Editorial Selection Methodology
How Creative Writing Programs selects programs for its “Best” lists: published criteria, verified evidence only, no numerical scores, no paid influence.
Last updated October 9, 2026
Version 1.0. Published October 9, 2026.
Our “Best” and “Top” lists are editorial selections, not official academic rankings. A program is selected when verified facts from its own official pages satisfy every required criterion for that list. Selections are shown alphabetically and are not numbered: we do not have comparable data that would justify ordering one program above another.
Every entry shows the evidence that satisfied each criterion, with a link to the source and the date we verified it. Missing data never counts in a program's favor, and a program is never penalized for data we could not verify — it is simply not selected until the evidence is verified.
We do not use acceptance rates, prestige surveys, reputation, alumni prizes, faculty awards or publication counts. We do not infer competitiveness. Funding is assessed once, under “Evidence of funding”; “Published student support” looks only at support beyond tuition and stipend so funding is never counted twice.
Sponsorship and advertising never influence selection. Paid placements are displayed separately, labelled “Sponsored”, and the selection code does not read sponsorship data. A school cannot pay to be added, kept or ordered.
If numerical rankings are introduced later, we will publish the criteria, weights, data period, missing-data treatment, the universe of programs considered, each program's score breakdown and a new methodology version before any number appears.
We do not create a list for a city or state with fewer qualifying programs than the list's minimum, and we do not manufacture a ranking from a single program.
Criteria
Each list names which criteria are required. Weights are not used: version 1.0 is a pass/fail selection, not a score.
| Criterion | What counts as evidence |
|---|---|
| Evidence of funding | An official funding policy is verified. For campus MFA selections it must state tuition coverage plus a stipend for every admitted student (guaranteed or subject to published conditions). |
| Published cost | Tuition (and residency fees for low-residency programs) is published on an official page and verified, with its basis (per credit, per year, per residency or whole program). |
| Curriculum and genre fit | The program names its genres on an official page, and at least one curriculum element (workshops, craft or literature courses, thesis) is verified. |
| Program structure | Delivery format and program length (duration or credits) are verified. For low-residency and online programs, the residency or remote-study model is verified too. |
| Published student support | Support beyond tuition and stipend is documented: health insurance, coverage of mandatory fees, summer funding, named scholarships or fellowships. Not required; recorded when present. |
| Teaching and editing opportunities | The program documents teaching (e.g. teaching assistantships) or editorial work (e.g. a literary journal students edit or read for). |
| Relevant documented outcomes | Not used in version 1.0: most programs do not publish comparable, sourced outcome data. Alumni prizes and publications are never counted. |
| Source quality and freshness | Eligibility evidence and the facts above come from the school's own pages, verified within the last 12 months. |
Lists and their required criteria
- Best MFA Creative Writing Programs: Evidence of funding, Curriculum and genre fit, Program structure, Teaching and editing opportunities, Source quality and freshness. Minimum 3 qualifying programs before publication.
- Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs: Published cost, Curriculum and genre fit, Program structure, Source quality and freshness. Minimum 3 qualifying programs before publication.
- Best Online MFA Creative Writing Programs: Published cost, Curriculum and genre fit, Program structure, Source quality and freshness. Minimum 3 qualifying programs before publication.
Data period, universe and missing data
Data period. Facts verified on official pages between September 2026 and the review date shown on each list.
Universe. Published, eligible programs in our directory at review time (eligibility: dedicated creative writing BFA, BA, MFA or PhD degrees; see /methodology/). Coverage is partial and growing; a program missing from our directory cannot be selected.
Missing data. Unverified facts count as missing. A required criterion with missing evidence means the program is not selected; optional criteria are recorded when present.
Review and corrections
Selections are proposed by applying the criteria to verified facts and are reviewed by an editor before publication; the review date is shown on each list. Programs are re-assessed when their facts are re-verified. A school can send official sources through the correction form; it cannot request inclusion in exchange for payment.