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Creative WritingPrograms

Creative Nonfiction Programs: Creative Writing Degrees

Creative writing degrees whose official pages name creative nonfiction as a genre or track. Memoir, the personal essay, literary journalism and other factual narrative. We never assign a genre a program does not name.

84 programs · page 1 of 5

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Listed alphabetically by school. This directory is not a ranking — editorial selections are published separately under Rankings. What we list

American University logo

American University

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Washington, DC
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program. · Full-time, Part-time
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry
Duration: Most students complete the degree in 2 years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $2,163 per credit · All students — Graduate students, per credit hour (on-campus and most online programs) · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Antioch University-Los Angeles logo

Antioch University-Los Angeles

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Culver City, CA
Format: Low-residencyShort, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction · Screenwriting · Playwriting · Literary Translation
Duration: Two years: five residencies and four five-month online project periods
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $11,017 per semester · All students — Semesters 1-3 · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs
Bennington College logo

Bennington College

Bennington Writing Seminars / MFA in Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing
Location: Bennington, VT
Format: Low-residencyShort, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry · Literary Translation
Duration: Two years: four terms (five for dual-genre) and five residencies (six for dual-genre)
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $12,700 per term · All students — Per term, including residency room and board · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs
California Institute of the Arts logo

California Institute of the Arts

MFA Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Valencia, CA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction · Cross-Genre / Interdisciplinary
Duration: Two years
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $62,954 per academic year · All students — Full-time undergraduate (BFA and certificate) and graduate (MFA, advanced certificate, and DMA) programs · 2026-2027
Deadline: December 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
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Carnegie Mellon University logo

Carnegie Mellon University

B.A. in Creative Writing

BABachelor of Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Screenwriting · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $69,702 per academic year · All students — Undergraduate tuition, first-years entering Fall 2026 · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Chapman University logo

Chapman University

BFA in Creative Writing

BFABachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Orange, CA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $34,995 per semester · All students — Undergraduate, full-time (12-18 credits) · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
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Chapman University logo

Chapman University

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Orange, CA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Competitive full funding$18,000 stipend (per year (fellowship payment), renewable for a second year)
Tuition: $1,240 per credit · All students — MFA Creative Writing, per credit · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 1, 2026 · Spring 2027
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Colorado State University-Fort Collins logo

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

M.F.A. in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Three years
Funding: Competitive full funding
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Columbia College Chicago logo

Columbia College Chicago

Creative Writing (BA)

BABachelor of Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Chicago, IL
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $17,749 per semester · All students — Undergraduate, full-time tuition per semester (12-18 credits), new students · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
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Columbia University in the City of New York logo

Columbia University in the City of New York

Major in Creative Writing

BABachelor of Arts (major in Creative Writing)
Location: New York, NY
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Cross-Genre / Interdisciplinary
Duration: 4-5 semesters to complete the major
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $72,800 per academic year · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Columbia University in the City of New York logo

Columbia University in the City of New York

MFA in Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing
Location: New York, NY
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program. · Full-time
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry · Literary Translation
Duration: Two years of full-time coursework
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: January 6, 2027 · Fall 2027
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CUNY Hunter College logo

CUNY Hunter College

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing
Location: New York, NY
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry
Duration: Two years (four semesters)
Funding: Tuition only
Tuition: $0 per semester · In-state — Fiction and poetry (after tuition waiver)
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Emerson College logo

Emerson College

Creative Writing BFA

BFABachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Boston, MA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $60,160 per academic year · All students — Undergraduate, full-time (12–16 credits), Boston · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
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Emerson College logo

Emerson College

Creative Writing MFA

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Boston, MA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program. · Full-time, Part-time
Genres: Creative Nonfiction · Fiction · Poetry
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $1,551 per credit · All students — Graduate, per credit · 2026-2027
Deadline: February 1, 2027 · Fall 2027
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Florida International University logo

Florida International University

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Miami, FL
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Screenwriting
Duration: 2 years (full-time)
Funding: Partial funding$12,000 stipend (Fall/Spring semesters (approximately, as printed))
Tuition: $379.95 per credit · In-state — Graduate, resident tuition per credit hour (Fall 2026), excluding fees · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Florida State University logo

Florida State University

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Competitive full funding$19,163 stipend (annual (as printed; summer teaching raises annual pay to $23,953))
Tuition: $479.32 per credit · In-state — Graduate, resident (Main Campus) · 2026-2027
Deadline: January 15, 2027 · Summer 2027
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George Mason University logo

George Mason University

Creative Writing, BFA

BFABachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Fairfax, VA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Poetry · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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George Mason University logo

George Mason University

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Fairfax, VA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Poetry
Duration: Typically completed in three years
Funding: Competitive full funding
Tuition: $700 per credit · In-state — Graduate courses in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, approximate
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Hollins University

Creative Writing M.F.A.

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Roanoke, VA
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Two years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $23,600 (basis not stated by the school) · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development

Creative Writing (BFA)

BFABachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction · Playwriting · Screenwriting
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $5,646 per semester · International — Undergraduate full-time flat rate (12-18 credits), international, per semester · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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