creative writing program undergraduate

Creative Writing

Stanford’s Creative Writing Program--one of the best-known in the country--cultivates the power of individual expression within a vibrant community of writers. Many of our English majors pursue a concentration in creative writing, and the minor in Creative Writing is among the most popular minors on campus. These majors and minors participate in workshop-based courses or independent tutorials with Stegner Fellows, Stanford’s distinguished writers-in-residence.

English Major with a Creative Writing Emphasis

The English major with a Creative Writing emphasis is a fourteen-course major. These fourteen courses comprise eight English courses and six Creative Writing courses.

English majors with a Creative Writing emphasis should note the following:

All courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Courses taken abroad or at other institutions may not be counted towards the workshop requirements.

Any 190 series course (190F, 190G, etc.), 191 series course (191T, etc.), or 192 series course (192V, etc.) counts toward the 190, 191, or 192 requirement.

PWR 1 is a prerequisite for all creative writing courses.

Minor in Creative Writing

The Minor in Creative Writing offers a structured environment in which students interested in writing fiction or poetry develop their skills while receiving an introduction to literary forms. Students may choose a concentration in fiction, poetry.

In order to graduate with a minor in Creative Writing, students must complete the following three courses plus three courses in either the prose or poetry tracks. Courses counted towards the requirements for the minor may not be applied to student's major requirements. 30 units are required. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Prose Track

Suggested order of requirements:

English 90. Fiction Writing or English 91. Creative Nonfiction

English 146S Secret Lives of the Short Story

One 5-unit English literature elective course

English 190. Intermediate Fiction Writing or English 191. Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Writing

English 92. Reading and Writing Poetry

Another English 190, 191, 290. Advanced Fiction, 291. Advanced Nonfiction, or 198L. Levinthal Tutorial

Poetry Track

English 92.Reading and Writing Poetry

English 160. Poetry and Poetics

English 192. Intermediate Poetry Writing

Another English 192, or 292.Advanced Poetry or 198L.Levinthal Tutorial

Creative Writing minors should note the following:

To declare a Creative Writing minor, visit the Student page in Axess. To expedite your declaration, make sure to list all 6 courses you have taken or plan to take for your minor.

Any 190 series course (190F, 190G, etc.), 191series course (191T, etc.), or 192 series course (192V, etc.) counts toward the 190, 191, or 192 requirement.

For more information, visit the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

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The 12 Best Creative Writing Colleges and Programs

College Info

Finding a dedicated creative writing program at a school you're excited about can be a real challenge, and that's even before you start worrying about getting in. Nonetheless, there are some great options. In order to help you find the best school for you, this list rounds up some of the best colleges for creative writing in the United States .

The Best Creative Writing Programs: Ranking Criteria

You should never take college rankings as absolute truth —not even the very official-seeming US News ones. Instead, use these kinds of lists as a jumping-off place for your own exploration of colleges. Pay attention not just to what the rankings are but to how the rankings are determined.

To help with that, I'll explain how I came up with this highly unscientific list of great creative writing colleges. I started by narrowing my search down to schools that offered a specific creative writing major. (If you don't see a school you were expecting, it's likely because they only have a minor.)

In ranking the schools, I considered five major criteria:

• #1: MFA Ranking —If a school has a great graduate creative writing program, it means you'll be taught by those same professors and the excellent graduate students they attract. Schools with strong MFA programs are also more likely to have solid alumni networks and internship opportunities. However, many schools with great undergrad programs do not offer MFAs, in which case I simply focused on the other four options.
• #2: General School Reputation —The vast majority of your classes won't be in creative writing, so it's important that other parts of the school, especially the English department, are great as well.
• #3: Extracurricular Opportunities —One of the key advantages of majoring in creative writing is that it can provide access to writing opportunities outside the classroom, so I took what kind of internship programs, author readings, and literary magazines the school offers into consideration.
• #4: Diversity of Class Options —I gave extra points to schools with a variety of genre options and specific, interesting classes.
• #5: Alumni/Prestige —This last criterion is a bit more subjective: is the school known for turning out good writers? Certainly it's less important than what kind of education you'll actually get, but having a brand-name degree (so to speak) can be helpful.

The Best Creative Writing Schools

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of schools! The exact numbering is always arguable, so look at it as a general trend from absolutely amazing to still super great, rather than fixating on why one school is ranked #3 and another is ranked #4.

#1: Northwestern University

Northwestern's undergrad creative writing program boasts acclaimed professors and an unparalleled track record of turning out successful writers (including Divergent author Veronica Roth and short-story writer Karen Russell).

Outside the classroom, you can work on the student-run literary journal, intern at a publication in nearby Chicago, or submit to the Department of English's yearly writing competition . The university is also home to a top journalism program , so if you want to try your hand at nonfiction as well, you'll have plenty of opportunities to do so.

#2: Columbia University

Like Northwestern, Columbia is home to both a world-class creative writing program and a top journalism school (plus one of the best English departments in the country), so you have a wide range of writing-related course options. Columbia also benefits from its location in New York City, which is bursting at the seams with publishing houses, literary journals, and talented authors.

#3: University of Iowa

The University of Iowa's big draw is the infrastructure of its graduate Writers' Workshop, which is often considered the best MFA program in the country.

As an English and Creative Writing major here, you'll take classes from great young writers and established professors alike, and get to choose from a wide range of topics. This major provides transferable skills important for a liberal arts major with a creative focus. You'll also have access to the university's impressive literary community, including frequent readings, writing prizes and scholarships, and the acclaimed literary journal The Iowa Review .

#4: Emory University

Emory is renowned for its dedicated undergrad creative writing program , which draws the very best visiting scholars and writers. Students here have the chance to attend intimate question-and-answer sessions with award-winning authors, study a range of genres, compete for writing awards and scholarships, and work closely with an adviser to complete an honors project.

#5: Oberlin College

A small liberal arts school in Ohio, Oberlin offers very different advantages than the schools above do. You'll have fewer opportunities to pursue writing in the surrounding city, but the quality of the teachers and the range of courses might make up for that. Moreover, it boasts just as impressive alumni, including actress and writer Lena Dunham.

#6: Hamilton College

Hamilton is another small college, located in upstate New York. It's known for giving students the freedom to pursue their interests and the support to help them explore topics in real depth, both inside and outside the classroom. Hamilton's creative writing program takes full advantage with small classes and lots of opportunities to intern and publish; it also has one of the best writing centers in the country.

#7: Brown University

Brown's Literary Arts program offers one of the top MFAs in the US as well as an undergraduate major . For the major, you must take four creative writing workshops and six reading-intensive courses, which span an array of departments and topics, from music and literature to Middle East studies and Egyptology.

#8: Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University has an excellent creative writing MFA program, lots of super specific class options, and a number of scholarships specifically earmarked for creative writing students. This school’s undergraduate English program also offers a concentration in creative writing that allows students to specialize in a specific genre: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. If you’re interested in exploring your potential in a specific writing genre, Washington University could be a great pick for you.

#9: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT might not be a school you generally associate with writing, but it actually has an excellent program that offers courses in digital media and science writing, as well as creative writing, and provides plenty of guidance on how graduates can navigate the tricky job market.

Not to mention the school is located in Cambridge, a haven for book lovers and writers of all kinds. Though it probably isn’t a good fit for students who hate science, MIT is a great place for aspiring writers who want to build writing skills that are marketable in a wide range of industries.

#10: University of Michigan

University of Michigan is one of the best state universities in the country and has a top-notch MFA program. This school’s undergrad creative writing sub-concentration requires students to submit applications for admittance to advanced creative writing courses. These applications give students crucial practice in both building a writing portfolio and articulating their interest in creative writing to an audience who will evaluate their work. If you're looking to attend a big school with a great creative writing major, this is a fantastic choice.

#11: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins is another school that's known more for engineering than it is for writing, but, like MIT, it has a dedicated writing program. As a major here, you must take not only courses in prose, poetry, and literature, but also classes on topics such as philosophy and history.

#12: Colorado College

Colorado College is a small liberal arts school known for its block plan , which allows students to focus on one class per three-and-a-half-week block. The creative writing track of the English major includes a sequence of four writing workshops and also requires students to attend every reading of the Visiting Writers Series.

Bonus School: New York University

I didn't include NYU in the main list because it doesn't have a dedicated creative writing major, but it's a great school for aspiring writers nonetheless, offering one of the most impressive creative writing faculties in the country and all the benefits of a Manhattan location.

How To Pick the Best Creative Writing School for You

Just because Northwestern is a great school for creative writing doesn't mean you should set your heart on going there. (The football fans are completely terrifying, for one thing.) So where should you go then?

Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at creative writing programs to help you determine the best school for you:

Does It Have Courses You're Interested In?

Look at the course offerings and see whether they interest you. While you can't predict exactly what classes you'll love, you want to avoid a mismatch where what you want to study and what the program offers are completely different. For example, if you want to write sonnets but the school focuses more on teaching fiction, it probably won't be a great fit for you.

Also, don't forget to look at the English courses and creative writing workshops! In most programs, you'll be taking a lot of these, too.

What Opportunities Are There To Pursue Writing Outside of Class?

I touched on this idea in the criteria section, but it's important enough that I want to reiterate it here. Some of the best writing experience you can get is found outside the classroom, so see what kind of writing-related extracurriculars a school has before committing to it.

Great options include getting involved with the campus newspaper, working on the school's literary journal, or interning at the university press.

Who Will Be Teaching You?

Who are the professors? What kind of work have they published? Check teacher ratings on Rate My Professors (but make sure to read the actual reviews—and always take them with a grain of salt).

If you're looking at a big school, there's a good chance that a lot of your teachers will be graduate students. But that's not necessarily a bad thing: a lot of the best teachers I had in college were graduate students. Just take into consideration what kind of graduate program the school has. If there's a great creative writing MFA program, then the graduate students are likely to be better writers and more engaged teachers.

What Are the Alumni Doing Now?

If you have a sense of what you want to do after you graduate, see if any alumni of the program are pursuing that type of career. The stronger the alumni network is, the more connections you'll have when it comes time to get a job.

What About the Rest of the School?

Don't pick a school for which you like the creative writing program but dread everything else about it. Most of your time will be spent doing other things, whether hanging out in the dorms, exploring off campus, or fulfilling general education requirements.

Many schools require you to apply to the creative writing major, so make doubly sure you'll be happy with your choice even if you aren't accepted to the program.

What's Next?

Are you sure a creative writing major is the right fit for you? Read our post on the pros and cons of the major to help you decide what path to take in college.

For more general advice about choosing a college, check out our complete guide to finding the right school for you. Some major factors to consider include deciding whether you're interested in a small college or a big university , an in-state or out-of-state institution , and a public or private school .

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Creative Writing

The English Major with a Concentration in Creative Writing provides students with a solid grounding in literature as well as advanced study in creative writing. Penn’s premier undergraduate creative writing program includes courses in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting, writing for children, journalistic writing, and review.

The English Major with a Concentration in Creative Writing consists of 13 courses distibuted as follows:

• 6 courses to complete the English Core
• 3 Creative Writing Seminars—any courses within these ranges: ENGL 0051, 0700-0799, or 3000-3999
• 1 course from The One Series (anything within this range: ENGL 4500-4998)
• 1 Literature Seminar in either Literature Before 1700 (a course with the AEB7 attribute) or Literature Before 1900 (a course with the AEB9 attribute)
• 1 Literature Seminar in any area (this can be an additional Creative Writing Seminar)
• Elective(s)

If you are interested in this concentration, please contact Julia Bloch, Director of Creative Writing ( [email protected] ).

Our faculty of award-winning writers teach more than sixty workshops each year in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, speculative writing, journalism, playwriting, screenwriting, and writing for children and young adults. We also offer a number of innovative workshops in cross-genre, experimental, and hybrid writing, including writing that engages with community organizing, multimedia and visual arts, and performance. Our program is home to for-credit apprenticeships and programs in independent study, a number of student honors and awards, and events throughout the year that are open to the public.

Creative Writing courses as well as the Creative Writing Minor and the Journalistic Writing Minor are open to any student in the four undergraduate schools (College, Wharton, Engineering, Nursing) or in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Additionally, English majors can choose to concentrate in Creative Writing, one of the most popular paths in the English major.

The Creative Writing Program invites visiting writers to the Penn campus for readings and talks, often at the renowned and hospitable literary hub Kelly Writers House. Recent visitors have included poets, fiction writers, screenwriters, playwrights, and memoirists, including Claudia Rankine , John Keene , Margaret Christakos , Rachel Levitsky , Divya Victor , Jenny Zhang , Scott Neustadter , Elizabeth Willis , Maria Dahvana Headley , Bhanu Kapil , Nicole Dennis-Benn , Will Alexander , Edwin Torres , Yolanda Wisher , Paul Lisicky , Madeleine George , Daniel Saldaña París , Rob Sheffield , Lesley Nneka Arimah , Eduardo Espina , and Patterson Hood . We have also hosted a robust roster of journalists from The Washington Post , ProPublica , Politico , The New Yorker , The New York Times, The Atlantic , and elsewhere, including Karen Heller , Brooke Borel , Michael Sokolove , Matthew Nusbaum , Alec MacGillis , Charles M. Blow , Paul Waldman , Ada Calhoun , Patrick Kerkstra , Ariel Levy , and Jennifer Lin .

Rising seniors are encouraged to apply to our Creative Writing Honors Program, through which students complete a capstone project under consultation of a faculty advisor. Through  RealArts@Penn , students are given the opportunity to engage with alumni in writing-related careers and to apply for paid summer internships in creative fields across the country. Each spring, the Creative Writing Program sponsors university-wide writing contests in several categories: poetry, fiction, review, scriptwriting, creative nonfiction, journalistic writing, and translation.

Related Programs and Groups

• Penn's Creative Writing Program
• Kelly Writers House

Stanford Creative Writing Program

The Stanford Creative Writing Program, founded in 1946 by Wallace Stegner, has become one of the nation’s most distinguished creative writing institutions. After almost 80 years, the program continues to evolve while also respecting its original vision of recruiting and supporting talented writers, offering exceptional creative writing instruction and mentorship, and inspiring undergraduates to develop their own unique creative written expression.

In the 1940s, E. H. Jones generously created the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, now considered the most prestigious creative writing fellowship in the U.S. for emerging writers. Dr. Jones also made possible the Jones Lectureships, which are limited, fixed-year teaching appointments, allowing exceptional Stegner Fellows some time and support to prepare a manuscript for publication, hone their teaching skills, and transition to a longer-term teaching career elsewhere.

The original framework of term-limited appointments allowed for a consistent flow of selected Stegner Fellows into the Jones Lectureship. However, over time this framework of term-limited appointments was not followed.

In the past two years, the School of Humanities and Sciences leadership and the Creative Writing Academic Council faculty have been working to formulate necessary changes in the program and to identify additional resources to meet its growing needs. A Working Group of Creative Writing Academic Council faculty held listening sessions and discussions.

Now, after thoughtful deliberation, the Working Group has recommended restoring the original intent of the Jones Lectureships: one-year appointments with the possibility of renewal for a limited term, up to a total of five years. This change will again allow Stegner Fellows the opportunity to apply to be Jones Lecturers once they have completed their fellowships. In other words, the Jones Lectureships are not being eliminated; they are only being term limited, as was the original intent of the program, so that the Stegner Fellows have an opportunity to teach Creative Writing courses at Stanford. We plan for there to be as many lecturers in the Program in five years’ time as there are today, and we expect to offer more classes then than now.

The university, school, and numerous generous donors are committed to not only the excellence of the program but also its growth. This means increasing the number of Creative Writing classes to better meet high student demand as well as ensuring competitive compensation for both the lecturers and fellows. We will provide more updates in early fall quarter about the Creative Writing Program and how it will continue to be one of the preeminent programs in the nation.

We understand that these changes to the Jones Lectureships will be met with mixed reactions. However, we firmly believe that the changes advance the program’s pedagogical mission and provide promising writers with the resources to complete their books and obtain appointments at other colleges and universities.

Throughout the history of the program, the Jones Lecturers—both those who are here now and those who have been lecturers in the past—have helped make Stanford Creative Writing what it is today, and we are truly grateful to them for their significant contributions to the program’s mission.

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The NYU Creative Writing Program

is among the most distinguished programs in the country and is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature.

Graduate Program

The graduate Creative Writing Program at NYU consists of a community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive.

Low Residency MFA Workshop in Paris

The low-residency MFA Writers Workshop offers students the opportunity to develop their craft in one of the world's most inspiring literary capitals.

Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program offers workshops, readings, internships, writing prizes, and events designed to cultivate and inspire.

Spring 2022 Reading Series

The lively public Reading Series hosts a wide array of writers, translators, and editors, and connects our program to the local community.

Creative Writing Program

Low-residency mfa writers workshop in paris, undergraduate, washington square review, literary journal, a sample residency calendar, write in paris, scholarships and grant opportunities, program of study, dates and deadlines, creative writing, recent highlights from the mfa community.

• Alum Bruna Dantas Lobato   won the 2023 National Book Award in translation

• Faculty member Sharon Olds received the Joan Margarit International Poetry Prize from King Felipe VI in July 2023

• Alumni  Tess Gunty  and  John Keene   each won a 2022 National Book Award in fiction and poetry , respectively

• Books by faculty members  Sharon  Olds  and  Meghan O'Rourke;  and alums  Tess Gunty, John Keene ,  and  Jenny Xie  were named finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards; books by alum  Rio Cortez and faculty member Leigh Newman were also longlisted

• Alum  Ada Limón   has been named the nation's 24th Poet Laureate  by the Library of Congress

• Alum  Amanda Larson 's debut poetry collection  GUT  was selected by Mark Bibbins as the winner of the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber Book Award

• Alum  Sasha Burshteyn  was named a 2022 winner of the 92Y Discovery Prize. Alums Jenna Lanzaro and JinJin Xu were also named semi-finalists for the prize.

• Alum Clare Sestanovich was selected as a  2022 5 under 35 Honoree  by the National Book Foundation

• Alum  Maaza Mengiste  was awarded a  2022 Guggenheim Fellowship

• Visiting graduate faculty member  Brandon Taylor 's collection  Filthy Animals  was named a 2021/22  finalist for The Story Prize  and was shortlisted for the  2022 Dylan Thomas Prize

• Alum  Raven Leilani  won the 2021 Clark Fiction Prize, Dylan Thomas prize, the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize for her debut novel  Luster,  and was named a finalist for the 2021 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, the Gotham Book Prize, the 2021 PEN/Hemmingway Award for Debut Novel, the 2021 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award

• Alum Desiree C. Bailey 's debut poetry collection  What Noise Against the Cane  was longlisted for the 2022 Dylan Thomas Prize and was also named a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award in Poetry and the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and was published as the winner of the 2020 Yale Series of Younger Poets

• Senior faculty member  Sharon Olds  was named the 2022 recipient of the Poetry Society of America's Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry

You can read more MFA Community news here and find a list of forthcoming and recently published books by alumni here .   NYU CWP alumni include  Aria Aber, Amir Ahmadi Arian, Julie Buntin, Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Isabella Hammad, Ishion Hutchinson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Maaza Mengiste, John Murillo, Gregory Pardlo, Morgan Parker, Nicole Sealey, Solmaz Sharif, Peng Shepherd, Ocean Vuong, Jenny Xie,  and  Javier Zamora. 

Announcements

Ocean Vuong joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

Mary Gabriel, Author of “Ninth Street Women”, Receives the NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize

Claudia Rankine joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

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Anne Carson

Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides

Terrance Hayes

Where to find us.

Faculty Spotlight

Ocean Vuong is the author of the bestselling novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and the poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds.

Jeffrey Eugenides is the author of acclaimed novels The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot. His latest collection is Fresh Complaint. 

Terrance Hayes’s most recent publications include American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin and To Float In The Space Between.

Katie Kitamura’s most recent novel Intimacies was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a Best Book of 2021 by numerous publications.

Sharon Olds is a previous director of the Creative Writing Program. Her 2012 collection Stags Leap was awarded the T.S. Eliot Prize and a Pulitzer.

Darin Strauss is the author of several acclaimed novels, including the most recent The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story.

Foer was listed in Rolling Stone's "People of the Year," Esquire's "Best and Brightest," and The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" list.

Claudia Rankine is a recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, and the author of six collections including Citizen and Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.

Hari Kunzru is the author of six novels, including the most recent Red Pill, and White Tears, a finalist for the PEN Jean Stein Award.

Creative Writing and Literature

Undergraduate Program

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is designed for industry professionals with years of work experience who wish to complete their degrees part time, both on campus and online, without disruption to their employment. Our typical student is over 30, has previously completed one or two years of college, and works full time.

Students enrolled in the Master of Liberal Arts program in Creative Writing & Literature will develop skills in creative writing and literary analysis through literature courses and writing workshops in fiction, screenwriting, poetry, and nonfiction. Through online group courses and one-on-one tutorials, as well as a week on campus, students hone their craft and find their voice.

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing – 2024

April 12, 2024

Bookworms and aspiring writers can pursue an undergraduate degree in creative writing where they will tackle coursework covering the reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry as well as the theory and history of the craft. While becoming the next J.K Rowling, Stephen King, or Margaret Atwood may be the goal, holders of creative writing degrees end up on a variety of career paths. This can include: publishing, editing, journalism, web content management, advertising, or for those who “make it” as writers—the next generation of literary superstars. Our list of Best Colleges for Creative Writing goes beyond the most famous writer factories like the University of Iowa and Columbia University, providing you with 35 institutions known for their stellar programs in this field.

Finally, note that although some of the colleges featured below do not offer a formal major in creative writing, their undergraduate offerings in this subject area are so strong that they warrant inclusion on our list.

Methodology 

Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for creative writing.

Best Creative Writing Colleges

Here’s a quick preview of the first ten creative writing institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Columbia University

2) Brown University

3) Johns Hopkins University

4) University of Chicago

5) Washington University in St Louis

6) Emory University

7) Stanford University

8) Northwestern University

9) Duke University

10) Yale University

All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the field of creative writing and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best colleges for creative writing, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—each school’s:

• Cost of Attendance
• Acceptance Rate
• Median  SAT
• Median  ACT
• Retention Rate
• Graduation Rate

We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:

• Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
• Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.

Columbia University

• New York, NY

Academic Highlights: Columbia offers 100+ unique areas of undergraduate study as well as a number of pre-professional and accelerated graduate programs.  Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 58% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (22%), computer science (15%), engineering (14%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Examining the most recent graduates from Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, 73% had found employment within six months, and 20% had entered graduate school. The median starting salary for graduates of Columbia College/Columbia Engineering is above $80,000. Many graduates get hired by the likes of Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft.

• Enrollment: 8,832
• Cost of Attendance: $89,587
• Median SAT: 1540
• Median ACT: 35
• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Retention Rate: 98%
• Graduation Rate: 95%

Brown University

• Providence, RI

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.

• Enrollment: 7,639
• Cost of Attendance: $84,828
• Median SAT: 1530
• Acceptance Rate: 5%
• Retention Rate: 99%
• Graduation Rate: 96%

Johns Hopkins University

• Baltimore, MD

Academic Highlights: With 53 majors as well as 51 minors, JHU excels in everything from its bread-and-butter medical-related majors to international relations and dance. Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with 78% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. Many departments carry a high level of clout, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, English, and international studies. Biology, neuroscience, and computer science, which happen to be the three most popular majors, can also be found at the top of the national rankings.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 saw 94% of graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 66% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 19% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 for the Class of 2022. JHU itself is the most popular choice for graduate school. The next most frequently attended institutions included Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

• Enrollment: 6,044
• Cost of Attendance: $86,065
• Acceptance Rate: 7%
• Retention Rate: 97%

University of Chicago

• Chicago, IL

Academic Highlights: There are 53 majors at UChicago, but close to half of all degrees conferred are in four majors: economics, biology, mathematics, and political science, all of which have particularly sterling reputations. Economics alone is the selection of roughly one-fifth of the undergraduate population. Over 75% of undergrad sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students, and undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. Business and financial services (30%) and STEM (12%) were the two sectors that scooped up the most graduates, but public policy and consulting were also well-represented. The most popular employers of recent grads include Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Bank of America, Citi, and Accenture. For those heading to grad school, the top seven destinations are Yale, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 7,653 (undergraduate); 10,870 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,040

Washington University in St. Louis

• St. Louis, MO

Academic Highlights : WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $83,760
• Median ACT: 34
• Acceptance Rate: 11%
• Retention Rate: 96%
• Graduation Rate: 93%

Emory University

• Atlanta, GA

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Ultimately, the greatest number of students go on to earn degrees in the social sciences (15%), biology (14%), business (14%), health professions (12%), and mathematics (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 66% of 2022 grads were already employed, and 96% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Deloitte, Epic, ScribeAmerica, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and Cloudmed. Graduates of the Goizueta Business School found strong starting salaries with an average of $81k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top law schools like Columbia, Berkeley, and Georgetown. Med school acceptances included Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt.

• Enrollment: 7,101
• Cost of Attendance: $83,702
• Median SAT: 1500
• Median ACT: 33
• Retention Rate: 95%
• Graduation Rate: 90%

Stanford University

• Palo Alto, CA

Academic Highlights: Stanford has three undergraduate schools: the School of Humanities & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. 69% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 34% have a single-digit enrollment. Programs in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, international relations, and economics are arguably the best anywhere. In terms of sheer volume, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (17%), computer science (16%), engineering (15%), and interdisciplinary studies (13%).

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries in equal distribution: business/finance/consulting/retail (19%); computer, IT (19%); and public policy and service, international affairs (19%). Among the companies employing the largest number of recent grads are Accenture, Apple, Bain, Cisco, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, and SpaceX. Other companies that employ hundreds of Cardinal alums include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Airbnb. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

• Enrollment: 8,049 (undergraduate); 10,236 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,833

Northwestern University

• Evanston, IL

Academic Highlights : Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post , NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.

• Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $91,290
• Graduation Rate: 97%

Duke University

Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.

• Enrollment: 6,640
• Cost of Attendance: $85,238
• SAT Range: 1490-1570
• ACT Range: 34-35
• Acceptance Rate: 6%

Yale University

• New Haven, CT

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80 majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Among the top departments are biology, economics, global affairs, engineering, history, and computer science. The social sciences (26%), biology (11%), mathematics (8%), and computer science (8%) are the most popular areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 73% of the Yale Class of 2022 had entered the world of employment and 18% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The most common industries entered by the newly hired were finance (20%), research/education (16%), technology (14%), and consulting (12%). The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $81,769 ($120k for CS majors). Nearly one-fifth of students immediately pursue graduate school.

• Enrollment: 6,590 (undergraduate); 5,344 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,705
• Graduation Rate: 98%

Hamilton College

• Clinton, NY

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and without any pesky graduate students to get in the way, face time with professors is a regular occurrence. In fact, 28% of all classes have nine or fewer students; 72% have nineteen or fewer. Economics, government, and biology are among the strongest and most popular majors; other standout programs include public policy, mathematics, and environmental studies. Thirty percent of students earn social science degrees, with biology (13%), visual and performing arts (9%), physical science (7%), and foreign languages (7%) next in line.

Professional Outcomes: Examining the 491 graduates in Hamilton’s Class of 2022, an enviable 97% wasted no time landing jobs, graduate school acceptances, or fellowships. The most commonly entered industries were finance (17%), education (13%), business (12%), and science/tech (11%). Only 17% of 2022 graduates went directly into an advanced degree program. In one recent year, 33% of Hamilton grads were studying a STEM field, 22% were in the social sciences, 17% pursued a health care degree, and 5% went to law school.

• Enrollment: 2,075
• Cost of Attendance: $82,430
• Median SAT: 1490
• Acceptance Rate: 12%
• Graduation Rate: 92%

Princeton University

• Princeton, NJ

Academic Highlights: 39 majors are available at Princeton. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 31% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Engineering Department is widely recognized as one of the country’s best, as is the School of Public and International Affairs.

Professional Highlights: Over 95% of a typical Tiger class finds their next destination within six months of graduating. Large numbers of recent grads flock to the fields of business and engineering, health/science, & tech. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary ranges from $40k (education, health care, or social services) to $100k (computer/mathematical positions). Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 5,604 (undergraduate); 3,238 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,700

Carnegie Mellon University

• Pittsburgh, PA

Academic Highlights: There are a combined 80+ undergraduate majors and 90 minors available across the six schools. Impressively, particularly for a school with more graduate students than undergrads, CMU boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes, with 36% containing single digits. In a given school year, 800+ undergraduates conduct research through the University Research Office. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (21%), computer science (16%), mathematics (12%), business (10%), and visual and performing arts (9%).

Professional Outcomes: By the end of the calendar year in which they received their diplomas, 66% of 2022 grads were employed, and 28% were continuing to graduate school. The companies that have routinely scooped up CMU grads include Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Accenture, McKinsey, and Deloitte. With an average starting salary of $105,194, CMU grads outpace the average starting salary for a college grad nationally. Of those pursuing graduate education, around 20% typically enroll immediately in PhD programs.

• Enrollment: 7,509
• Cost of Attendance: $84,412

University of Iowa

• Iowa City, IA

Academic Highlights: 200+ undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate programs are available across eight colleges, including the Tippie College of Business, which has a very strong reputation. The most commonly conferred degree is business (24%), with parks and recreation (10%), social sciences (8%), health professions (8%), engineering (7%), and communication & journalism (5%) next in popularity. Over half of its undergraduate sections enroll 19 or fewer students, and 30% of undergrads conduct or assist research.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of Class of 2022 grads found their first job or advanced degree program within six months of receiving their diploma. The most commonly entered industries were healthcare (23%), entertainment/the arts (14%), finance and insurance (11%), and marketing/PR (10%). Companies that employ hundreds of alumni include Wells Fargo, Collins Aerospace, Principal Financial Group, Amazon, Accenture, and Microsoft. The median salary for 2022 grads was $50,000. 28% of recent graduates went directly into graduate school; 76% remained at the University of Iowa.

• Enrollment: 22,130 (undergraduate); 7,912 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $28,846-$32,259 (in-state); $50,809-$54,822 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1240
• Median ACT: 25
• Acceptance Rate: 85%
• Retention Rate: 89%
• Graduation Rate: 73%

Emerson College

Academic Highlights: All 26 majors offered by the school have some element of performance or artistry and include highly unique academic concentrations such as comedic arts, sports communication, and musical theater. Emerson has a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 69% of courses seat fewer than 20 students. The Journalism and Communications Studies programs rank among the top in the country. By sheer popularity, the top majors are film/video production, journalism, marketing, theater arts, and creative writing.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving Emerson, 61% of recent grads were employed, 4% were enrolled in graduate school, and 35% were still seeking their next landing spot. Top employers include the Walt Disney Company, Warner Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and CNN. The average full-time salary for employed grads is $40,255. Of those entering a master’s program, the bulk stay put, pursuing a master’s at Emerson in an area like writing for film and television, creative writing, or journalism.

• Enrollment: 4,149
• Cost of Attendance: $73,000
• Median SAT: 1360
• Median ACT: 31
• Acceptance Rate: 43%
• Retention Rate: 86%
• Graduation Rate: 77%

University of Southern California

• Los Angeles, CA

Academic Highlights : There are 140 undergraduate majors and minors within the Dornsife College of Arts & Sciences alone, the university’s oldest and largest school. The Marshall School of Business, Viterbi School of Engineering, and programs in communication, the cinematic arts, and the performing arts are highly acclaimed. Popular areas of study are business (22%), social sciences (11%), visual and performing arts (11%), communications/journalism (9%), and engineering (8%). Most courses enroll 10-19 students, and USC does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The top five industries entered were finance, consulting, advertising, software development, and engineering; the median salary across all majors is an astounding $79k. Presently, between 300 and 1,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, and Meta. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2022 USC grads include NYU, Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford, Pepperdine, and UCLA.

• Enrollment: 20,699 (undergraduate); 28,246 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,921
• Median SAT: 1510

Cornell University

Academic Highlights: A diverse array of academic programs includes 80 majors and 120 minors spread across the university’s seven schools/colleges. Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 55% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Most degrees conferred in 2022 were in computer science (17%), engineering (13%), business (13%), and biology (13%). The SC Johnson College of Business houses two undergraduate schools, both of which have phenomenal reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 68% entered the workforce, 28% entered graduate school, 1% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 3% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. The top sectors attracting campus-wide graduateswere financial services (18%), technology (17%), consulting (15%), and education (10%). Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 15% were pursuing JDs, 5% MDs, and 22% PhDs.

• Enrollment: 15,735
• Cost of Attendance: $88,150
• Median SAT: 1520

Oberlin College

• Oberlin, OH

Academic Highlights: Over 40 majors are available at Oberlin, which is an extremely strong provider of a liberal arts education. 79% of classes had 19 or fewer students enrolled. The greatest number of degrees conferred are typically in music, political science, biology, psychology, and history. The Conservatory of Music has a worldwide reputation, and programs in the natural sciences are similarly strong, leading to remarkable medical school acceptance rates and a high number of future PhD scientists and researchers.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months, 74% of recent grads found employment, 17% enrolled in graduate school, and just 5% were still seeking employment. Multiple recent grads were hired by Google, Netflix, and Sony Pictures. Over the last few years, multiple students have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Michigan. Oberlin also has a reputation for churning out future PhDs and, is among the top 20 schools (per capita) across all disciplines in producing graduates who go on to earn their doctoral degrees.

• Enrollment: 2,986
• Cost of Attendance: $85,496
• Median SAT: 1400-1540
• Median ACT: 32-34
• Acceptance Rate: 33%
• Retention Rate: 87%
• Graduation Rate: 83%

University of Pittsburgh

Academic Highlights: Pitt admits freshmen to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. Pitt’s engineering and business schools are top-rated and among the most commonly chosen fields of study. Premed offerings are also top-notch, with majors in the health professions (12%), biology (11%), psychology (9%), and computer science (9%) rounding out the list of most popular majors. Pitt has a strong 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 42% of sections have an enrollment of under twenty students.

Professional Outcomes: Within a few months of graduating, 94% of 2022 grads entered full-time employment or full-time graduate or professional school. Engineering, nursing, business, and information sciences majors had 73-86% employment rates while other majors tended to flock to graduate school in large numbers. Employers scooping up the highest number of grads in one recent year included the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (170), PNC (57), BNY Mellon (36), and Deloitte (19). Median starting salaries fluctuated between $37k-65k depending on major.

• Enrollment: 20,220 (undergraduate); 9,268 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,034-$43,254 (in-state); $56,400-$66,840 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 50%
• Retention Rate: 92%
• Graduation Rate: 84%

Swarthmore College

• Swarthmore, PA

Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities.  18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,625
• Cost of Attendance: $81,376
• Graduation Rate: 94%

Bryn Mawr College

• Bryn Mawr, PA

Academic Highlights: On the home campus, undergraduates can choose from 35 majors and 50 minors. Roughly 35% of the student body earns degrees in the natural sciences or mathematics, a figure four times the national average for women. By volume, the most popular majors are mathematics, psychology, biology, English, and computer science. An 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to small class sizes with 74% of sections having fewer than twenty students, and 24% of sections enrolling nine students or fewer.

Professional Outcomes: One year after receiving their diplomas, 57% of Bryn Mawr graduates had found employment and a robust 28% had already entered graduate school. Most of the organizations employing the greatest number of alumni are universities and hospital systems, although Google, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, and Vanguard do employ a fair number of Bryn Mawr graduates. Among recent grads pursuing further education, 63% were in master’s programs, 13% were already working on their PhD, and 10% were in medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,409
• Cost of Attendance: $79,880
• Median SAT: 1400
• Acceptance Rate: 31%
• Retention Rate: 90%

Wellesley College

• Wellesley, MA

Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Thirty-six percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 77% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound. Most programs possess sterling reputations, including chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, and political science, but the Department of Economics shines most brightly, leading many into PhD programs and high-profile careers. Economics, biology, and computer science are the most frequently conferred degrees.

Professional Outcomes : Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2022 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 76% of grads who were employed, 24% were working in the finance/consulting/business fields, 17% in education, 17% in internet and technology & engineering, and 15% in healthcare/life sciences. Top employers included JPMorgan Chase, Google, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Goldman Sachs. The average starting salary for one recent cohort was a solid $63k. Of the 20% of 2022 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, MIT, and Emory.

• Enrollment: 2,447
• Cost of Attendance: $84,240
• Acceptance Rate: 14%

Colby College

• Waterville, ME

Academic Highlights: Offering 56 majors and 35 minors, Colby provides a classic liberal arts education with a high degree of flexibility and room for independent intellectual pursuits. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is put to good instructional use as roughly two-thirds of courses have fewer than 19 students. Being a true liberal arts school, Colby has strengths across many disciplines, but biology, economics, and global studies draw especially high praise. These programs along with government and environmental science attract the highest number of students.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had either obtained jobs or were enrolled full-time in a graduate program. Eighteen percent of graduates enter the financial industry and large numbers also start careers in education, with government/nonprofit, STEM, and healthcare next in popularity. The Medical school acceptance rate over the past five years is 68%, nearly double the national average.

• Enrollment: 2,299
• Cost of Attendance: $86,720
• Average SAT: 1485
• Average ACT: 33
• Acceptance Rate: 8%
• Retention Rate: 93%
• Graduation Rate: 87%

University of Michigan

• Ann Arbor, MI

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon.  Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.

• Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1470
• Acceptance Rate: 18%

Bucknell University

• Lewisburg, PA

Academic Highlights: Over 60 majors and 70 minors are on tap across three undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. Getting well-acquainted with your professors is easy with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio, and class sizes are reasonably small. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the areas of the social sciences (26%), engineering (14%), business (14%), biology (11%), and psychology (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, 94% of the Class of 2022 had launched their careers or entered graduate school. Financial services is the most common sector for Bucknell grads to enter, attracting 24% of alumni. Across all disciplines, the average salary for a Class of 2022 grad was $69,540. Bucknell saw 18% of 2022 grads go directly into an advanced degree program. Bison alumni heading to graduate school predominantly pursue degrees in the medical field, social sciences, business, or engineering.

• Enrollment: 3,747
• Cost of Attendance: $80,890
• Median SAT: 1380
• Median ACT: 32
• Retention Rate: 91%

Haverford College

• Haverford, PA

Academic Highlights: Haverford offers 31 majors, 32 minors, 12 concentrations, and eleven consortium programs—areas of study that can be pursued at partner campuses. The school’s 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and exclusive emphasis on undergraduate education lead to exceptionally intimate classes, 33% of which have fewer than 10 students, and 72% have fewer than 20. The most popular areas of study at Haverford include the social sciences (24%), biology (14%), psychology (11%), physical sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and mathematics (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Haverford, 63% of the Class of 2022 had found employment, 19% had enrolled in graduate school, and 9% were still job hunting. Employers hiring multiple recent Haverford grads include Epic, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, the National Institutes of Health, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Of the 19% of 2022 grads who elected to continue their education, the most commonly entered fields of study were STEM (51%) and medicine/health (15%).

• Enrollment: 1,421
• Cost of Attendance: $87,180
• Graduation Rate: 91%

Colorado College

• Colorado Springs, CO

Academic Highlights: Rather than the typical semester schedule, Colorado College operates on the “block plan,” a series of eight three-and-half-week periods during which students take only one course. You won’t find a more intimate liberal arts college than CC. Classes have a cap of 25 students, and no more than a handful of courses exceed that figure. The average class consists of 16 students. In terms of sheer volume, most degrees are conferred in the social sciences (28%), biology (17%), natural resources and conservation (8%), and physical science (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2022, an impressive 99% arrived successfully at their next destination within six months of earning their diploma. The largest number of graduates who pursue employment end up in the fields of education, technology, health care, the arts, and government.  The bachelor’s degree earned at Colorado College is unlikely to be the last degree a graduate will earn. Five years after graduation, the typical cohort sees 70-90% of its members having either completed or finishing an advanced degree.

• Enrollment: 2,180
• Cost of Attendance: $87,128
• Acceptance Rate: 16%
• Graduation Rate: 86%

Brandeis University

• Waltham, MA

Academic Highlights: Brandeis offers 43 majors, the most popular of which are in the social sciences (18%), biology (17%), business (10%), psychology (8%), public administration (8%), and computer science (7%). The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of courses contain nineteen or fewer students. Departments with a particularly strong national reputation include economics, international studies, and sociology as well as all of the traditional premed pathways including biology, and chemistry.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 98% of the Class of 2022 had found their way to employment (59%), graduate school (35%), or another full-time activity like travel or volunteer work (4%). Members of the Class of 2022 were hired by Red Hat, Deloitte, Nasdaq, NPR, and McKinsey & Company. The average starting salary for recent grads is $61k. A large contingent of grads elects to continue at Brandeis for graduate school. Many others go to BU, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 3,687
• Cost of Attendance: $86,242
• Median SAT: 1440
• Acceptance Rate: 39%

Macalester College

• St. Paul, MN

Academic Highlights: Students can choose from roughly 40 majors and over 800 courses that are offered each academic year . Being an undergraduate-only institution, Macalester students enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is only 17 students, and 14% of class sections have single-digit enrollments. Macalester possesses strong offerings across many different disciplines. Programs in economics, international studies, and mathematics are among the best anywhere.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Macalester Class of 2022 had found employment, graduate school, or a fellowship. Employers of recent grads include ABC News, Google, Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical Company, McKinsey & Company, the ACLU, the National Cancer Institute, and National Geographic . Across all sectors, the average starting salary for recent grads was above $62k. Sixty percent of Mac grads pursue an advanced degree within six years of earning their bachelor’s.

• Enrollment: 2,175
• Cost of Attendance: $79,890
• Median SAT: 1430
• Acceptance Rate: 28%
• Retention Rate: 88%

Barnard College

Academic Highlights: Barnard has a 10:1 student-faculty ratio, and a sensational 71% of courses are capped at nineteen or fewer students; 18% have fewer than ten. Many get the chance to engage in research alongside a professor as 240+ undergraduates are granted such an opportunity through the Summer Research Institute each year. Barnard’s most popular majors, by number of degrees conferred, include economics, English, political science, history, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and art history.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 91% of 2022 Barnard grads had found employment or were enrolled in a graduate program. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Citibank, and Morgan Stanley all appear on the list of the top fifteen employers of Barnard alumni. Within ten years of graduation, over 80% of Barnard alums eventually enroll in graduate school. Those entering graduate school flock in large numbers to Columbia, with 112 heading there over the last three years.

• Enrollment: 3,442
• Cost of Attendance: $90,928
• Acceptance Rate: 9%

Georgetown University

• Washington, D.C.

Academic Highlights: The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students. While some classes are a bit larger, only 7% cross the 50-student threshold. Those desiring to join the world of politics or diplomacy are in the right place. The Government and International Affairs programs are among the best in the country. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (38%) followed by business (20%), interdisciplinary studies (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 75% of members of the Class of 2022 entered the workforce, 19% went directly into a graduate or professional program of study, and 3% were still seeking employment. The Class of 2022 sent massive numbers of graduates to a number of major corporations including JPMorgan Chase (22), Citi (21), BOA (18), Morgan Stanley (16), and EY (10). Those attending grad school stay at Georgetown or flock to other elite schools like Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 7,900
• Cost of Attendance: $85,000

Elon University

Academic Highlights: Students choose from 70 majors and can add a number of interesting minors like adventure-based learning, coaching, and multimedia authoring. Elon’s 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 20 students; 51% of sections contain fewer than 20 students. The areas in which the greatest number of degrees are conferred are business (29%), journalism/communication (20%), social sciences (8%), the visual and performing arts (6%), and psychology (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Results of a survey administered nine months after graduation found that 96% of the Class of 2022 had found employment, a graduate school, or an internship. Top employers of recent Elon graduates include Bloomberg, Deloitte, EY, Google, Goldman Sachs, Red Ventures, and Wells Fargo. Recent business grads enjoyed a median salary of $61k while communications majors earned $47k. Just under one-quarter of recent grads gained acceptance into graduate/professional school and many remain at Elon.

• Enrollment: 6,337
• Cost of Attendance: $66,657
• Median SAT: 1260
• Median ACT: 28
• Acceptance Rate: 78%

DePauw University

• Greencastle, IN

Academic Highlights: No matter which of the 40+ majors you pursue at DePauw, you will enjoy the benefits of small class sizes and face time with faculty. A 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and the fact that only four class sections in the whole university enroll more than 29 students assures that. The greatest number of DePauw undergrads earn degrees in the social sciences (17%), biology (10%), the visual/performing arts (9%), communication/journalism (8%), and computer science (6%).

Professional Outcomes: The university’s “Gold Commitment” guarantees that all grads will land at their next destination within six months, or they will be provided with an entry-level professional opportunity or an additional tuition-free semester. Top employers of DePauw grads include Eli Lilly and Company, IBM, Northern Trust Corporation, AT&T, and Procter & Gamble. Tigers applying to graduate and professional schools experience high levels of success. Of medical school applicants who earned a 3.6 GPA and scored in the 80th percentile on the MCAT, 90% are accepted to at least one institution.

• Enrollment: 1,752
• Cost of Attendance: $74,400
• Acceptance Rate: 66%
• Graduation Rate: 79%

University of Washington – Seattle

• Seattle, WA

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.

• Enrollment: 36,872 (undergraduate); 16,211 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $34,554 (in-state); $63,906 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1420
• Acceptance Rate: 48%
• Retention Rate: 94%

We hope you have found our list of the Best Colleges for Creative Writing to be useful and informative as you continue your college search process. We also invite you to check out some of our other resources and tools including:

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Creative Writing Program

The University of Washington English Department's Creative Writing Program offers a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a two-year Master of Fine Arts  degrees in Poetry and Prose. 

Founded in 1947 by Theodore Roethke, the Creative Writing Program's tradition of transformative workshops continues with our current faculty:  David Bosworth , Nikki David Crouse ,  Rae Paris ,  David Shields,  and  Maya Sonenberg  (Prose), and  Linda Bierds (part-time) ,  Andrew Feld ,  Richard Kenney,  and  Pimone Triplett  (Poetry).  They include among their many honors fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as prizes such as the Flannery O’Connor Award in Short Fiction and the McCarthy Prize. The list of our alumni publications represents a significant chapter in the history of American literature. To see recent examples of our MFA Program alumni publications, see the article MFA Program Graduates Publish at Impressive Rates in our Spring 2022 English Matters newsletter .

The MFA Program remains purposely small, admitting only ten students per year. The relatively small size of our program (20 students at most at any given time) allows for close associations to develop among students and faculty. The first year is devoted to participation in workshops and literary seminars, and the second year allows for concentrated work on a creative manuscript and critical essay under the supervision of two creative writing faculty members. 

The BA in English with a Creative Writing Concentration prepares students not only to be more effective communicators and artists, but also creative problem solvers and more nuanced critical thinkers. By situating small, student-oriented writing workshops alongside literary models, Creative Writing classes enhance the broader study of literature and critical theory, helping students gain a greater understanding of the social and cultural forces informing their work. A student completing the program is more able to situate themselves in a larger aesthetic and social context and make more meaningful, informed decisions about their own artistic practice. In addition, through the intense practice of creative writing, students are able to see the world more clearly, in a more nuanced and meaningful manner, and apply these skills to a wide variety of work and life situations.

Director:  Nikki David Crouse

Program Coordinator: Shannon Mitchell 

Graduate Program Advisor: Tim Cosgrove

Undergraduate Program Advising: Humanities Academic Services

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Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing

Great readers make great writers—and great writers build fulfilling lives and successful careers.

In the English and Creative Writing major, you'll explore literature in all its forms—and apply what you discover to your own expression. 

You may write poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, or something totally unique. Maybe you've been writing for years, or you might dream of starting. No matter your background or your goals, in this popular major you'll learn to transform the craft of writing into the artistry of literature. 

Your professors will be some of today's hottest bestselling authors and magazine journalists. You'll experience small classes and personalized attention. You'll learn the methods of Iowa's world-famous Writers' Workshop, Nonfiction Writing Program, and Playwrights Workshop. And you'll belong to a supportive, inclusive, and engaged community. 

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Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including at least 42 s.h. of work for the major. Of the 42 s.h., at least 36 s.h. must be selected from the Department of English courses (prefix ENGL, CNW, CW). Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core . 

Transfer students must earn at least 30 s.h. work for the major at the University of Iowa, with at least 15 s.h. of course work in English literary study and 15 s.h. of course work in creative writing taken in residence at the University of Iowa.

Students are encouraged to explore multiple genres, including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and playwriting.

Students earning the major in English may not earn the major in English and Creative Writing and students completing the English and Creative Writing major may not earn a second major in English. Please note that "creative writing" encompasses ENGL 37** and 47** (creative writing courses in fiction, non-fiction, playwriting, translation, poetry, and special topics), CW courses (fiction and poetry), CNW (creative non-fiction), and some THTR (playwriting) and CINE (screenwriting). Search accordingly when looking for coursework.

For more specific information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing, visit the UI General Catalog .

Learning Outcomes

The goal is for students who graduate from the Department of English to demonstrate the skills of reflective reading, critical and creative thinking, compelling writing, and engaged citizenship.

Reflective Readers

• Analyze literary and cultural texts through close reading.
• Gain broad knowledge of several fields of literature.
• Grasp formal elements of key literary genres.
• Learn to read comparatively to illuminate aesthetic, social, and cultural contributions of texts.

Critical and Creative Thinkers

• Approach texts with a spirit of critical inquiry and flexibility.
• Formulate productive questions.
• Use textual evidence to support individual interpretations.
• Draw upon several different critical approaches to literature in English.
• Effective Speakers
• Express opinions about the texts they read through discussion and written assignments.
• Listen respectfully to others’ opinions.
• Work in class—whether through active listening or discussion—to learn by synthesizing a range of texts, insights, and opinions.

Compelling Writers

• Express themselves in clear, fluent, and lively writing.
• Organize their ideas effectively.
• Use textual evidence to illustrate and support their insights and arguments.
• Are able to write in different modes appropriate to varied genres and aesthetic traditions.
• Engage properly with relevant scholarship and creative work.
• Use research skills that include an understanding of methods, craft, technology, and conventions.
• Demonstrate the ability to create in modes that are appropriate to various genres.

Engaged World Citizens

• Communicate respect and understanding for the literatures and cultures of diverse historical periods, geographical regions, and cultures.
• Explore ethical issues raised by literature.
• Practice collaborative and ethical literary citizenship.
• Reflect on the ways that literature addresses issues of social justice.
• Use reading, speaking, and writing skills to engage with the ethical concerns raised by literature in their daily and professional lives.

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

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Department of English

Left to Right: Undergraduate Department Representatives Cayenn Landau, Hannah Heimann, Irina Znamirowski and Autumn Bellan at the Meet the Major / Book Exchange.

When you major in creative writing at Brandeis, you will immerse yourself in small writing workshops, literary studies, and studio or performing art, all of which prepare you for a writerly life.

You will emerge with a strong grasp of historical and contemporary literature and culture as well as a sense of your own creative voice. Within the major, you may choose to concentrate on fiction, poetry or screenplay. Those who pursue honors within the major will work closely with a mentor to produce a body of high-caliber creative work. 

Why Brandeis?

Creative writing has a long history at Brandeis: taught since 1951, it has been a major in its own right since 2003.

Unlike other creative writing programs, our workshops are taught solely by established writers. You will learn your craft from working writers who are widely published and also dedicated teachers. Our impressive roster of past visiting writers includes Alice Walker, John Irving and Saul Bellow.

Our workshops are small — 12 students maximum. And because they are open to all, you will work closely with a wonderfully diverse group of peers majoring in neuroscience, Judaic studies, African and African-American studies, fine arts, law, business, biology and other areas.

Our program is also unusually active, sponsoring reading series, student awards, panel discussions, workshops on publishing, and journal and performance opportunities. Our Reading Series brings nationally known poets, novelists and translators to campus for readings and meetings with students. Featured readers have included Tom Perrotta, Jamaica Kincaid, Carl Phillips, Kazim Ali, Adrienne Rich, Sharon Olds, Mark Doty and others.

Interdisciplinary Study

As a creative writing major, you may take classes in related disciplines such as theater, comparative literature, African and African-American studies and philosophy.

You may also double major, as many of our students have, in disciplines as varied as math, biology, computer science, psychology and more.

You may apply to write a senior creative writing honors thesis in fiction or poetry. The honors thesis is a year-long project that results in a full-length collection of stories, novella, or poetry collection. A semester-long honors project, which results in a shorter body of work, is also available.

Creative Outlets

The Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts sponsors student-run initiatives, such as writer/artist collaborations, installations and spoken-word performances.

There are also many student publications on campus to which you can submit your work and/or for which you may join the editorial staff, including:

Laurel Moon ― poetry, fiction, translation

Blacklist (formerly Where The Children Play) ― poetry, stories, art, photography

The Justice ― weekly newspaper

The Hoot ― independent weekly newspaper

Faculty Excellence

Distinguished faculty.

Our faculty include some of the best writers of fiction and poetry today:

Elizabeth Bradfield , Co-director, is the author of four poetry collections, most recently "Toward Antarctica," and also a collaboration with a visual artist, "Theorem." She also recently co-edited " Cascade Field Guide: Art Ecology Poetry ." Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Poetry and Orion, and she has received a Stegner Fellowship, the Audre Lorde Prize and other honors. The founder and editor in chief of Broadsided Press, she also works as a naturalist on expedition ships around the globe.

Stephen McCauley , Co-director, has published nine novels (including "The Object of My Affection" and "My Ex-Life") as well as articles, personal essays and reviews in The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, Vogue, Harpers, Vanity Fair and other publications. Three of his novels have been made into feature films, and he was named a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.

Marc Weinberg , Screenwriter, began his career in film as a story analyst working in development for studios and production companies. A graduate of UCLA's acclaimed MFA program in screenwriting, Weinberg transitioned to professional writer with the sale of a supernatural thriller to USA Network. He has sold scripts and story ideas that have been set up at studios and production companies, including Paramount Pictures and Citadel Entertainment. Weinberg’s credits also include several episodes of scripted entertainment for the Discovery Channel.

Every year, two distinguished authors join our faculty as the Fannie Hurst Fiction Writer and the Jacob Ziskind Poet. Past writers include J.M. Coetzee, Lorrie Moore, Li Young Lee, Denis Johnson, Russell Banks, Gish Jen, Grace Paley, Anne Waldman, Li Young Lee, Robert Creeley, Junot Diaz, Elizabeth McCracken, Chen Chen, Grace Talusan, Porsha Olayiwola, and Christopher Castellani. Krysten Hill is the current Jacob Ziskind Visiting Poet-in-Residence and Marjan Kamali is the visiting Fannie Hurst Writer in Residence.

Internships and Study Abroad

Our majors have held internships at varied places, such as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Conde Nast Publications, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Rees Literary Agency, the Denise Shannon Literary Agency, Macmillan Publishers, Simon and Schuster Publishers, Fox Searchlight Films, the Atlantic Monthly magazine, and many others.

Study Abroad

Many of our majors spend a summer or a semester studying in one of 70 countries, often in programs focused on literature and writing.

Other Opportunities

The department awards nearly $1,000 annually for outstanding student work, including:

The Dafna Zamarripa-Gesundheit Award, awarded for the best fiction published in the literary journal Laurel Moon.

The Andrew Grossbardt Award for the best poem.

Several more awards are given for creative honors theses.

Careers, Graduate Study and Alumni

Diverse career opportunities.

Many of our majors go on to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry, fiction, screenwriting, or creative nonfiction.

Another popular post-BA option is the six-week Columbia Publishing Course, which prepares students for careers in the publishing industry. Many enter fields related to writing, such as publishing, academia, advertising, and copywriting for a variety of businesses, including digital agencies and startups.

The Writing Life

Many of our graduates and workshop attendees are published writers or work in writing. They have received fellowships at such prestigious universities as Harvard, Cornell, Syracuse, Michigan, Arizona, Oregon, the Michner Center, and Washington. Their awards have included a Ruth Lily Poetry Fellowship finalist, Best American Poetry publications, the Loraine Williams Poetry Prize, the Glastock Poetry Competition and others.

Some of our graduates have gone on to teach at Tufts, Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia, Emerson, The New School and Bentley College.

Creative writing majors and those who have studied in our workshops include:

Award-winning author Ha Jin

Poets Linda Pastan, Alicia Ostriker and Mary Leader

Playwright and screenwriter Theresa Rebeck

Poet, fiction writer and memoirist Shirley Geok-Lin Lim

New York Times best-selling memoirist and journalist Daniel Smith

Emmy-winning writer and comedian Josh Gondleman

Ethan Mermelstein, script coordinator on “Nurse Jackie” and “Girls”

Kendra Fortmeyer, author of YA novel Hole in the Middle

Lindsay Goldwert, author of nonfiction book Bow Down

Elisa Albert, author of three novels, including The Book of Dahlia and After Birth

Christopher Boucher, author of three novels, including Golden Delicious

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Minor in Creative Writing

You might choose the creative writing minor to complement a major in comparative literature, economics, education studies or another field. See the requirements for the minor in the University Bulletin .

Undergraduate Advising Heads

Contact Professors  Elizabeth Bradfield or Stephen McCauley to learn more about how the Creative Writing curriculum is structured and what you would need to do to major in this field.

Program Faculty

• Co-Director Elizabeth Bradfield
• Co-Director Stephen McCauley
• Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence  Krysten Hill
• Fannie Hurst Writer in Residence  Marjan Kamali
• Adjunct Assistant Professor Marc Weinberg
• Professor Emerita Olga Broumas
• Professor Emerita Mary Baine Campbell

Contact the Undergraduate Department Representatives

• Vincent Lian
• Jingyi Wang  

“I've gotten to the point where I'll go to office hours for professors whose classes I'm not in anymore just to hang out and catch up. I'm so close with them, I'd invite them to my wedding.”

Sarah Bierman ’14

Creative Writing for Undergraduates

The English Department is pleased to offer two creative writing concentrations for English majors who wish to specialize in creative writing. Students interested in poetry writing can apply to the  Area Program in Poetry Writing (APPW) , which allows undergraduate writers to pursue serious study of the craft of poetry writing and poetics within the context of the English major. The  Area Program in Literary Prose Writing (APLP)  is our fiction and nonfiction equivalent of the APPW, allowing English majors to specialize in the craft of narrative writing.

But you don't have to be an English major to take our courses. Undergraduates can take a full spectrum of elective poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, beginning with ENCW 2200, 2300, and 2600, introductory classes usually taught by MFA students in our graduate program. These 2000-level classes introduce students to poetic and narrative techniques, teach close reading of literary texts, and employ a workshop model of peer critique. The target audience for our 2000-level classes is mostly first- and second-year undergraduates (who can enroll directly in SIS) though we also create some sections in each genre open to third- and fourth-year registration. In addition, we sometimes feature themed introductory sections, ENCW 2530 or 2560, that we also keep open to third- and fourth-year registration.

As students hone their writing skills, they move into intermediate 3000- and 4000-level courses. While we prefer that students start in our 2000-level courses, students can also enroll directly in a 3000 or 4000 section. Advanced third- and fourth-year students can also take 5000-level workshops, which mix undergraduates and graduate students in the same classroom. All of these intermediate and advanced courses are taught by full-time English faculty members.  For details on how to apply to these intermediate and advanced creative writing courses, see the FAQ section below.  In recent years, our department has also begun to offer a number of creative nonfiction courses at the 3000- and 4000-level.

Undergraduates should also take advantage of our scheduled visits by Rea Writers and Lecturers and our Kapnick Distinguished Writer-in-Residence by attending public readings and other private sessions open to undergraduates

"FIRST CLASS" POLICY

There is usually a high demand for seats in creative writing courses. Students who register for creative writing courses in SIS but who fail to attend the first class meeting after their registration may be dropped from the roll so that we can free up seats for other students on the waitlist. Students who cannot attend the first class meeting after their registration in SIS must, before the class meeting occurs, email their instructor with a valid excuse as to why they cannot attend, but the instructor is under no obligation to accept the excuse.  Bottom line: for creative writing courses, go to the first class after you register in SIS to ensure you stay on the roll.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I can’t register for a 2000-level section, even though there are open seats. What gives?

A: If you have tried to add an open ENCW 2000-level section and cannot, you are most likely a third- or fourth-year student (or are a rising third-year student). This is because we initially configure most of our 2200/2300/2600 sections with the seats reserved for first- and second-years. The reason we tilt the early enrollment toward first- and second-year students is because it helps us create a large pool of undergraduates ready to take our intermediate and advanced coursework in their later years at UVA, as well as apply to our APPW and APLP concentrations in the English major. However, we do usually create some sections of 2300 and 2600 open to third- and fourth-year students, and we sometimes have themed ENCW 2560 (fiction) and ENCW 2530 (poetry) courses that are open to third- and fourth-years. ENCW 2560 and 2530 do not have any prerequisites and are open on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once all first- and second-years have had time to register in SIS, we try to remove the restrictions from our sections. This usually happens in the first weeks of August or November, so keep checking in SIS. We have to maintain the course restrictions over the entire summer to allow first-year students a chance to register for open seats. Transfer students who arrive at UVA in their third year and other special cases can email the instructors for ad hoc permission to join a section. Please do not email more than two instructors.

Q: Why does a fall section have just a few open seats available? I thought your classes took 15 students but only 8 seats are available. Why is that?

A: This situation usually happens in spring/summer semesters when students are trying to register for next fall. Because many first-years take our courses, the undergraduate registrar temporarily lowers the seating capacity of our fall courses. This is because the incoming first-year students come to grounds over several summer enrollment sessions, and the registrar is trying to make sure students in the later sessions have similar class choices to those in early sessions. So our 2000-level ENCWs may have restricted seats in the early part of summer, and the seating capacity rises throughout July as more first-years have a chance to register. Once all first-years have had a chance to register, we try to lift all our course restrictions, making them available to everyone. 

Q: What should I do if cannot register for ENCW 2300/2600?

A: If the section is restricted right now to first- and second-years and you are a third- or fourth-year, you likely cannot add that class or get on the waitlist. You should look for other unrestricted sections and check back when we lift the restrictions on our classes. If you are eligible for a section but there are no seats, we recommend you add yourself to the waitlist. Students on class waitlists might want to use the waitlist "Edit Enrollment" feature to configure SIS to drop another course if a slot in ENCW 2300/2600 opens. Remember: SIS takes the first eligible student off of a waitlist, not the first student on the waitlist. So configure SIS to drop other courses if adding out course would give you too many hours.

In addition, students with some writing experience and ready manuscripts can also consider registering for one of our intermediate or advanced classes; we prefer that students take a 2000-level class first, but they are not a firm prerequisite. See below for details.

Q: How do I apply for intermediate and advanced courses in creative writing?

A: To apply to one of our intermediate or advanced courses (ENCW 3000 and higher):

• In SIS, request permission to take the class, and
• Send the instructor a manuscript and cover letter.

Please email the instructor only one document. First, create a cover page that has your name, email, phone, year at UVA, major, and a brief explanation of why you want to take the course. If you are applying to other ENCW 3000+ courses for the same semester, please note that too (this does not hurt or help your application—it just helps us distribute students among our sections). Poetry applicants should then append up to ten pages of poetry, which is generally single-spaced. Please compile your poems and your cover sheet into ONE document/attachment. Fiction and nonfiction applicants should append up to fifteen pages of prose to the cover letter. The prose must be double-spaced. Please use traditional fonts in the 12-point range and save the file as one document in a .PDF or MS Word .doc or .docx. For full consideration, email your application as soon as possible, but before noon on December 15 for spring courses, or by August 5 for fall. The instructor will let you know by mid-January for spring courses, and by late August for fall courses. Of course, submitting  earlier  than these deadlines is encouraged, and our classes do sometimes fill before the final submission deadline—so send early if you can. Once the instructor grants you permission in SIS to add the class, you must also log in and accept the course to your schedule. If you fail to accept the course into your schedule promptly, the permission request goes "stale" in SIS, and you must delete your original permission request in SIS and submit a new one.

Q: I’m not a humanities student, or even in the College of Arts & Sciences. Can I take your courses?

A: Yes, if SIS allows you to register, you can enroll just like any other student. If SIS will not allow you to enroll, contact our office to see if course action might be an option. Our ENCW courses often satisfy humanities requirements from other schools. See your local registrar.

Q: Do your ENCW courses satisfy academic requirements?

A: All ENCW courses can satisfy three credits under artistic, interpretive, & philosophical inquiry under the new curriculum, and for a few more senior undergrads who started here under a different curriculum, three credits of their humanities area requirement (fine arts). See the Arts & Sciences  General Education Page . ENCW 2300 and 2600 courses can satisfy the first writing requirement for some UVA first-years on an exception basis as determined by the  UVA Writing and Rhetoric Program . At present, the only ENCW course that satisfies the second writing requirement is ENCW 2200. Our courses may satisfy humanities and/or writing requirements for other schools like Engineering, Architecture, or Nursing. Please contact your school's registrar for confirmation.

Q: Can I take one of your courses more than once?

A: In most cases, yes. This includes our 2000-level courses. We generally encourage students to try higher-level ENCW courses, but we understand that some students do not feel ready to move on, and sometimes the day/time of a lower-level course just fits a student's schedule better. Second enrollments generally do not satisfy very many requirements. See your advisor or our office for additional details.

Q: Do you offer independent studies in creative writing? There's a novel I want to write ...

A: Yes, we do offer independent studies, but we generally only set them up for APPW and APLP students and advanced English majors who have exhausted our standard course offerings and have a well-defined semester-length project in mind. We rarely agree to independent study requests from non-English majors. Those students are encouraged to try our intermediate and advanced coursework first. In any case, students hoping for independent studies must begin negotiating with our creative writing faculty members at least one semester before their independent study actually starts. Ad hoc requests made at the beginning of a semester will almost always be rejected.

Q: I’m a local resident. Can I take your undergraduate courses?

A: Yes, but usually at the 3000-level or higher. Our 2000-level ENCW courses are primarily for UVA undergraduates in their first few years at the university. Citizen scholars have usually been writing on their own for a while, and 3000-level and higher courses are typically a better fit (this includes 5000-level courses, which are open to undergraduate and graduate enrollment). To enroll, first email the instructor* and ask if they would consider your application. If they are willing, ask them to reserve a seat in the course for you. Then contact the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) at  http://www.scps.virginia.edu/  to officially enroll in the course and pay your fees. SCPS may ask you to have the instructor email them saying you have permission to enroll. 

You can view current and historical course offerings in our Student Information System (SIS) . Click on "Search for Classes by Semester" and enter "ENCW" into the "Subject" box. Undergraduate classes are 5000 and lower.

Q: Can I audit or enroll in one of your graduate-level workshops?

A: Yes, but only at the 5000 level. Our ENCW 7310 and 7610 courses are reserved for our current MFAs only, and we do not currently allow others to audit or take the courses. You can, however, enroll in some of the same graduate-level literature courses that our MFA students attend.

Q: But what if I’ve tried all this (or most of it) and can’t get into any of your classes?

A: Remember that Charlottesville is blessed with a vibrant creative writing community. UVA is not your only option.  Piedmont Community College  offers wonderful courses, some of which may be transferrable to a UVA degree. The UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies ( http://www.scps.virginia.edu/ ) offers shorter-duration fiction/poetry/nonfiction writing courses in the evenings. And local organizations like  WriterHouse  also offer excellent programs.

Q: Can I sit in on a workshop course to see what it is like?

A: In general, no. Workshops require a level of intimacy and trust that is disrupted by visitors, however quiet or well-intended they might be.

Q: Will taking undergraduate creative writing at UVA help me get into your MFA Program?

A: Probably not. By the time an undergraduate takes our upper-level creative writing courses, they are working with the same faculty who teach in our MFA Program. We generally believe these students are better served by experiencing teachers and writers beyond our university rather than continuing their studies in Charlottesville.

Q: I want to go to the Young Writers Workshop. Is that you?

A: No, the  Young Writers Workshop  is a wonderful program for high schoolers run out of UVA's Curry School. Several of our MFA students and APLP/APPW graduates have worked there, but we are unaffiliated.

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Search Rochester.edu

Undergraduate Program

Creative writing.

The Department of English offers a track in creative writing for students who want to explore the art of writing and refine their skills in critical reading.

Students work intensively on their own imaginative writing (fiction, poetry, and playwriting) in conjunction with the study of literature. Students wishing to pursue a concentration in creative writing must apply to the  creative writing advisor  in the department and receive written approval.

Major Requirements

• A minimum of ten, 4-credit courses are required for the major (for a minimum total of 40 credit hours).

• The upper-level writing requirement is fulfilled by completion of the major.

Four courses as follows:

• ENGL 121: Creative Writing: Fiction
• ENGL 122: Creative Writing: Poetry
• ENGL 123: Playwriting
• ENGL 125: Speculative Fiction
• ENGL 275: Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction
• ENGL 276: Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry
• ENGL 277: Screenwriting
• ENGL 375: Seminar in Fiction Writing
• ENGL 376: Seminar in Poetry Writing

Two of the following courses:

• ENGL 112: Classical and Scriptural Backgrounds
• ENGL 113: British Literature I
• ENGL 114: British Literature II
• ENGL 115: American Literature

Four English courses at the 200 or 300 level:

• Two in British or American literature before 1800
• Two in British or American literature after 1800

See the pre- and post-1800 page for a list of courses.

Students accepted into the honors program in English can write original fiction (a collection of stories or a novella), poetry, or a play to fulfill the requirements for the honors essay. Students choosing this option must have the approval of the creative writing advisor .

Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA)

Develop the talent and technique it takes to excel as a creative writer in our BFA program.

About the Undergraduate Creative Writing Major

Words have power. They can catapult people out of their mindsets, throw them out of time, motivate them to rethink beliefs, and move them to introspection and tears. At Emerson College, writers have the opportunity to examine the power of the written word and experiment with offbeat ideas, novel approaches, and timeless topics. 

Our undergraduate Creative Writing BFA program is designed for the imaginative, the curious, and the poetic. Housed in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing in the School of the Arts , the program’s faculty challenge you to sharpen your writing skills and find your own voice, ensuring that you leave Emerson as a formidable communicator—and also a unique one. Our writing courses give you a deep understanding of how writing as an art form has developed over time and across cultures, leaving you well-positioned to succeed in creative writing—a life of provoking and persuading, entertaining and educating, imagining and inspiring.

I enjoy the Creative Writing program because I am able to focus on specific genres….I am able to explore different forms of writing to solidify what I am interested in and what I am not interested in. I have learned a lot from my professors, who are all experienced writers—they are very helpful.

Real-World Experience as a Writer

Creative Writing majors have ample opportunity to gain real-world learning experience. Here are a few examples:

• Students can write or work for a number of student literary journals and magazines, including Redivider, em Magazine, The Emerson Review, Concrete Literary Magazine, and Your Magazine.
• Emerson hosts a Pitch Slam event during which students give a one-minute pitch to a board of local and national editors for the opportunity to have their writing published. 
• Beyond campus, students have access to coveted internships through our alumni network, which includes New York Times –bestselling authors, editors, and publishing professionals. Recent internship sites include: Boston magazine, Reader’s Digest , and Yale University Press.
• Through a partnership with Penguin Random House, students are mentored during a semester-long program.

Careers for Creative Writing Majors

Our Creative Writing graduates have gone on to become prominent authors, screenwriters, and critics. Examples of careers include:

• Acquisitions Editor
• Book Reviewer
• Social Media Specialist
• Writing Instructor

Notable Writing, Literature and Publishing Alumni

• Lara Egger, Author, H ow to Love Everyone and Almost Get Away with It
• Alex Garner, Assistant Editor, Museum of Modern Art
• Jaweed Kaleem, National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times
• Kira Salak, Travel Writer and Contributing Editor, National Geographic

Meet Our Faculty

Ready to pursue your daring ideas.

• Learn More about the Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA) Program
• Apply to the Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA) Program

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View our Creative Writing program in action

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What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

List of All U.S. Colleges with a Creative Writing Major

Writing has been my passion practically since I learned to read in kindergarten. I would write stories about princesses and my family dog, Gansett. When it came time to look at colleges, I was set on attending one with a strong creative writing program. Ultimately, I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars.

Today, colleges across the country offer creative writing as a major. Because writing skills are essential for a wide range of careers, and because most curricula emphasize broad liberal arts competencies, a degree in creative writing can set you up for success in numerous fields, whether you want to be an editor or a lawyer.

Interested in majoring in creative writing? Learn which schools offer the major and what to look for in a program.

Overview of the Creative Writing Major

Creative writing is about more than spinning tales. For your major, you’ll generally need to pursue a curriculum grounded in literature, history, foreign language, and other humanities courses, along with distribution courses, if the college requires them.

Most creative writing majors must participate in workshops, in which students present their work and listen to peer critiques, usually with a certain number of advanced courses in the mix. In some cases, colleges will ask you to specialize in a particular genre, such as fiction, poetry, or playwriting. 

To succeed in creative writing, you’ll need to have a tough spine, in order to open yourself up to feedback from your classmates and instructors. You may need to give readings in public — if not as an undergraduate, certainly during your career. Of course, a passion for creating is essential, too, as is a willingness to revise your work and learn from the greats and your peers.

A creative writing major opens up doors to many careers, including journalism, content marketing, copywriting, teaching, and others. Even careers that don’t center around writing often have a strong writing component: you’ll need to write reports, deliver presentations, and so on.

Some writers go on to earn an MFA, which will help you hone your craft. It’s also often a prerequisite for teaching creative writing at the college level.

What to Look for in a College as a Creative Writing Major

Published authors on faculty.

Many world-renowned authors have another claim to fame: professorships. Writers who have taught their craft include (among many others):

• Maya Angelou (Wake Forest University)
• Colson Whitehead (many colleges, including Vassar College and Columbia University)
• Stephen Dixon (Johns Hopkins University)
• Viet Thanh Nguyen (University of Southern California)
• Eula Biss (Northwestern University)
• Toni Morrison (Princeton University)

Be aware that as an undergraduate, you may not be able to learn from the greats. That’s why it’s important to look into which courses these faculty teach before you have dreams of being mentored by Salman Rushdie — who is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU.

Genres Offered

While many schools that have creative writing majors offer fiction and poetry courses and tracks, there are some niche genres that could be more difficult to find. If you’re interested in playwriting, for example, you won’t find that at every school. Before you decide on a program, be sure it includes the genres you’d like to explore further, whether that’s flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or something else.

Workshopping Opportunities

The core of most quality creative writing curriculum is workshopping. This means sharing your work in your classes and listening to your peers discuss and critique it. While this may sound intimidating, it can do a lot to help you hone your work and become a better writer. Look for colleges that make this the bedrock of their curriculum.

Showcasing Opportunities

Are there opportunities to present your work, such as college-sponsored readings where undergraduates can participate? Or, perhaps the school has a great literary journal. At my school, students could submit their plays and have them performed by fellow students. 

List of All U.S. Colleges With a Creative Writing Major

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

No matter what major you’re considering, the first step is ensuring you’re academically comparable to students who were previously accepted to the college or university. Most selective schools use the Academic Index to filter out applicants who aren’t up to their standards.

You’ll also want to demonstrate your fit with the school and specific major with the qualitative components of your application, like your extracurriculars and essays. For a prospective creative writing major, the essay is particularly important because this is a way to demonstrate your writing prowess. Activities might include editing your school’s newspaper or literary journal, publishing your work, and participating in pre-college writing workshops.

Want to know your chances of being accepted to top creative writing schools? Try our Chancing Engine (it’s free). Unlike other calculators, it takes your individual profile into account, including academic stats and qualitative components like your activities. Give it a try and get a jumpstart on your journey as a creative writing major!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Creative Writing

The Department of English offers creative writing instruction in multiple formats and offers several degrees and qualifications.

Undergraduate

At the undergraduate level, students who are enrolled in a B.A. program at UT Austin can pursue the Creative Writing Certificate .

For graduate students, there are two degree options in creative writing:

• the New Writers Project MFA in Fiction and Poetry , and
• the Michener Center MFA in Writing .

We invite you to visit the center's pages for information on their programs.

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Alert Received: . For more information, visit: https://www.redlands.edu/alert/

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Creative Writing

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The University of Redlands offers one of the first undergraduate majors in creative writing and is nationally recognized for the quality of its graduates. The program of study is unusually intensive, resembling a Master of Fine Arts curriculum rather than a typical undergraduate program because of the structure and demanding nature of the major, the high profile of our faculty and the classroom practices we employ.

We have spent the last several years evaluating and strengthening our program to incorporate a reorganized Visiting Writers Series that brings nationally-recognized artists to campus and to organize a structure for our revitalized literary journal, the Redlands Review. We have adjusted our curriculum to make these activities an integral part of our curriculum, and strengthened our graduation requirements to give students more grounding in literature as well as workshop practice.

We meet or exceed all the standards detailed by the Associated Writing programs guidelines for undergraduate creative writing programs and our graduates have distinguished themselves in several fields after leaving Redlands.

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English with Creative Writing BA (Hons)

Undergraduate degree

Discover what it's like to study the BA (hons) English degree at City, University of London.

Key information

This programme allows you to take a range of innovative creative writing modules – including screenwriting and writing for gaming - to complement the study of English writing throughout the world. You will graduate with a wide range of creative and applied professional skills.

• 3 years full-time
• 4 years with placement or study abroad year

Institution

City, University of London

Northampton Square

Entry requirements

Below is a list of countries with information on each about which qualifications we accept. If your country is not listed please email [email protected] .

Contextual offers

We apply a contextual admissions process for UK undergraduate applicants who have been in care, attend a low performing school, live in an area where few students go to university, or are the first generation of their family to enter Higher Education.

Those who are eligible may receive a conditional offer with reduced entry requirements, typically up to two grades lower for A-levels and one grade (or eight tariff points) for BTEC or mixed qualifications.

Mixed qualifications

Typically the only scenario where we make conditional offers expressed as UCAS tariff points is when an applicant presents mixed qualifications, most typically a combination of A Levels and a BTEC qualification.

In this instance, we may make a tariff point offer to present the applicant with more flexibility on equivalencies. In this case, please be aware that we may still ask for a specific score across certain qualifications and subjects. E.g. 'This offer is conditional on you achieving 128 tariff points. This must include A Level Mathematics at grade B.'

Subject exclusions

We do not accept General Studies and Critical Thinking. These subjects will not be included in any conditional offer we make.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

We welcome applications from students who are completing relevant EPQ Projects. Whilst we recognise the value of these projects in preparing students for independent learning at university, the EPQ is unlikely to form part of any conditional offer we make.

The EPQ will also not lower the specifics of any conditional offer we choose to make. We will consider the EPQ as part of the holistic assessment of the application and it could be used to form part of our final decision at Confirmation stage.

We recognise that there will be differences of opportunity varying by school and college. As not all students will have the opportunity to sit AS Level exams, it is unlikely we will include AS Level grades in any offer we choose to make. Where students have completed an AS Level subject, we will consider this as part of the holistic assessment of the application and it could be used to form part of our final decision at Confirmation stage.

University preparation programmes

If you do not qualify for direct entry, you may wish to take a foundation programme first. These programmes are designed to prepare students for entry to City's undergraduate courses.

Access to Higher Education

We welcome Access course applications from 'mature' students. These applicants will be considered on the basis of their own merits. Please be aware that Access students are often asked for further information to supplement their application, this is normally in the form of a questionnaire.

A typical offer for an Access applicant would be:

• Access to HE course with 60 credits overall to include 45 credits at Level 3 with 24 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 21 Level 3 credits at Merit.
• The Access qualification should be supplemented by at least a grade 6 (B) in Mathematics and grade 4 (C) in English Language at GCSE.

The Zimbabwe GCE A Level is considered on a grade for grade basis with GCE A Levels.

Visa requirements

International Students coming to study in the UK may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:

• Students on courses of more than six months
• Students on courses of less than six months

For more information see our main Visa page .

The School Certificate / General Certificate of Education.

Students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Tot Nghiep Pho Thong Trung Hoc (Upper Secondary School Graduation Certificate) students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Uzbekistan Certificate of Secondary Education.

Certificate of Complete General Secondary Education.

Advanced Certificate in Education (UACE) is considered on a grade for grade basis with GCE A Levels.

Advanced Placements.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the US equivalent required.

The equivalents provided are intended as a guide only and individual applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The following A-level equivalences to Advanced Placements will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = Advanced Placements 555
• A-level AAB = Advanced Placements 554
• A-level ABB = Advanced Placements 544
• A-level BBB = Advanced Placements 444
• A-level BBC = Advanced Placements 443
• A-level BCC = Advanced Placements 433.

Thanawaya (General Secondary Education Certificate Examination)- students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Secondary certificate.

Mathayom Suksa 6 (Senior High School Leaving Certificate) students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE)

Senior High School Leaving Certificate students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Junior College Diploma

The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Switzerland

Federal Maturity Certificate/Maturitatzeugnis/Cantonal Maturity Certificate. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

International Students from within the European Economic Area (EEA) may need to apply for a Student visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study if they do not have EU Settlement Status.

• Students on courses of less than six months.

Avgångsbetyg / Slutbetyg från Gymnasieskola. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level).

Considered equivalent to UK A-levels on a like for like basis.

Título de Bachillerato (LOGSE)

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Polish equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Título de Bachillerato (LOGSE) will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = 8
• A-level AAB = 7.8
• A-level ABB = 7.6
• A-level BBB = 7.4
• A-level BBC = 7.2
• A-level BCC = 7.

Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

South Korea

Korean High School Diploma students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

South Africa

The National Senior Certificate will be accepted for direct entry to certain undergraduate courses normally

Maturitetno spričevalo (Matura Certificate). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške (Secondary School Leaving Certificate). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-levels considered equivalent to UK A-levels on a like-for-like basis.

Polytechnic Diploma students considered for year 1 or year 2 entry on a case-by-case basis depending on subjects taken and CGPA.

Please contact Admissions to confirm your eligibility and the requirements for your course of interest.

Secondary School Leaving Diploma/Matura. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Saudi Arabia

Thanawaya (General Secondary Education Certificate) - students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

The Rwanda Advanced Certificate of Education (A-level)

The Attestat o Srednam Obrazov

Diplomă de Bacalaureat. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Diploma/Certificado Nível Secundário de Educação. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the rquirements for your course of interest.

Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura.

The following A-level equivalences to Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 80% average from 3 extended subjects
• A-level AAB = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 78% average from 3 extended subjects
• A-level ABB = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 76% average from 3 extended subjects
• A-level BBB = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 74% average from 3 extended subjects
• A-level BBC = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 72% average from 3 extended subjects
• A-level BCC = Swiadectwo Dojrzałości / Matura 70% average from 3 extended subjects.

Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC).

Thanawaya (General Education Diploma) - students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole (VVO). The exact requirements MAY differ between courses.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Norwegian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Vitnemal will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = 5
• A-level AAB = 4.5
• A-level ABB = 4.5
• A-level BBB = 4
• A-level BBC = 4
• A-level BCC = 3.5

Senior School Certificate/West African Senior School Certificate

Netherlands

Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

The Moroccan Diplôme du Baccalauréat/Attestation du Baccalauréat

Titulo Académico de Bachiller / Diploma de Bachiller / Bachillerato General - students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

The CIE A Level sat in Mauritius is considered on a grade for grade basis with GCE A Levels sat in the UK.

Advanced Matriculation and Matriculation Certificate Examination are comparable to A Levels with the same grading system as UK A levels.

STPM / UEC.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Malaysian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to STPM will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = STPM AAA
• A-level AAB = STPM AAB
• A-level ABB = STPM ABB
• A-level BBB = STPM BBB
• A-level BBC = STPM BBC
• A-level BCC = STPM BCC.

The following A-level equivalences to UEC will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = UEC AAAAAA
• A-level AAB = UEC AAAABB
• A-level ABB = UEC AABBBB
• A-level BBB = UEC BBBBBB
• A-level BBC = UEC BBBBCC
• A-level BCC = UEC BBCCCC.

Diplôme de Fin d'Etudes Secondaires. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Brandos Atestatas (Certificate of Maturity). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Lebanese Baccalaureate - students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Atestats par visparejo videjo izglitibu (Certificate of General Secondary Education). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)

Certificate of Completed Secondary Education.

Thanawaya (Certificate of General Secondary Education) - students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho (Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate) students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Senmonshi (vocational degree), Jun-Gakushi (associate degree) and Tanki Daigaku Shuryo Shoshois (Junior College Certificate of Graduation) considered for direct entry on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Diploma di Esame di Stato.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Italian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Diploma di Esame di Stato will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = Diploma di Esame di Stato 85%
• A-level AAB = Diploma di Esame di Stato 84%
• A-level ABB = Diploma di Esame di Stato 80%
• A-level BBB = Diploma di Esame di Stato 78%
• A-level BBC = Diploma di Esame di Stato 76%
• A-level BCC = Diploma di Esame di Stato 74%.

Irish Leaving Certificate. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Surat Tanda Tamat Belajar Sekolah Menengah Umum Tingkat Atas (Senior Secondary School Certificate of Completion) students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Diploma III & IV students considered for year 1 entry on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Indian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to HSC XII will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 80%
• A-level AAB = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 78%
• A-level ABB = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 76%
• A-level BBB = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 74%
• A-level BBC = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 72%
• A-level BCC = CBSE & ICSE Exam Board HSC XII 70%

Stúdentspróf. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Érettségi. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Hong Kong equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to HKDSE will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = HKSDE 555 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese)
• A-level AAB = HKSDE 555 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese)
• A-level ABB = HKSDE 554 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese)
• A-level BBB = HKSDE 554 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese)
• A-level BBC = HKSDE 544 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese)
• A-level BCC = HKSDE 544 (excluding Liberal Studies and Chinese).

Greek Apolytirion. Please note that exact requirements may differ between courses.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Greek equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Greek Apolytirion will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = 18/20 plus; 18/20 in two PanHellenics
• A-level AAB = 18/20 plus; 17/20 in two PanHellenics

German Abitur.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the German equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Abitur will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = Abitur 1.8
• A-level AAB = Abitur 2.0
• A-level ABB = Abitur 2.2
• A-level BBB = Abitur 2.4
• A-level BBC = Abitur 2.6
• A-level BCC = Abitur 2.8.

French Baccalaureate.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the French equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to French Baccalaureate will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = French Baccalaureate 15/20
• A-level AAB = French Baccalaureate 14/20
• A-level ABB = French Baccalaureate 13/20
• A-level BBB = French Baccalaureate 12.5/20
• A-level BBC = French Baccalaureate 12/20
• A-level BCC = French Baccalaureate 11.5/20.

Gümnaasiumi loputunnistus with the Riigieksamitunnistus (Secondary School Leaving Certificate with the State Examination Certificate).

Certificate of Nile International Secondary Education

Hojere Forberedelseseksamen (HF). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Czech Republic

Vysvědčení o maturitní zkoušce / Maturita (Secondary School Leaving Certificate). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses.

Apolytirion. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

The following A-level equivalences to Apolytirion will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = 19 (91 – 95)
• A-level AAB = 18.5 (88 – 90)
• A-level ABB = 18 (86 – 90)
• A-level BBB = 18 (86 – 90)
• A-level BBC = 17.5 (83 – 85).

Maturalna svjedodzba (Matura Certificate). The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Bachiller Académico/Technico

Senior High School Certificate students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course.

Gaokao students with exceptional grades considered for direct entry on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Grade 12 high school graduation certificate / diploma. Please note that exact requirements may differ between provinces.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Canadian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Canadian year 12 Diplomas will typically be applied:

• A-level AAA = 85% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects
• A-level AAB = 80% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects
• A-level ABB = 77% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects
• A-level BBB = 75% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects
• A-level BBC = 72% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects
• A-level BCC = 70% average across 5 best Grade 12 subjects.

The Cameroonian GGCE is normally considered like for like with UK A levels.

Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie.

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for this course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Bulgarian equivalent required.

The following A-level equivalences to Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie will typically be applied:

• A-level ABB = Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie 5.3 average and 5 in state exams
• A-level BBB = Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie 5.0 average and 4 in state exams
• A-level BBC = Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie 4.5 average and 4 in state exams
• A-level BCC = Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie 4.0 average and 4 in state exams
• A-level CCC = Diploma Za Sredno Obrazovanie 4.0 average and 4 in state exams.

Brunei-Cambridge GCE A-levels considered equivalent to UK A-levels on a like for like basis.

• Certificado de Conclusao de Ensino Médio
• Certificado de Conclusao de Segundo Grau

Botswana National qualifications

Diploma van Secundair Onderwijs/Certificat d'Enseignement Secondaire Supérieur.

General Secondary Education Certificate.

Reifeprufungszeugnis/Maturazeugnis. The exact requirements from the above qualification differ between courses. Please contact Admissions to confirm the requirements for your course of interest.

Titulo de Bachiller.

The Baccalaureat de l'Enseignement Secondaire

Diplome e Matures Shteterore (Diploma of State Matura). Students must successfully complete a recognised foundation course. Alternatively, IB, A Levels, or other European system will be considered.

If you are unable to find your country equivalents in the above list, City will consider other international qualifications on a case by case basis.

Please contact the Admissions team for more details.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:

English language programmes

Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Why choose this course?

in London for student satisfaction in English studies three years in a row (NSS Survey 2022-2024)

Study in the heart of London, a global hub of literary creativity.

Explore your artistic side and learn how to write fiction and creative non-fiction, and for films, television and games.

• Course overview

Teaching and assessment

Fees and funding, how to apply, english with creative writing ba (hons) degree course overview.

This course is subject to approval for 2025 entry.

This programme builds on our international reputation in creative writing, media and the creative industries.

Your first year is shared with BA English. Throughout your degree you will study the written word across time and space, from Shakespeare to popular music, comic books to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

By the end of your studies, you will be able to communicate in different professional and critical forms, using the written and spoken word.

You will also develop a set of specialised and applied skills in contemporary forms of creative writing, from short stories and literary journalism to screenplays and game dialogue. You’ll graduate with a compelling portfolio of sample writings.

• Immerse yourself in world literature and study in Central London, which has inspired so many iconic stories.
• Learn how to write in a range of genres and voices, including screenplays, poetry, short stories, narrative non-fiction and gaming narrative.
• Develop applied creative skills in communication, persuasion, individuality, writing for different audiences, and awareness of different creative industry markets.
• Learn from a team of expert lecturers who are passionate about creativity and the written word.

Course content

Develop your own creative and professional skills while immersing yourself in the study of English in this three year-degree.

Year 1: Develop a thorough grounding in reading, writing, academic and creative skills. Encounter a range of texts from around the world, explore how creative writing represents issues like social justice, and develop your own skills in storytelling.

Year2: Take core modules in creative short fiction and screenplay writing. Deepen your understanding of writing in English by choosing from a range of modules focusing on global and English literature, publishing, writing for media and communications, and advertising.

Year 3: Take core modules in writing for gaming and long-form journalism. Choose from a range of options including contemporary approaches to writing in English, media, marketing and publishing. Cap your degree with an optional creative writing project.

Study abroad

As an Undergraduate student you can undertake a period of study abroad whilst completing the programme.

This is possible through the Exchange Programme, a year of study at one of our European and/or international partner universities via a sandwich year, which is undertaken between completing Programme Stage 2 and entering Programme Stage 3, extending the degree to four years.

The resulting degree title awarded would be: BA English with Study Abroad.

We have strong links with Universities such as:

• Curtin University
• University of Queensland
• Queensland University of Technology.

North America

• University of British Columbia
• Concordia University
• Northeastern University
• Toronto Metropolitan University.
• Koç University.

Your modules will be delivered using a combination of:

• Practical workshops
• Interactive sessions
• Small seminars
• Personal tutorials

Lectures will provide you with commentary and explanation of key content areas. Most modules also offer small seminars and workshops, where you can develop your understanding of key texts and ideas through discussion and debate as well as hone your practical and professional skills. This versatility of approach will not only facilitate discussion but allow you to generate your own content, with different readerships, forms and functions in mind.

Assessment methods

Your programme will be assessed via a range of coursework and practical assignments, which may include:

• Professional, reflective, and creative assignments and portfolios
• Group assignments, including projects, performances, and presentations
• Live showcase events.

Fees for year 2025/26

To be confirmed

International

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2025/26 academic year only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase in the region of 5%.

Funding options

Explore up-to-date information about funding options, available financial support and typical living costs .

• Fee waivers are available for this course.
• Means tested support is available for 2025/26 entry.

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees.  Find out more about additional expenses .

You will graduate with a unique blend of intellectual and creative skills.

Our employability-focused curriculum strongly emphasises the practical application of your skills in a professional context. You’ll have the opportunity to take a work placement module or year, apply for a year’s study abroad, or undertake shorter and intensive work placements.

Delivered through world-class teaching dedicated to enhancing your job prospects, this course prepares you for a range of possible career options, including:

• creative writing
• writing for film, television and other media including games
• advertising and marketing
• library and archival professions
• civil service.

More information on the Careers support available at City is available on our website.

Placement opportunities

As an English student at City, you will have the opportunity to take a second-year elective module, ‘Work Placement’. You may also apply to take a sandwich year between years two and three of your degree. Our careers team will help you secure a placement in the areas that meet your future ambitions.

Previous students have taken their placements in a wide range of sectors, including:

• Publishing (Penguin)
• Teaching Assistant (Secondary)
• Marketing (Intern at 11 Investors recruitment group)
• Theatre work (Chickenshed)
• Charity work (Oxfam books).

Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

You can apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the  UCAS website .

You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60 .

Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.

UCAS has implemented an 'invisibility of choices' policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.

You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £27.50 application fee.

For enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office

Complete the Admissions enquiry form .

Call: +44 (0)20 7040 8716.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2025 should arrive at UCAS between September 2024 and 31 January 2025. Applications that arrive after 31 January 2025 will be considered only at City's discretion.

Contacting UCAS

Website: www.ucas.com

Address: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ

• from inside the UK 0871 468 0468
• from outside the UK +44 (0)871 468 0468

For callers with hearing difficulties:

• from inside the UK use the Text Relay service on 18001 0871 468 0468
• from outside the UK dial +44 151 494 1260 (text phone) and then ask the operator to dial 0871 468 0468.

Our students

BA (Hons) English student Ruth’s insights

Ask a student

Want to find out more about student life? Chat with our student ambassadors and ask any question you have

Your studies are supported by a team of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field. On occasion we also work with external professionals to enhance your learning and appreciation of the wider subject.

Dr Hetta Howes

Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Literature

• Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries

Dr Minna Vuohelainen

Dr Sarah Jilani

Lecturer in English

What's happening

Nov  06

Postgraduate Open Evening

Join us at our Postgraduate Open Evening to learn more about our postgraduate courses and discover all the benefits of studying at City, University of London.

Wednesday, 6 th November 2024 , 17:00 – 19:00

Location: Northampton Square

Audience: Prospective students

Wednesday, 10 th January 2024

Stories shape our world as concretely as infrastructure

Dr Dominic Davies publishes new book The Broken Promise of Infrastructure, which investigates the cultural politics of infrastructure in Britain.

Friday, 10 th March 2023

‘Working with Words’ opens up career possibilities for English students

Careers-focused module boosts BA English students’ employability at City.

Related courses

Journalism ba (hons).

Train for a career in journalism with this hands on degree. Develop the skills you need to become a print, broadcast or online journalist, alongside research and critical thinking skills.

Award: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Duration: 3 years (4 years with placement or study abroad year)

History BA (Hons)

Our fascinating three-year History BA Hons degree invites you to explore the events, force and ideas that have shaped modern and international history.

Useful links

• School of Communication & Creativity
• Creative writing and publishing at City, University of London
• English at City, University of London

Contact details

Undergraduate enquiries.

+44 (0)20 7040 8716

Admissions enquiries

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Stanford Sparks Literary Backlash by Phasing Out Creative Writing Lecturers’ Jobs

Please try again

Sarah Frisch starts each of her creative writing courses at Stanford University by letting her students know the classroom is a working community.

Stanford can be a difficult, high-pressure space, and Frisch said creative writing courses can be a respite.

“Students read this incredible literature, and they meet people they ordinarily just read about,” Frisch said. “But I think the part that’s really powerful is to see that writers are ordinary people. Writers write within friendships, and they get plugged into that community.”

Now, Frisch and other lecturers worry that the job security and lecturer longevity that make those relationships possible will disappear. During a video meeting last week, Frisch and her colleagues learned the Stanford Creative Writing Program’s nearly two dozen lecturers would lose their current positions over the next two years.

Instead, a faculty working group recommended the program’s lectureships consist of one-year appointments with the possibility of renewal for a limited period of up to five years.

Many of the current lecturers have taught at the university for more than a decade.

“I feel like our students were betrayed,” said Frisch, who has been a Stanford lecturer since 2009. “The whole program is going to be based on temporary labor, and that is a sea change from the program that we have. And that means that the program we have no longer exists.”

Transitioning to short-term futures

In a statement posted on the university’s website on Wednesday, the School of Humanities and Sciences and Creative Writing Program leadership defended the changes, arguing that the lectureship program, known as Jones lectureships, was originally intended for limited-term appointments.

“We plan for there to be as many lecturers in the Program in five years as there are today, and we expect to offer more classes then than now,” the statement reads. “The university, school, and numerous generous donors are committed to not only the excellence of the program but also its growth.”

Colleagues credit the Creative Writing Program’s success and popularity to support for lecturers from the late Eavan Boland, a distinguished poet and former director of the program. Boland, who died in 2020, encouraged lecturers to develop their own ambitious classes and foster deep mentoring relationships with undergraduates.

“She empowered lecturers not only to have job longevity but to use that time to innovate in the classroom,” said Nina Schloesser Tárano, who has been teaching in the Creative Writing Program since 2012.

“This is being treated as a luxury — my ability to be there for the entirety of somebody’s career as an undergraduate. But it’s my job, and it should be,” Schloesser Tárano said.

Students, alums and writers sound off

The changes to Stanford’s Creative Writing Program quickly generated widespread outrage online. In a Medium post , lecturer Tom Kealey noted that the changes come a year after lecturers, who made around $52,000, asked for a pay increase.

Writer Joyce Carol Oates wrote on X , “I am puzzled most by the lack of simple collegiality & generosity at one of the most wealthy universities in the world. Stanford’s endowment could support an entire nation.”

Kyle Wang, who graduated from Stanford in 2023 with a master’s in the modern thought and literature program, started a petition calling on the university to change course and reinstate the lecturers whose contracts will be phased out.

Wang said the lecturers in the Creative Writing Program changed his life.

When Wang first came to Stanford, he was unsure what to study. He had grown up in Silicon Valley, “where everyone and their mother” worked in tech or tech-adjacent fields. He took computer science class after computer science class. Then, in January 2019, he took his first creative writing class.

“A couple of weeks later, I think I knew deep down that I was going to be studying English,” Wang said. “Every single class that I’ve taken with a Jones lecturer has, in some new way, shape, or form, not only pushed me as a writer and thinker — it showed me a different way of imagining that a life in writing and a life in the arts could be possible.”

He worries for future generations of students who may not be able to build those same life-changing relationships with lecturers and about the institutional knowledge that could be lost.

Sarah Frisch is not sure what’s next when her lectureship ends. Classes start again next month, and she said in the meantime, she will focus on her students.

“I just want them to know those of us who are in this crappy position see and hear them,” Frisch said. “We’re willing to fight for their experience and their futures.”

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Creative Writing Graduate Programs

About the Program and Placement Record

• Faculty Research Areas
• Teaching Assistantships

Creative Writing M.A.

• Admission Requirements
• Degree and Graduation Requirements
• Master's Essay
• Master's Thesis

Creative Writing Ph.D.

• Doctoral Dissertation
• Foreign Language Requirement
• Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

One of the first universities in the country to offer a Ph.D. in Creative Writing, Ohio University continues as home to a thriving, widely respected graduate program with concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Small by design, our graduate program offers a comprehensive curriculum, an award-winning faculty and the intimacy of small classes.

Placement Record

Over the past three years, seven of our nine graduating creative writing Ph.D. students have landed tenure-track jobs, post-doctorates, or prestigious visiting writer posts. Our MA graduates go on to study in the top MFA and Ph.D. programs.

• English M.A. Placements
• English Ph.D. Placements

Students in the Creative Writing M.A. and Ph.D. programs enjoy:

• Graduate stipends, up to $15,000 per year, with opportunities to teach a wide range of courses, including creative writing workshops
• Generous graduate student travel funding
• Editorial fellowships on New Ohio Review , Quarter after Eight , and Brevity
• Opportunities to interact with distinguished visiting writers

M.A. candidates complete two years of study and write a thesis of creative work in their genre. Doctoral candidates complete five years of study, comprehensive exams, a major critical essay, and a creative dissertation.

Literary Journals

The department and its students publish three literary journals:

• New Ohio Review , a national literary journal
• Quarter After Eight , a prose journal edited by graduate students
• Sphere , an undergraduate journal

Annual Events

The department hosts several annual events including an ambitious Spring Literary Festival that brings five nationally distinguished writers to campus for three-days of readings, craft talks, and student discussion. Recent visitors have included Tony Hoagland, Kathryn Harrison, Barry Lopez, Francine Prose, Peter Ho Davies, Kim Addonizio, David Shields, Robert Hass, Charles Simic, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Marilynne Robinson.

Visiting writers engage with our program year-round as well, appearing in both undergraduate and graduate classes, meeting one-on-one with select students, and offering evening readings in the intimate Galbreath Chapel.

In addition to a regular Dogwood Bloom reading series for our graduate students, the creative writing program hosts an annual Writers' Harvest benefit reading for the Southeastern Ohio Food Bank?s Second Harvest, a food distribution program serving Athens, Hocking, Perry, Vinton, Jackson, Gallia, Meigs, Morgan and Washington counties.

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Admission Steps

English and literary arts - creative writing - phd, admission requirements.

Terms and Deadlines

Degree and GPA Requirements

Additional Standards for Non-Native English Speakers

Additional standards for international applicants.

For the 2025-2026 academic year

See 2024-2025 requirements instead

Fall 2025 quarter (beginning in September)

Final submission deadline: December 16, 2024

Final submission deadline: Applicants cannot submit applications after the final submission deadline.

Degrees and GPA Requirements

Bachelors degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.

Masters degree: This program requires a masters degree as well as the baccalaureate.

University GPA requirement: The minimum grade point average for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver must meet one of the following criteria:

A cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the baccalaureate degree.

A cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree.

An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution or the recognized equivalent from an international institution supersedes the minimum GPA requirement for the baccalaureate.

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework completed for applicants who have not earned a master’s degree or higher.

Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), C1 Advanced or Duolingo English Test are required of all graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, whose native language is not English or who have been educated in countries where English is not the native language. Your TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test scores are valid for two years from the test date.

The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:

Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 80

Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5

Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 176

Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 115

Additional Information:

Read the English Language Proficiency policy for more details.

Read the Required Tests for GTA Eligibility policy for more details.

Per Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulation, international applicants must meet all standards for admission before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued, [per U.S. Federal Register: 8 CFR § 214.3(k)] or is academically eligible for admission and is admitted [per 22 C.F.R. §62]. Read the Additional Standards For International Applicants policy for more details.

Application Materials

Transcripts, letters of recommendation.

Required Essays and Statements

Writing Sample

We require a scanned copy of your transcripts from every college or university you have attended. Scanned copies must be clearly legible and sized to print on standard 8½-by-11-inch paper. Transcripts that do not show degrees awarded must also be accompanied by a scanned copy of the diploma or degree certificate. If your academic transcripts were issued in a language other than English, both the original documents and certified English translations are required.

Transcripts and proof of degree documents for postsecondary degrees earned from institutions outside of the United States will be released to a third-party international credential evaluator to assess U.S. education system equivalencies. Beginning July 2023, a non-refundable fee for this service will be required before the application is processed.

Upon admission to the University of Denver, official transcripts will be required from each institution attended.

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required.  Academic recommendations preferred.  Letters should be submitted by recommenders through the online application.

Essays and Statements

Essay instructions.

Applicants should submit a sample of critical prose (e.g., a seminar paper, scholarly publication, or excerpt from thesis or other longer work demonstrating familiarity with the conventions of academic research and writing) not to exceed 20 pages.

Personal Statement Instructions

Personal statements should be 2 pages maximum and should address the applicant's past academic experience, future scholarly goals, and their suitability for graduate study and research in our program.

Résumé Instructions

The résumé (or C.V.) should minimally include the applicant's educational history, work experience, academic experience (including research opportunities or presentations), selected publications, and/or volunteer work.

Writing Sample Instructions

Applicants must submit representative samples of creative work (for Prose, no more than 30 pages; for Poetry, 5 - 10 poems).

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Financial Aid Information

Start your application.

Your submitted materials will be reviewed once all materials and application fees have been received.

Our program can only consider your application for admission if our Office of Graduate Education has received all your online materials and supplemental materials by our application deadline.

Application Fee: $65.00 Application Fee

International Degree Evaluation Fee: $50.00 Evaluation Fee for degrees (bachelor's or higher) earned from institutions outside the United States.

Applicants should complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15. Visit the Office of Financial Aid for additional information.

• University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
• Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship

• Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and Creative Work

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship (OVPRS) Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and Creative Work was created in 2020 by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the OVPRS at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM).

The award recognizes up to two outstanding mentors each academic year (one from a STEM discipline, and one from a non-STEM discipline) who have: (i) shown dedicated and sustained excellence in mentoring of undergraduate students in their research and creative work endeavors; and (ii) significantly and positively impacted their mentee’s academic and/or professional achievements through research or creative work mentorship.

UROP encourages UHM undergraduate students to submit a Student Nomination Form to nominate UHM mentors across all disciplines on campus who meet the award criteria by 5:00 pm, February 1 of each academic year. By February 15, UROP will invite all eligible nominated UHM mentors to submit a Mentor Application Form with a deadline of 5:00 pm, March 1 of each academic year. The awards will be conferred at the Mānoa Awards Ceremony, typically held at the end of April each academic year, and each awardee will receive a $500 honorarium.

See here for more detailed information .

Past Awardees

Samir khanal.

Photo: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/president/awards/

Pier-Carlo Tommasi

Craig Nelson

Photo: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/04/25/2023

Wendy Kawabata

Professor of Art Wendy Kawabata is the Associate Chair and undergraduate advisor for the Department of Art & Art History at UH Manoa. She teaches courses in Drawing, Painting, and Color Theory. Her research is influenced by and responds to multiple materials and disciplines, such as feminism, literature, and social justice. She brings this interdisciplinary involvement with her into the classroom. Along with her own experiences she brings a desire to offer each student the appropriate practical and theoretical tools they will need in order to continue their education beyond their time as a member of a learning institution.

One student wrote, “Wendy has high standards that are not beyond the reach of the students. I appreciated the support and challenge. I feel like under her guidance, I have grown as an artist and a person. I am so grateful to Wendy for all she has done this semester.”

Photo: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/04/25/2023-uh-manoa-awards/

Stephanie “Lani” Teves

Lisette Marie Flanary

Megan Porter

Brittany Biggs

Brittany Biggs is an assistant professor of animation with the Academy for Creative Media. Her feature film credits include Trolls, Kung Fu Panda 2, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Turbo. Biggs creates hands-on, practical mentorship projects that help students excel in their academic studies and prepare them for future careers. Her students apply and hone their animation, filmmaking and storytelling skills by creating films and/or researching new applications for animation that are beyond the scope of the curriculum. Their resulting work is critical material for demo reels, portfolios and resumes for graduate school admission and/or professional work. Student works have been recognized in local media, film festivals, the prestigious SIGGRAPH conference and have been used to support research within the UH community. Biggs served as an advisor to nearly 90 students in the animation track. A student shared, “The structure and quality of my work has greatly improved since she began teaching me, and I feel like I am better prepared to join the animation workforce after graduation.”

Pratibha Nerurkar

Pratibha Nerurkar is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. She regards undergraduate research and mentoring as a “high impact practice in higher education” and considers it as one of the most rewarding activities of her teaching career. Her teaching philosophy is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education.” She recognizes that her role as a mentor is not only to transfer knowledge, but to empower students to think logically, scientifically and critically. The foundation of her mentoring principles are built upon trust, mutual respect, compassion and above all her love for teaching. Nerurkar believes that being a perpetual student of life, enables her to become a better teacher. A student wrote, “I desire to be a physician who is able to balance scientific knowledge and emotionality in a way where patients feel heard, just as Dr. Nerurkar is able to do with her students.”

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• Faculty Issues
• Shared Governance

‘Red Wedding’: Storied Stanford Creative Writing Program Laying Off Lecturers

The university says creative writing faculty recommended returning its Jones Lectureships to their “original intent” as short-term teaching appointments for talented writers. A lecturer of 20 years said he thinks there’s a “peasants and lords issue” in the program.

By  Ryan Quinn

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Stanford University is laying off its current Jones Lecturers.

Some Stanford University lecturers are likening it to the “red wedding” in Game of Thrones —a massacre of characters by their supposed allies amid what had been billed as a celebratory feast.

Last Wednesday, a dean, a senior associate dean and a co-director of Stanford’s storied and popular creative writing program held a Zoom meeting with the program’s 23 Jones Lecturers, according to some of those lecturers, who were chosen from the ranks of those who have held the university’s prestigious Stegner Fellowship for writers.

The university leaders complimented the Jones Lecturers over Zoom. “They praised us to the moon,” Tom Kealey, a lecturer for two decades, told Inside Higher Ed . “Endlessly” praised was how Edward Porter, a lecturer of eight years, put it.

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Then, Kealey said, the leaders announced they would all be losing their jobs within the next two academic years. “The worst part is to be praised while you’re being fired,” Porter said. According to notes he took of the meeting, Nicholas Jenkins, the program’s co-director, said something to the effect of “you’re excellent, but others will be excellent in the future.”

There was an added sense of betrayal. The deans—Debra Satz, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, and Gabriella Safran, senior associate dean of humanities and arts—said this wasn’t their decision, according to Kealey. In Medium posts on the ordeal, he wrote that they said it came from “the senior professors of creative writing.”

“These are literally our teaching colleagues of the last five to 15 years,” Kealey wrote. “And they decided in a previous secret meeting to fire all 23 of their junior colleagues.” In another post, he wrote that “it was only the MALE professors who voted to fire us.” ( Inside Higher Ed reached out Tuesday to some of the male creative writing professors on Tuesday, but received no responses.)

In an unsigned announcement last Wednesday on the university’s website, Stanford said it is returning to the “original intent of the Jones Lectureships: one-year appointments with the possibility of renewal for a limited term.” That announcement said the recommendation came from faculty members on a “Working Group of Creative Writing Academic Council faculty,” but it didn’t name them.

Satz, Safran and Jenkins said in an emailed joint statement to Inside Higher Ed that "this change will again allow Stegner Fellows the opportunity to apply to be Jones Lecturers once they have completed their fellowships. Jones Lecturers will have one-year appointments with the possibility of renewal for up to four additional years."

While it’s no longer rare for non-tenure-track faculty members to be laid off by higher education institutions facing budget woes, Stanford is a wealthy institution and creative writing is, by its own admission, a popular program.

“We have a large number of fully enrolled classes, many with significant waitlists and some where the waitlists are longer than the enrollment roster,” Jenkins said in a February 2023 article on the university’s website. He also said, “We’re in a remarkable period of hiring during which we’re fortunate enough to be bringing to campus an extraordinarily talented array of significant artists and teachers.”

But the lecturers say they’re the ones teaching most of the creative writing classes for undergraduates, and that their years of experience improve teaching. Kealey said some lecturers teach five classes a year; others teach four. He wrote on Medium of the senior creative writing professors that “the 10 of them … taught 13 undergraduate classes last year (and 19 overall, less than two classes taught per professor).”

The leaders said during the Zoom meeting the decision wasn’t about money, according to Porter. “It’s maddening to have outstanding enrollment and be phased out anyway,” he said. While the university has said it wants to simply return the Jones Lectureships to the short stints they used to be, Kealey suggests the tenured professors in his department had other motives.

“I think there’s a peasants and lords issue here,” Kealey said.

A Long Time Coming?

In 1946, Wallace Stegner, who would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Angle of Repose , founded Stanford’s creative writing program. The Stegner Fellowships are named in his honor.

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E. H. Jones, who had an oil fortune, funded the fellowships and also established the connected Jones Lectureships, according to the university’s announcement from last week. It said these were meant to be “limited, fixed-year teaching appointments, allowing exceptional Stegner Fellows some time and support to prepare a manuscript for publication, hone their teaching skills and transition to a longer-term teaching career elsewhere.”

But “over time this framework of term-limited appointments was not followed,” the university said. It did not say when that change occurred. It might have had something to do with Eavan Boland.

Boland, an Irish poet, led the creative writing program for 20 years until her sudden death in 2020. “Eavan was just a fierce defender of the program,” Kealey said. He said her death “was a great loss to all of us.”

When Boland joined the program, Kealey said, it had maybe 20 or 25 classes. But Boland wanted every student who so desired to be able to take a creative writing class. Kealey said lecturers went to residence halls in early years to speak with students about the program. Over about 15 years, Kealey said, the program grew to offer about 120 classes.

Porter said Boland “developed a large cadre of about 20 to 25 lecturers.” Even though they were on one-year contracts, Porter said, they kept getting renewed. He said it’s true that Boland did move the lectureships away from their original intent—but that it was beneficial for students, teaching and the program.

“There are a lot of human skills to playing this game, and those don’t come in a year,” Porter said. “We have letters, testimonials from students about how much we’ve meant to them. We’re also very available to them—we talk to them outside of class, there’s a sense of continuing mentorship if they want it.”

Now, Porter said, “there is at least the appearance” of the university creating “artificial scarcity,” suggesting there’s no room for the new, younger Stegner Fellows writers to get a leg up by becoming Jones Lecturers “because these crusty old folks are hogging up all the real estate.” Safran, the senior associate dean, said, per Porter’s meeting notes, that “in some years few or no Stegners were able to advance.”

Kealey said, “There’s no shortage of space for new Stegner Fellows to be hired into the Jones Lectureships, but, I don’t know, the professors wanted to do a scorched earth with this, and that’s what they’ve done.”

The lecturers said they pushed for, and received, raises from the university in September 2023. “Exactly a year later we’re all fired,” so “connect the dots here,” Kealey said. “I think the lords didn’t like that—didn’t like the peasants speaking up.”

Porter talked about “balancing one set of values against the other.” He said the tenured or tenure-track “creative writing faculty doesn’t teach many classes and many of them are not involved—they don’t care about the undergraduates. It’s not their job to care; it’s their job to write books, be famous and raise money, and that’s very necessary.”

And part of the purpose of the Jones Lectureship program is to give new writers a step up. But Porter worries about the other side of the equation being lost. “It’s our job to care about the undergrads,” he said.

Faculty Members Are Burned Out—and Technology Is Partly to Blame

A new report shows instructors feel like they’re always on the clock and that many believe the use of technology, in

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