Best Creative Writing Schools Near Manhattan, NY (2026)

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

Manhattan, New York has 5 accredited schools offering creative writing programs, with tuition ranging from $41,870 to $65,767 per year for indexed programs. Manhattan has a population of about 1,643,734. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning creative writing-related role is Editor at a median $102,120 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Creative Writing Schools to Manhattan

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

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY 1.0 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,163
Avg net price $2,984/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Marymount Manhattan College

New York, NY 1.1 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
27.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,131
Avg net price $36,861/yr
Tuition
In‑state$41,870
Out‑of‑state$41,870
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY 1.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
87.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $102,491
Avg net price $21,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

CUNY City College

New York, NY 2.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,039
Avg net price $3,776/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

The New School

New York, NY 3.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,901
Avg net price $58,741/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

New York University

New York, NY 4.1 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,509
Avg net price $37,050/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 218

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Pratt Institute-Main

Brooklyn, NY 6.4 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
50.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,295
Avg net price $52,659/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

St. Joseph's University-New York

Brooklyn, NY 6.4 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,905
Avg net price $19,035/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Creative Writing Wages Near Manhattan

Manhattan is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and AuthorN/ANY statewide–
Editor$102,120New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$90,693
English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary$96,430New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$85,639

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.

Manhattan at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Manhattan-Area Cities With Creative Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited creative writing schools are near Manhattan, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering creative writing programs near Manhattan. The closest is CUNY Hunter College in New York, NY (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is The New School (3.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying creative writing-related roles near Manhattan are: Editor ($102,120), English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary ($96,430). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in West New York instead of Manhattan?

West New York, NJ is 2.3 miles from Manhattan 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.

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 Manhattan

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

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 New York (2026)