Best Creative Writing Schools Near Bloomington, IL (2026)

Updated September 1, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bloomington, Illinois has 4 accredited schools offering creative writing programs, with tuition ranging from $57,903 to $68,134 per year for indexed programs. Bloomington has a population of about 78,703. Median household income is $75,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bloomington, IL metro area, the top-earning creative writing-related role is English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary at a median $78,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Creative Writing Schools to Bloomington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer creative writing programs near Bloomington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bloomington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bloomington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL 46.7 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,054
Avg net price $14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 177

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Knox College

Galesburg, IL 80.3 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
54.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,820
Avg net price $24,595/yr
Tuition
In‑state$57,903
Out‑of‑state$57,903
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Blackburn College

Carlinville, IL 94.9 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,802
Avg net price $18,460/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

North Central College

Naperville, IL 99.6 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,123
Avg net price $21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL 108.8 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
62.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,971
Avg net price $22,736/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL 115.4 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
93.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $91,885
Avg net price $14,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 99%
  • Programs offered: 105

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL 119.3 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
24.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,195
Avg net price $26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL 119.4 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
40.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,712
Avg net price $20,194/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois creative writing page.

Creative Writing Wages Near Bloomington

Bloomington is part of the Bloomington, IL metro area (BLS area code 14010). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author$68,220IL statewide$72,963
Editor$76,060IL statewide$81,348
English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary$78,860Bloomington, IL$84,342

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Bloomington at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population78,703Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$75,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+48.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bloomington-Area Cities With Creative Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited creative writing schools are near Bloomington, IL?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering creative writing programs near Bloomington. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (46.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is North Central College (99.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying creative writing roles near Bloomington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying creative writing-related roles near Bloomington are: English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary ($78,860), Editor ($76,060), Writer and Author ($68,220). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Normal instead of Bloomington?

Normal, IL is 3.3 miles from Bloomington and has its own set of local creative writing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bloomington an affordable place to study creative writing?

Bloomington’s median household income of $75,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bloomington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Creative Writing Programs

Other Programs Available in Bloomington

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bloomington:

Data verified: September 1, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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