Best Professional Writing Schools Near Manhattan, NY (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Manhattan, New York has 5 accredited schools offering professional writing programs. Manhattan has a population of about 1,643,734. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $111,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Professional Writing Schools to Manhattan

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer professional 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 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

#2

Yeshiva University

New York, NY 5.0 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,353
Avg net price $49,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

CUNY New York City College of Technology

Brooklyn, NY 6.2 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,365
Avg net price $5,127/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

CUNY York College

Jamaica, NY 10.5 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,945
Avg net price $4,456/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY 19.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,039
Avg net price $34,176/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 154

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Excelsior University

Albany, NY 132.9 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
58.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,493
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

State University of New York at Cortland

Cortland, NY 169.9 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
67.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 60%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,236
Avg net price $22,345/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,874
Out‑of‑state$18,784
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY 191.5 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $79,164
Avg net price $38,793/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 186

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Professional 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–
Technical Writer$111,050New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$98,623
Editor$102,120New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$90,693

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 Professional Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near Manhattan. The closest is CUNY City College in New York, NY (2.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New Jersey Institute of Technology (11.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near Manhattan are: Technical Writer ($111,050), Editor ($102,120). 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 professional 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 Professional Writing Programs

Other Programs Available in Manhattan

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

Data verified: August 31, 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 Professional Writing Schools in New York (2026)