson, Tracy K. Smith, Susan Wheeler, and Edmund White. An Emerging Writers series puts thesis students at the podium alongside a lineup of established guest writers curated by seniors in the program.
Founded In: 1746
Ranking: 4th
Acceptance Rate: 6.5%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 609.258.1500
Apply Now: http://arts.princeton.edu/academics/creative-writing/
Middlebury College
The Creative Writing Program at Middlebury functions within the English and American Literatures major. They teach or sponsor more than twenty different courses a year on various aspects of creative writing: fiction, poetry, playwrighting, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. Its teaching writers adhere to high standards within their own artistic productions and expect ambitious efforts from their students. The writing workshops classes are limited to a maximum of fifteen students, and student interaction is highly animated. Its undergraduate program, Middlebury College also sponsors two summer programs—the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (held in late August) and the Bread Loaf School of English (held in July and August)—in which a number of English and American literature majors and creative writers take part. The college awards scholarships to these programs.
Founded In: 1800
Ranking: 5th
Acceptance Rate: 19.7%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 802.443.3473
Apply Now: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/enam/creative_writing
Emerson College
With 600 students, Writing, Literature, and Publishing is a large department—but one that still provides the personal attention you need to flourish as a writer or make your mark as a publisher. They are unique in offering two undergraduate degree programs taught by published authors and experts in the fields of literature, writing, and publishing. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program provides you with foundational skills and practical experience in a range of forms and genres, with particular emphasis on your preferred area of written expression. The Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing program emphasizes literary history and the world of publishing while providing the creative writing and critical thinking skills that will provide you with a springboard to future study or a career in the arts or communication fields.
Founded In: 1880
Ranking: 6th
Acceptance Rate: 49%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 617.824.8500
Apply Now: https://www.emerson.edu/writing-literature-publishing/undergraduate-programs
Cornell University
The Department of English offers a wide range of courses in English, American and Anglophone literature as well as in creative writing, expository writing and film analysis. The Creative Writing Program offers the MFA degree, with a concentration in either poetry or fiction. MFA students pursue intensive study with the distinguished faculty committed to creative and intellectual achievement. A graduate student may also serve as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate lecture course taught by a member of the Department of English faculty. Books Sandwiched in (BSI) is a monthly lunch series for Cornell undergraduates.
Founded In: 1865
Ranking: 7th
Acceptance Rate: 14%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 607-255-6800
Apply Now: http://english.cornell.edu/undergraduate
Hamilton College
Hamilton is one of a small number of undergraduate liberal arts colleges that offer not only courses but a full major or minor in creative writing. The creative writing program is part of the English Department, which gives students full access to the literary expertise of established scholars and critics. Majors in creative writing take a series of workshops at the introductory and intermediate level, in both poetry and fiction writing. Each of Hamilton’s full-time faculty members in creative writing holds a Ph.D. in English or creative writing, which means that their faculty members are trained, committed teachers as well as working artists.
Founded In: 1793
Ranking: 8th
Acceptance Rate: 26%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 315-859-4011
Apply Now: https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/departments/details?dept=Creative%20Writing
Bucknell University
With concentrations in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and playwriting, the Hamilton program focuses on cultivating the human imagination while emphasizing the beauty and complexity of language. The Creative Writing Program offers students the opportunity to focus their study on the creation of literary texts through workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Students will practice craft and technique, develop voice and style, and gain exposure to a wide and diverse set of voices in contemporary literature as inspiration for their own work.
Founded In: 1846
Ranking: 9th
Acceptance Rate: 26%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 570.577.1553
Apply Now: https://www.bucknell.edu/CreativeWriting
Kenyon College
Kenyon College has a long history of nurturing talented poets and fiction writers, and many students attend Kenyon for its creative writing courses. Each year, ten members of the English Department faculty teach a variety of workshops in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, and many students choose to complete the English major with an Emphasis in Creative Writing. Students interested in pursuing creative writing courses during the summer may also apply to The Kenyon Review Writer’s Workshop for an intensive eight-day program in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. The Kenyon Review also offers a summer workshop for high school students (Ages 16-18) interested in developing their creative and critical abilities during the years before applying to college.
Founded In: 1824
Ranking: 10th
Acceptance Rate: 30%
Finance and Admission Office Contact: (740) 427-5000
Apply Now: https://www.kenyon.edu/academics/departments-programs/english/creative-writing-at-kenyon/
