Best Creative Writing Schools Near Urbana, IL (2026)

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

Urbana, Illinois has 3 accredited schools offering creative writing programs, with tuition ranging from $59,070 to $74,320 per year for indexed programs. Urbana has a population of about 38,447. Median household income is $45,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning creative writing-related role is English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary at a median $77,570 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Creative Writing Schools to Urbana

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer creative writing programs near Urbana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbana 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 Urbana. 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 1.7 miles from Urbana
  • 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

Blackburn College

Carlinville, IL 105.6 miles from Urbana
  • 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

#3

North Central College

Naperville, IL 115.1 miles from Urbana
  • 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

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL 120.0 miles from Urbana
  • 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

#5

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL 125.5 miles from Urbana
  • 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

#6

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL 125.6 miles from Urbana
  • 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

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, IL 125.7 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,751
Avg net price $30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 166

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, IL 125.9 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
36.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,151
Avg net price $49,790/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Creative Writing Wages Near Urbana

Urbana is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). 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$73,592
Editor$62,030Champaign-Urbana, IL$66,915
English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary$77,570IL statewide$83,679

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.

Urbana at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population38,447Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$45,854Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+58.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Urbana-Area Cities With Creative Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering creative writing programs near Urbana. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is DePauw University (78.0 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying creative writing-related roles near Urbana are: English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary ($77,570), Writer and Author ($68,220), Editor ($62,030). 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 Champaign instead of Urbana?

Champaign, IL is 4.0 miles from Urbana 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 Urbana an affordable place to study creative writing?

Urbana’s median household income of $45,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbana 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 Urbana

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

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.

Back to Best Creative Writing Schools in Illinois (2026)