Choosing which university to attend for creative writing is crucial. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top ten Universities in America offering creative writing programs.

1. Columbia University

Location: New York City, NY

Acceptance Rate: 6%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program includes workshops in fiction, literary nonfiction, dramatic writing, poetry, and screenwriting, as well as seminars made specifically for creative writing students. The program offers classes that study literature from the writer’s perspective, intensive workshops, and historical glances at language over time. Students are also given the opportunity to draw on other fields of study and take supplemental classes. The professors themselves are the student advisers. Famous writers such as Jack Kerouac, J.D. Salinger, Langston Hughes, and Allen Ginsberg all attended Columbia University.

Find more information about the program here.

2. Emory University

Location: Atlanta, GA

Acceptance Rate: 25.2%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program focuses on the development of literature, both from the students’ own writings and from the writings of past authors. Students are given the opportunity to explore critical, analytical, and creative portions of literature. Emory also encourages them to pursue their own personal favorite genres, as well as investigating others, including creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting. The director of the program is none other than Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States.

Find more information about the program here.

3. University of Virginia

Location: Charlottesville, VA

Acceptance Rate: 28.9%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

University of Virginia divides its creative writing program into two concentrations. The first concentration is the APPW, or the poetic concentration. These students study the craft and literature of poetry. The second concentration is the APLP, or the fiction and nonfiction writers. These students are able to study narrative literature and produce their own. Their staff includes Rita Dove and John Casey, among other award winning authors.

Find more information about the program here.

4. New York University

Location: New York City, NY

Acceptance Rate: 33%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program is designed to give writers an extensive and well-rounded knowledge of the craft. They offer supplemental opportunities such as Writers in New York, Writers in Paris, and Writers in Florence. Although this program is only offered to undergraduates as a minor, their faculty includes big names like Anne Carson, among others, and they offer an extensive graduate degree.

Find more information about this program here.

5. University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Acceptance Rate: 9.4%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program offers a secure understanding of literature, as well as an intensive study of creative writing. Poetry, fiction, screenwriting, nonfiction, writing for children, playwriting, and journalistic writing are just some of the genres students can learn about. The University of Pennsylvania prides itself on its expansive experiences and interests.

Find more information on this program here.

6. Princeton University

Location: Princeton, NJ

Acceptance Rate: 6.5%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program offers small workshop courses and literature classes. Every year, 25 to 30 of the seniors are given the opportunity to focus on a creative thesis with a member of the faculty, such as a screenplay, a collection of poetry, or a novel. The campus is constantly visited by famous writers and guests, hosting multiple programs and festivals. Faculty includes famous authors Jeffrey Eugenides, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Joyce Carol Oates. Graduates include F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jodi Picoult.

Find more information on this program here.

7. Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis, MO

Acceptance Rate: 16.2%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

Washington University in St. Louis prides itself on creating expansive opportunities for its students, providing events, course work, and community outreach, among other things. There are courses in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as supplemental classes such as Sudden Fiction and Microfiction and Stories from the Suburbs.

Find more information about this program here.

8. Yale University

Location: New Haven, CT

Acceptance Rate: 6.3%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

The creative writing program at Yale University is utilized by students across all different courses of study. They offer introductory courses and advanced courses, including a class during which students write 300 words daily. There is a wide range of public readings and other supplemental activities offered. Graduates include Sinclair Lewis, Thorton Wilder, and Tom Wolfe.

Find more information about this program here.

9. Kenyon College

Location: Gambier, OH

Acceptance Rate: 23.8%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This college has a long history with poetry and fiction. Home of the Kenyon Review, this program offers many opportunities in both writing and publishing. Classes tend to remain small, and there is an emphasis on literature and workshopping. Graduates include John Green, E.L. Doctorow, and Robert Lowell.

Find more information on this program here.

10. Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore, MD

Acceptance Rate: 11.4%

Admissions Deadline: November 2017

This program is centered around a liberal arts education, focusing on creative writing. Students are required to take writing, history, technique, and literature courses, all from the perspective of a writer. They are also given the opportunity to study philosophy, foreign language, and other concentrations across the university.

Find more information about this program here.