Creative Writing · Arkansas
Creative Writing colleges in Arkansas
CampusPin lists 47 U.S. colleges in Arkansas that offer Creative Writing programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.
Creative Writing is a craft-focused major where you produce original fiction, poetry, and other literary work in workshops, suited to writers who want to build a publishable body of work.
Schools in Arkansas that offer Creative Writing
Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$8,760
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
373
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education
Fort Smith, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$10,168
Acceptance
46%
Enrollment
5,759
Arkansas Northeastern College
Blytheville, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$2,570
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
787
Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$7,754
Acceptance
70%
Enrollment
8,760
Arkansas State University Mid-South
West Memphis, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,048
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
435
Arkansas State University Three Rivers
Malvern, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,568
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
514
Arkansas State University-Beebe
Beebe, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,216
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,902
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home
Mountain Home, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,168
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
920
Arkansas State University-Newport
Newport, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$2,856
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,262
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$8,508
Acceptance
96%
Enrollment
6,672
Black River Technical College
Pocahontas, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,584
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
938
Central Baptist College
Conway, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$19,680
Acceptance
46%
Enrollment
477
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
De Queen, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,906
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
835
East Arkansas Community College
Forrest City, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,960
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
492
Ecclesia College
Springdale, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$16,850
Acceptance
48%
Enrollment
132
Harding University
Searcy, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$24,888
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
4,435
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$7,885
Acceptance
82%
Enrollment
2,134
Jackson Theological Seminary
North Little Rock, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$10,168
Acceptance
50%
Enrollment
9
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$30,832
Acceptance
68%
Enrollment
1,874
Lyon College
Batesville, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$31,000
Acceptance
66%
Enrollment
563
National Park College
Hot Springs, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$5,600
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,706
North Arkansas College
Harrison, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,168
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,184
NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Bentonville, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$2,982
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
4,632
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$32,480
Acceptance
69%
Enrollment
1,693
Ozarka College
Melbourne, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,820
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
564
Philander Smith University
Little Rock, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$13,014
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
860
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Helena, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,230
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
595
Shorter College
N Little Rock, AR · Community College · Private
Tuition
$6,246
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
290
South Arkansas College
El Dorado, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,204
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
879
Southeast Arkansas College
Pine Bluff, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,960
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
748
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$9,820
Acceptance
67%
Enrollment
4,768
Southern Arkansas University Tech
Camden, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,685
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
663
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$9,748
Acceptance
72%
Enrollment
31,980
University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain
Mena, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,528
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
475
University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville
Batesville, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,558
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
788
University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton
Morrilton, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,504
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,538
University of Arkansas Grantham
LIttle Rock, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$8,280
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
3,741
University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
Hope, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$3,400
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
697
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$8,455
Acceptance
58%
Enrollment
7,109
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$8,868
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,279
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$9,019
Acceptance
58%
Enrollment
2,094
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$10,168
Acceptance
68%
Enrollment
3,256
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$6,906
Acceptance
81%
Enrollment
4,176
University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College
North Little Rock, AR · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,848
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
3,791
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR · University · Public
Tuition
$10,118
Acceptance
90%
Enrollment
9,332
University of the Ozarks
Clarksville, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$25,950
Acceptance
58%
Enrollment
753
Williams Baptist University
Walnut Ridge, AR · University · Private
Tuition
$20,330
Acceptance
59%
Enrollment
513
Creative Writing programs in Arkansas: by the numbers
A quick comparison of the 47 schools listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.
Schools listed
47
Public / private
34 / 13
Universities / 2-year
24 / 23
Cities represented
38
In-state tuition range
$2,570–$32,480
Median in-state tuition
$6,906
Lowest published in-state tuition
Arkansas Northeastern College
$2,570
Most selective
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education
46% acceptance
Largest by enrollment
University of Arkansas
31,980 students
Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.
What you'll study in a Creative Writing program
- Multi-genre writing workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction
- Craft of fiction (scene, point of view, structure, dialogue)
- Poetry craft (line, meter, image, and form)
- Creative nonfiction and the personal essay
- Revision and manuscript critique methods
- Editorial skills and manuscript preparation for submission
- Wide craft-focused reading across literary traditions
- Screenwriting or scriptwriting foundations
- Senior capstone portfolio or thesis manuscript
Where a Creative Writing degree can lead
- Author and Novelist
- Screenwriter
- Copywriter
- Editor
- Content Writer
- Grant Writer
Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 writers and authors median $72,270).
Creative Writing centers on making original work rather than only studying it. You write your own short stories, poems, novels, essays, scripts, and other forms, then bring drafts to a workshop where classmates and an instructor read closely and give structured feedback you use to revise. Coursework moves between the craft of a given genre (how point of view, line, scene, and image actually work on the page) and wide reading that shows you how published writers solve the same problems. You also pick up editorial and revision skills and learn how finished manuscripts are submitted, pitched, and prepared for publication. This is what distinguishes it from a general English or Literature degree: an English program is built around literary analysis, theory, and scholarly argument, while Creative Writing is built around generating, critiquing, and polishing your own manuscripts.
Most programs award a bachelor's degree, often as a track or concentration inside an English or writing department, and the entry-level writing and editing roles tied to this field generally expect a bachelor's. The defining requirements are word-based rather than clinical: sustained writing workshops across genres, a craft and literature reading load, and a capstone senior portfolio or thesis manuscript that you draft and revise across one or two semesters, sometimes with a public reading. No license is required to write or edit, though some specialized writing roles may ask for separate certification that you should verify with the employer or program. Graduates work in book and magazine publishing, marketing and content teams, communications and grant-writing offices, screen and game studios, journalism, teaching, and freelance authorship, and many pair the degree with a graduate writing program when they aim toward authorship or college-level teaching.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of writers and authors, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $72,270 and projects employment to grow about 3.6% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Creative Writing in other states
Find more Creative Writing schools
Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 47+ Creative Writing programs in Arkansas by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.