Best Creative Writing Schools Near Erie, PA (2026)

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

Erie, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering creative writing programs, with tuition ranging from $15,972 to $34,081 per year for indexed programs. Erie has a population of about 94,156. Median household income is $43,397 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning creative writing-related role is Writer and Author at a median $77,410 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Creative Writing Schools to Erie

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer creative writing programs near Erie, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Erie 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 Erie. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Acceptance rate 97%

Graduation rate 45%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435

Avg net price $24,558/yr

Tuition

In‑state$15,972

Out‑of‑state$26,958

Contact

4701 College Drive Erie, PA 16563-0001
(814) 898-6160
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 83%
Programs offered: 57

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDS College Scorecard

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

Creative Writing Wages Near Erie

Erie is part of the Erie, PA metro area (BLS area code 21500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author	$77,410	PA statewide	$85,066
Editor	$58,240	Erie, PA	$64,000
English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary	$76,270	Erie, PA	$83,813

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.

Erie at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	94,156	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$43,397	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	22.3%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	91.0 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Erie-Area Cities With Creative Writing Programs

Meadville, PA – 32.6 mi away (23,131 pop)
Ashtabula, OH – 40.7 mi away (28,097 pop)
Jamestown, NY – 42.9 mi away (41,492 pop)
Dunkirk, NY – 45.4 mi away (24,248 pop)
Mentor, OH – 71.3 mi away (46,732 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited creative writing schools are near Erie, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering creative writing programs near Erie. The closest is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College in Erie, PA (4.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (72.8 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying creative writing-related roles near Erie are: Writer and Author ($77,410), English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary ($76,270), Editor ($58,240). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Meadville instead of Erie?

Meadville, PA is 32.6 miles from Erie 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 Erie an affordable place to study creative writing?

Erie’s median household income of $43,397 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Erie while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Erie

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

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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