Thanks for the tip on using @, as well as more school options to consider!
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Below are some other schools your D may want to check out, with the link to some of the creative writing info added. These schools were selected in part due to having graduate creative writing options, which then led to me looking at their undergrad offerings.
American U (D.C.): About 7500 undergrads in our nation’s capital and offers a creative writing track within the English major: https://www.american.edu/cas/literature/index.cfm
Butler (IN): About 4500 undergrads at this Indianapolis school with a creative writing track within the English major English Degree | Butler University
College of Charleston (SC): About 11k undergrads in…Charleston. Creative writing track within the English major College of Charleston | Creative Writing
Temple (PA ): About 21k undergrads at this Philadelphia school with a minor in creative writing Creative Writing Minor | Temple University Bulletin
U. of Arkansas: About 29m undergrads in Fayetteville, which is more of a college town, but the Fayetteville/Bentonville area is really growing and becoming much more populous. Tends to offer very generous merit aid. Creative writing track within the English major: Undergraduate Studies in English | English | University of Arkansas
DePaul (IL): About 14k undergrads at this Chicago school. There’s a minor in creative writing, bu there are also other specialist degrees (like a BFA in playwriting). Creative Writing | DePaul University - Chicago, IL
U. of Houston (TX): About 39k undergrads at this school where the sticker price will fall well within budget. Creative writing track within the English major: Degree Program | Department of English | University of Houston
U. of Miami (FL): This will be reachier than the others for admission and, most importantly, for getting this within budget. But this school of about 13k undergrads offers a creative writing major: Undergraduate
I’m also seconding U. at Buffalo (NY): About 20k undergrads and offers a certificate in creative writing: https://www.buffalo.edu/cas/english/undergraduate-programs/creativewriting.html
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amazing, thank you again!
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If you spend less than $40K, will you help the student with PT school? If PT or another health care field is in the offing, where you go undergrad, as long as they take the pre-reqs. won’t matter.
You’re still two years away - two years of increases - a school like Purchas will fit your bill - under $30K and they have up to $3K merit it appears. So maybe mid-20s. Times four, even with inflation, it frees up money for grad school and it’s easy transportation $$.
I think - if looking at my original list:
American - they’ve had financial issues. Highly unlikely to get under $40K without need. Highly unlikely but not impossible.
Agnes Scott - it’s $67K and merit is $25-32K a year. They are saying The Agnes Scott $100K+ Promise is our affordability promise to all new undergraduate students who are admitted to Agnes Scott in Fall 2026.
Students admitted to Agnes Scott for Fall 2026 will receive a minimum renewable merit-based scholarship of $25,000 per year, totaling at least $100,000 over four years. so your floor (today) is low 40s assured with a chance to go deeper.
Arizona State - I ran the scholarship estimator. Will be over $40K. A 1450 will put it on the border - not worth considering.
U of Arizona - over budget for $26-27 attendnace. Remove.
Arkansas - Fayetteville is fab and there’s non stops from the NYC area. Thanks Wal-Mart. Today about $47K . She will likely get $10.5K to $16.8K off per year - from the New Arkansan NRTA scholarship - so tihs would work.
BU - highly unlikely - but they meet need. So run the NPC. If not, remove.
Case Western - gives big merit. Non STEM major - maybe pays more. It’s $90K - so very highly unlikely.
Cincinnati - should hit $40K with merit; shows a 6 year PT.
College of Charleston - unlikely with regular merit. However, if she applies to Honors, she might get invited to the Charleston Fellows program as my daughter did - which has ample $$. If she’s into service (in HS), she could also win the Ketner Scholars for more $$. Charleston is uber urban, easy to get to from NYC, and a small, tight campus. But it’s a Hail Mary type - but with less competition for top scholarships than a Vandy, Emory type - likely need a higher SAT.
Depaul - unsure - people say it’s meritorious.
Emory - unless you have need - no chance with an SAT under 1500+ for winning the full ride.
Franklin & Marshall - if you don’t have need, then no - with top merit you’re in the 60s.
George Mason - yes but why choose it over a SUNY. I can’t find a merit table but at high 50s for tuition, room and board, likely not. If you like a URI type (def not urban), a James Madison could work for you. The town is plentiful. It’s $47K or so. It’s definitely possible.
Georgetown - no merit - so no - unless you have need.
U Kentucky - Lexington is a nice city and the college is downtown. You can fly non-stop (not cheap) on Delta from LGA. Today, not in two years - it’s a tad over $50K but you’d get $12.5k off (not assured but likely). So it’s legit. Get a 1390 on the SAT (likely single sitting - some merit schools use single sitting but you can check) - but a 1390, you’d get in state tuition so high 20s. Worth consideration.
Louisville is about $45K today, Just for being from the NY metro area, you get $12K. But with her stats, you get $16K. It’s a bit more of a commuter school but it is growing in popularity (actively recruiting from the NY area, hence the auto merit) - a few miles south of a really great downtown. Several non-stops from NYC. Not as “residential” as Kentucky - but plenty on campus. Worth consideration (on budget basis).
LSU - it’s beautiful - not Baton Rouge but the campus. Mine liked it so much more than Tulane and I agrree. But obviously it’s southern based. It’s $45K but 95% receive aid. It’s going to hit. You’re student is unlikely but they are a Stamps School - full ride and then some. You have to be top shelf - but those are increidble.
Mary Washington in downtown Fredericksburg VA (small city between DC and Richmond) - yes. $46K. Will get $7K. If they give you a 4.0, then $9k.
Memphis - commuter-ish - under $30K b4 merit.
Northeastern - unless you have need - no.
New Mexico - going to be $25K after merit which is going to happen.
Northwestern - need based aid only
Ogelthorpe - will match due to flagship 50 program. They match U Buffalo- so under $30K - in the very nice Brookhaven area of Atlanta - easy to get to from NY (lots of fligths)
Pitt - some get $20K merit - but unlikely with a 1360. Everyone loves it. It’s worth a “wasted” app because it’s not happening at $40K - but someone will get $40K.
South Carolina - likely if your SAT goes up 30 points - likely just short if not.
Suffolk - no
UAB - it’s like Pitt in that it’s very health care centric - the Pitt of the South 
It’s also urban. it’s about $44K. Get $17.5K off so under $30K. Move up to a 1420 and get $22.5K off or if they credit you with a 4.0, $28.5K off - basically tuition.
U Denver - you’d likely need need aid to be under $40K.
UNCW - lots of flights - small, growing, retiree city - known for its creative writing program. It’s right at $40K tuition, room and board - and there’s merit. So will be less.
UTK - Knoxville is a mid size city - with big city issues like homelessness. Becoming popular from the NE. It’s high 40s - can get up to $18K - of course, with current stats it’s a target, not a safety. Delta flies non-stop. Southwest just started flying there - one stop for you.
VCU - too bad, it’s a creative school but even with $16k merit, it’s going to fall short.
U Texas - just no - a reach and no shot of getting to cost.
U Washington - won’t get enough merit.
I think CCNY, Purchase and Oswego are good SUNY hot spots - but never anything wrong Albany, Bing, Buffalo - but apparently Oswego is king of SUNY writing.
You might look at schools like West Chester ¶ and it’s a bit out from Philly - a very little bit - an Ursinus might make cost but likely not enough nearby for you.
Anyway, you have to analyze each school one by one - but at the same time, you need to know your need position which you’ve not told us so I assumed you are full pay.
When you have a budget, that drives the decision and sometimes there are tradeoffs.
I like @AustenNut suggestion of a 6 year PT
College transitions has a list. You can google it as it won’t post. Can it be done and writing?
Ithaca is on there. U Cincy is on there - I can never figure out cost but I think with merit, will be under $40K. Pitt is on there too.
Anyway, in the end, you can definitely use your student’s stats to achieve and exceed $40K - but do factor in PT school and know the new loan limits which is great for the student so they don’t over stretch as PT salaries aren’t bad, but not great.
Good luck.
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Thanks for your extensive list and notes, tsbna44!
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FWIW–just forget most out-of-state state schools.
I would caution against a CW major that doesn’t give you a rigorous diet of good literature. Four years of just reading your friends’ work is not going to help your prose as much as absorbing the refined stuff. Though honestly, I think there’s much value for a writer in majoring in something else entirely to learn a little about the world, and taking a few CW classes on the side
I have an MFA and used to teach college cw, and I would suggest strongly that your kiddo look hard at who on faculty is actually doing the cw teaching. If their writing is of interest, their instruction may be more helpful. No guarantee, of course.
Maybe most importantly, try to find out how vital and active the student literary scene is. Readings? Journals?
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Penn offers tuition-free education for undergraduate students from families with an annual income of $200k or less, while for Brown the cutoff is $125k - possibly why?
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My daughter is a PT, undergrad was a lot a very difficult premed classes, shadowing, working at her on campus PT center, but it’s way more than a masseuse! She works with stroke victims, accident victims, and lots of heavy lifting. Lots of paperwork, and great people skills needed. Bodily fluids are a given. DPT programs are intense, 3 years, no breaks, a lot of full time unpaid clinicals (which they pay to do) her program was $50,000 a year after merit, not including housing. I was an English major, I couldn’t do her job, or any medical job actually.
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This is a good reality check.
If the vision of PT is a boisterous cheerleader with “healing hands” encouraging an athlete with a rotator cuff injury to “push through it”- it will be a very tough row to hoe. Yes, there are PT’s who specialize in sports injuries. But the training- stroke victims, elderly Alzheimer’s patients whose limbs will freeze if not rotated correctly, pediatric burn victims, veterans who have suffered traumatic injuries of all kinds- some intensely grotesque– is very, very demanding for someone who is not fully committed to the field.
I think your D needs to do some research on what PT training is all about before it enters the “decision space” for an undergrad experience. And I agree that creative writing paired with at least some academic/literary study is the way to go. Even successful screenwriters, graphic novelists, “chick lit” and romance novelists have to study their predecessors. There’s a reason why every generation has its Jane Austen knock-offs, a revisit of Wuthering Heights, and some version of “House of Mirth” whether literary or “made for tv”.
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I think PT is mom’s idea and not something the student will be pursuing.
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Correct, this is a 16 or 17 year old child - the world is their oyster. They want something to do with CW but not heavy English/literature….which as a poster noted above, isn’t adding much value.
Students, of course, can and will write at any college - but this is one of those students who may or may not enter college with a major (if a school requires one) or they will choose undeclared or exploratory. This is perrfectly fine - and in 6 years (from now) when they graduate - who knows what they will do - but there are a lot of those kids - and that’s the beauty of attending college. But they will find a love or fall into something. Most kids that age don’t even know all the types of roles out there. Heck, I didn’t even know the roles I’ve done post MBA existed - when I got my MBA - but here I am nearly 30 years later still plugging away. So the student will be fine - going in unknown.
They just need a college that is under the $40K budget - and then they’ll be able to explore - which is perfectly normal.
But they should find an urban one - or one within the level of suburban-ness that is acceptable for them and one with CW content since that’s at least an initial interest.
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It is ok to suggest PT, but then I would back off and let her decide if it is something she wants to do. If she is interested she will do the research and decide.
Is she interested in a career in health care? Please note that while it is nice to have “healing hands,” there is a lot more that goes into these careers.
She has time to decide.
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A student we know with similar urban interests/lower stats than your DC, and interested in writing ended up at University of San Francisco. She just loved the setting. High sticker price, but they came through with a great package.
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Absolutely agreed, I’m backing off D re PT. PT is just a thought to combine parents’ desire for her to attend college and possibly widen her experiences beyond CW with a healing gift she possesses. She’ll be talking to and shadowing some PTs we know in the next few weeks to get a more realistic sense of the career.
And, I brought up to her LACadvocate and others’ point re literature: D sees the sense in a more literary/rigorous English/CW program to enrich her experience.
Thanks for the additional thoughts, everyone!
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This is a good point - and lots of urban buyers are Jesuit or Catholic.
For OP, is a school with a religious bent acceptable or must be non-religious?
I am just thinking out loud so don’t mind me.
“Healing hands” and a love for creative writing makes me think of careers in school counseling, social work, child life specialist, etc.
Pre-health involves science. It helps to like science, because there is a lot of it. Students may need organic chemistry, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular genetics, etc…depending on the actual degree they intend to get. Then…they need to have an interest in the actual career.
She will get there, and shadowing a PT is a good step to take. The first step, however, is finding an affordable school that she likes.
She is young. She doesn’t have to figure it out now.
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It’s fine to shadow if you get the chance - but I don’t think you need to rush her into a career. She’s 16.
And you don’t need to rush into a major.
Even if she starts in a major and ends up not liking it, guess what- she can change it.
Perhaps all the career / college talk is too much for her.
Some kids can be pushed away from college by all the parental pressure. Your desire may not be her desire. It’s better to let her warm to the idea of college herself. Maybe she’s done with school - and needs a year off or to go part time and get a job - after HS ends.
It seems like mom/dad are rushing but perhaps the student wants and needs you to slow down.
My daughter is a Creative Writing student. She has transferred around a bit. She started out with LACs that were quite small and ended up at a big state school. (I’m not going to say more than that because the LACs were so small it would be easy to dox her.) So I have some experience with different creative writing programs.
It is difficult to find a Creative Writing program that is a stand alone degree. Most are a concentration or track within the English Department and require lots of reading.
UNC-Wilmington is a good suggestion. It is one of the few schools to offer a BFA in Creative Writing. I would encourage her to take classes in something like Communications or Public Relations also for employment opportunities after graduation.
UNC-W also has strong ties to the film industry and it has a good film studies program. There are several studios located in Wilmington, so there she might be able to take some Film Studies classes too if that is of interest (maybe screenwriting).
They also have some pretty solid options in the Health Sciences fields.
And Wilmington is a fun mid-sized city with beautiful beaches and a nice historic district downtown. The university is not right beside either of those things, but just a 10-15 minute drive away and I think UNC-W students spend a lot of time at Wrightsville Beach.
For all the schools you are considering, you can search in the Common Data Set to see if they require test scores or how much emphasis they place on things like being out of state or class rank, etc. Just search the school name and “common data set”. I think UVA would be a very hard admit from out of state.
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Actually being a massage therapist is a lot less money in schooling and something she can do to augment the money she makes CW if she needs to.
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Massage therapy and physical therapy are two different paths. PTs work with patients who have had strokes, injuries, degenerative diseases, syndromes, etc. It requires years of hard sciences and clinical training. While both are valuable career paths, they are very different and one is not a substitute for another.
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