creative writing schools in new york

Best Creative Writing colleges in New York City 2024

Best creative writing colleges in new york city for 2024.

Columbia University in the City of New York offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 174 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 124 Master's degrees, and 50 Bachelor's degrees.

New York University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 66 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 66 Master's degrees.

CUNY Hunter College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 16 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 16 Master's degrees.

CUNY City College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 31 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 31 Master's degrees.

Yeshiva University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 1 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 1 Bachelor's degree.

The New School offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 94 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 84 Master's degrees, and 10 Bachelor's degrees.

CUNY Graduate School and University Center offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, four-year university in a large city.

Marymount Manhattan College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Bachelor's degrees.

List of all Creative Writing colleges in New York City

2025 Best Colleges with Creative Writing Degrees in the New York City Area

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1-15 of 15 results

Columbia University

• New York, NY ·
• · Rating 3.83 out of 5   1,389 reviews
• grade  A+ Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 4%
• Net price $22,058
• SAT range 1490-1580

#1 Best Colleges in New York City Area. Blue checkmark. 4 Year, NEW YORK, NY. 1389 Niche users give it an average review of 3.8 stars. Featured Review: Graduate Student says As a graduate student at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies majoring in Strategic Communications, my overall experience has been enriching and insightful. The classes are... Read 1389 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Acceptance Rate: 4%, Net Price: $22,058, SAT Range: 1490-1580,

Yeshiva University

• · Rating 3.86 out of 5   297 reviews
• grade  A minus Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 63%
• Net price $35,912
• SAT range 1250-1500

#8 Best Colleges in New York City Area. Blue checkmark. 4 Year, NEW YORK, NY. 297 Niche users give it an average review of 3.9 stars. Featured Review: Sophomore says I highly recommend Yeshiva University for an excellent college experience- I love the classes, have great roommates and love being in the center of Manhattan. There is a diverse student body with... Read 297 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A minus, Acceptance Rate: 63%, Net Price: $35,912, SAT Range: 1250-1500,

Stony Brook University

• Stony Brook, NY ·
• · Rating 3.55 out of 5   2,935 reviews
• Acceptance rate 49%
• Net price $17,213
• SAT range 1320-1500

#10 Best Colleges in New York City Area. Blue checkmark. 4 Year, STONY BROOK, NY. 2935 Niche users give it an average review of 3.6 stars. Featured Review: Junior says I love SBU! Cheaper healthy food options would be appreciated. More options for shuttle routes would also be appreciated, especially in the colder months. The professors are all wonderful and... Read 2935 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A minus, Acceptance Rate: 49%, Net Price: $17,213, SAT Range: 1320-1500,

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

• SHIPPENSBURG, PA
• · Rating 3.57 out of 5   1,120

George Mason University

• FAIRFAX, VA
• · Rating 3.72 out of 5   5,146

Providence College

• PROVIDENCE, RI
• · Rating 3.68 out of 5   880

Seton Hall University

• South Orange, NJ ·
• · Rating 3.74 out of 5   2,223 reviews
• grade  B+ Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 75%
• Net price $33,472
• SAT range 1230-1390

#17 Best Colleges in New York City Area. Blue checkmark. 4 Year, SOUTH ORANGE, NJ. 2223 Niche users give it an average review of 3.7 stars. Featured Review: Freshman says So far Seton Hall has been great. The amount of resources the school has exceeds expectations. The free tutoring is definitely something that I take advantage of and the diverse amounts of food on... Read 2223 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: B+, Acceptance Rate: 75%, Net Price: $33,472, SAT Range: 1230-1390,

CUNY Brooklyn College

• Brooklyn, NY ·
• · Rating 3.68 out of 5   1,311 reviews
• Acceptance rate 55%
• Net price $5,972
• SAT range 1020-1180

#21 Best Colleges in New York City Area. 4 Year, BROOKLYN, NY. 1311 Niche users give it an average review of 3.7 stars. Featured Review: Senior says Brooklyn College stands as a pillar of academic excellence and community empowerment. As an institution steeped in diversity, it fosters an environment where students from all walks of life feel... Read 1311 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: B+, Acceptance Rate: 55%, Net Price: $5,972, SAT Range: 1020-1180,

Pratt Institute

• · Rating 3.56 out of 5   878 reviews
• grade  B Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 51%
• Net price $47,326
• SAT range 1160-1430

#38 Best Colleges in New York City Area. Blue checkmark. 4 Year, BROOKLYN, NY. 878 Niche users give it an average review of 3.6 stars. Featured Review: Junior says Pratt Institute is different from any other college in New York City because it has a campus! Being on campus makes it easier to work, collaborate on projects, and be involved on campus. However,... Read 878 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: B, Acceptance Rate: 51%, Net Price: $47,326, SAT Range: 1160-1430,

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The New School

• · Rating 3.58 out of 5   663 reviews
• grade  B minus Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 57%
• Net price $55,480
• SAT range 1140-1360

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, NEW YORK, NY. 663 Niche users give it an average review of 3.6 stars. Featured Review: Freshman says I received an admission offer to Eugene Lang through Niche! It was literally my saving grace after getting rejected from my top school. Overall, I love it here. There are the obvious cons you hear... Read 663 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: B minus, Acceptance Rate: 57%, Net Price: $55,480, SAT Range: 1140-1360,

SUNY Nassau Community College

• Garden City, NY ·
• · Rating 3.66 out of 5   1,132 reviews
• grade  C+ Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 100%
• Net price $5,575
• SAT range —

2 Year, GARDEN CITY, NY. 1132 Niche users give it an average review of 3.7 stars. Featured Review: Freshman says My experience with SUNY Nassau Community College has been positive. The professors are knowledgeable and supportive, offering guidance that has helped me grow academically. I appreciate the engaging... Read 1132 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C+, Acceptance Rate: 100%, Net Price: $5,575,

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus

• Madison, NJ ·
• · Rating 3.55 out of 5   875 reviews
• Acceptance rate 89%
• Net price $21,408
• SAT range 1040-1310

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, MADISON, NJ. 875 Niche users give it an average review of 3.5 stars. Featured Review: Sophomore says As a film student at FDU, I have a very positive experience on campus. Everyone here is very friendly and accommodating whenever I need to produce/shoot a project. I would like to see safety being... Read 875 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C+, Acceptance Rate: 89%, Net Price: $21,408, SAT Range: 1040-1310,

Manhattanville College

• Purchase, NY ·
• · Rating 3.44 out of 5   885 reviews
• grade  C Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 84%
• Net price $24,702
• SAT range 1020-1230

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, PURCHASE, NY. 885 Niche users give it an average review of 3.4 stars. Featured Review: Sophomore says My experience at Mville University has been great for the past two years. I'm currently in the Nursing Program, and studying is my priority. The school offers a really nice library where people can... Read 885 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C, Acceptance Rate: 84%, Net Price: $24,702, SAT Range: 1020-1230,

Bloomfield College of Montclair State University

• Bloomfield, NJ ·
• · Rating 3.34 out of 5   503 reviews
• Acceptance rate 78%
• Net price $20,320
• SAT range 770-960

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, BLOOMFIELD, NJ. 503 Niche users give it an average review of 3.3 stars. Featured Review: Sophomore says Bloomfield College is a small institution, which offers a uniquely personalized educational experience. Since of its size, the staff are able to devote exceptional attention to each student, ensuring... Read 503 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C, Acceptance Rate: 78%, Net Price: $20,320, SAT Range: 770-960,

St. Thomas Aquinas College

• Sparkill, NY ·
• · Rating 3.51 out of 5   168 reviews
• Net price $21,745
• SAT range 920-1270

Blue checkmark. This school participates in Niche Direct Admissions. 4 Year, SPARKILL, NY. 168 Niche users give it an average review of 3.5 stars. Featured Review: Junior says My overall experience with St. Thomas Aquinas College has been quite positive. The college offers a welcoming and supportive environment that encourages personal and academic growth. The small class... Read 168 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C, Acceptance Rate: 89%, Net Price: $21,745, SAT Range: 920-1270,

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SUNY Purchase College

• · Rating 3.43 out of 5   1,189 reviews
• Net price $19,434
• SAT range 1190-1350

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, PURCHASE, NY. 1189 Niche users give it an average review of 3.4 stars. Featured Review: Freshman says I've just started my college life in August of this year (2024) and it has been so great this far! Compared to my previous schools, SUNY Purchase stands out. What I love about it is the tons of clubs... Read 1189 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C, Acceptance Rate: 75%, Net Price: $19,434, SAT Range: 1190-1350,

Marymount Manhattan College

• · Rating 3.35 out of 5   794 reviews
• grade  C minus Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate 72%
• Net price $39,442
• SAT range 1080-1280

Blue checkmark. 4 Year, NEW YORK, NY. 794 Niche users give it an average review of 3.3 stars. Featured Review: Sophomore says Marymount Manhattan College has many pros. They are a small school, allowing the faculty to connect with individual students on a personal level. The diversity is low, as it is a performing arts... Read 794 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: C minus, Acceptance Rate: 72%, Net Price: $39,442, SAT Range: 1080-1280,

CUNY Graduate School & University Center

• · Rating 4.02 out of 5   48 reviews
• grade  unavailable Overall Niche Grade
• Acceptance rate —
• Net price —

4 Year, NEW YORK, NY. 48 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Graduate Student says Despite my Master's degree being fully online, the Professors are extremely involved and accessible. CUNY does a great job of fostered a positive learning environment! Read 48 reviews.

Western Washington University

• BELLINGHAM, WA
• · Rating 3.72 out of 5   2,416

Augustana College - Illinois

• ROCK ISLAND, IL
• · Rating 3.81 out of 5   857
• NEW YORK, NY
• · Rating 3.58 out of 5   663

Showing results 1 through 15 of 15

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Creative Writing (BA)

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Admission Contact Office of Undergraduate Admission 72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor New York, NY 10011 [email protected] 212.229.5150 or 800.292.3040

Program Contact Laura Cronk 66 West 12th Street, room 503  New York, NY 10011 [email protected] 212.229.5611 Ext. 2435

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Earn a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from a program open to transfer students, adults, and nontraditional undergraduates and connected to a prestigious graduate program. Work with faculty mentors who are themselves acclaimed writers and join a community of ambitious and talented peers. Through writing workshops, literature courses, the Writer's Life Colloquium, and a capstone project, prepare for a career in fields such as editing, publishing, journalism, and new media or graduate work in writing, literature, journalism, media, or cultural studies.

• Degree Bachelor of Arts
• Credits 120 (up to 84 transfer credits)
• Format Full-time or part-time, on campus (some classes available online)
• Start Term Fall or Spring

Creative Writing in New York City

The New School offered the first academic creative writing workshop in 1927 and pioneered a new philosophy of education. The idea: Students would make their own lives and stories part of their education. Today The New School continues to celebrate and cultivate daring and diverse new voices through its highly regarded MFA in Creative Writing program, the Summer Writing Intensive, and the BA in Creative Writing. Students in any major may also apply to The Writing and Democracy Honors Program .

Learn more about the curriculum

Career Paths

The BA in Creative Writing can be a pathway to the worlds of publishing, writing, production, marketing, education, and arts management. Graduates of this program develop careers as working writers, publishing professionals or publishers, editors, and publicists. This program also prepares students to apply to graduate programs in journalism or creative writing, including The New School's MFA in Creative Writing .

Learn from and work with faculty mentors who are themselves acclaimed writers and literary professionals.

• Meet our faculty

The life experience I brought to The New School improved my education — and I think it added to the classroom. The program made me a better student, a better researcher, and a better writer. Ted Kerr , BA Liberal Arts, Alumnus of the Riggio Honors Program

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Undergraduates.

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

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2025 Best Creative Writing Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York

College Factual looked at 11 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Creative Writing Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 293 bachelor's degrees in creative writing during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Creative Writing School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to creative writing students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of creative writing students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized creative writing related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for creative writing students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Creative Writing Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Creative Writing Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York ranking, along with many other major-related rankings , to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Creative Writing in New York

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in creative writing.

10 Top New York Schools for a Bachelor's in Creative Writing

Columbia University in the City of New York is a great decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in creative writing. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Columbia University in the City of New York

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in creative writing needs to look into University of Rochester. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Rochester. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from University of Rochester

It's hard to beat Stony Brook University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in creative writing. SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Stony Brook University

It's difficult to beat Binghamton University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in creative writing. Binghamton University is a large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Vestal. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Binghamton University

Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from The New School

Located in the small suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Ithaca College

Located in the large suburb of Purchase, Manhattanville is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Manhattanville College

Located in the city of Brooklyn, Brooklyn College is a public college with a large student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Brooklyn College

Located in the remote town of Potsdam, SUNY Potsdam is a public school with a small student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from SUNY Potsdam

Located in the large suburb of Purchase, Purchase College is a public college with a small student population. More information about a bachelor’s in creative writing from Purchase College

Best Creative Writing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Creative Writing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

Other Rankings

Best associate degrees in creative writing, best doctorate degrees in creative writing, best master's degrees in creative writing, best overall in creative writing.

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Creative Writing

One of 4 majors within the Writing Studies area of study, Creative Writing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Creative Writing

Notes and references.

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO . More about our data sources and methodologies .

Popular Reports

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21 Best colleges for Creative Writing in New York City, US

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in New York City ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 74.1K citations received by 6.16K academic papers made by 21 universities in New York City was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. Columbia University

For Creative Writing

2. New York University

3. CUNY Graduate School and University Center

4. Barnard College

5. Fordham University

6. CUNY Hunter College

7. New School

8. King's College

9. CUNY Queens College

10. CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

11. CUNY City College

12. CUNY Brooklyn College

13. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

14. Lehman College, CUNY

15. College of Staten Island CUNY

16. Yeshiva University

17. St John's University - New York

18. Pace University

19. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

20. Pratt Institute - Main

21. School of Visual Arts

Universities for Creative Writing near New York City

Art & design subfields in new york city.