Creative Writing programs in Ontario
29 programs across 15 campuses, with published admission ranges starting at 70%. Sorted by the range each one publishes, lowest first, so you can see where you land.
Programs
29
Campuses
15
Lowest range
70%
What this leads to
The picture for creative writing as of 2026-08-17, not a description of this particular program.
Most graduates work as screenwriters, journalists, or fiction writers. Many also end up doing marketing writing, editing technical content, or writing for digital media.
In its favour
- You develop strong communication skills that matter across industries, not just publishing. Many employers hire creative writing graduates for marketing, communications, and content roles beyond traditional writing jobs.
- If you can write compelling stories or articles, freelance and contract work is relatively accessible, giving you flexibility to build your own client base while working other jobs.
- The work itself—if you land it—is engaging. You're being paid to think about language, character, and ideas, which appeals to people who actually like writing.
Worth knowing
- The entry-level job market is crowded. Most paid writing positions now are in marketing and social media, not novels or journalism. Actual fiction writing rarely becomes your full-time job right out of school.
- Up to 30% of tasks in media and publishing could be automated by 2030 according to McKinsey. Routine writing and repetitive editing tasks are increasingly automated.
- Content writers focusing on standard articles, product descriptions, and SEO-driven content are at higher automation risk because AI can generate this efficiently. That's often where creative writing grads start.
- About 60% of content production roles now call for experience with AI-assisted software. You need to learn to use these tools from day one, not treat them as optional.
How AI is changing this work
Creative writing makes up almost 50% of writing jobs, making these positions especially vulnerable to AI automation. Right now AI is excellent at generating routine copy, SEO content, and product descriptions—the exact roles that hire recent graduates. AI still struggles with high-level literary fiction or creative nonfiction, and AI-generated writing remains characterized by clichés and purple prose. So the work matters for your four-year degree, but entry-level jobs in that field are shrinking as AI takes them, and you'll need to develop skills beyond basic writing—strategy, analytics, human insight—or risk competing directly with software.
Where this came from (6 sources)
- 1. Creative Writing in Canada: 2026 Master's Guide | Mastersportal
- 2. Creative Writing in Canada: 2026 Bachelor's Guide | Bachelorsportal
- 3. 84 creative writing faculty jobs in Canada, June 2026 | Glassdoor
- 4. 148 creative writer jobs in Canada, August 2026 | Glassdoor
- 5. Creative Writing Graduate Programs in Canada 2026+
- 6. 2026 AI, Automation, and the Future of Creative Writing Degree Careers | Research.com
All 29 programs
- 70–73%Ontario TechCommunication and Digital Media Studies
- 70–73%Ontario TechCommunication and Digital Media Studies (Co-op)
- 70–75%TMUCreative Industries
- 70–73%Ontario TechCreativity, Digital Arts and Entertainment Industries (Co-op)
- 70%WindsorEnglish
- 70–75%Guelph-HumberHonours Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media & Communication Studies and Diploma in Media Communications
- 70–73%Ontario TechStrategic Communications, Social Media & Society
- 70%WindsorUndeclared Major
- 73–80%U of T (Mississauga)Communication, Culture, Information & Technology
- 73–77%YorkCreative Writing (BA - Co-op available)
- 73–77%Laurier (Brantford)Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- 73–77%Laurier (Waterloo)Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- 73–77%U of T (Scarborough)Journalism (Joint Program with Centennial College)
- 75%CarletonBachelor of Arts (BA) – Honours (4 years)
- 75–80%GuelphBachelor of Arts (BA) General (Area of Concentration)
- 75%CarletonMedia Production and Design
- 77–87%YorkConcurrent Education: Arts, Media, Performance & Design (BEd)
- 77–80%WaterlooHonours Arts (Regular/Co-op)
- 77–80%WaterlooHonours Arts and Business (Regular/Co-op)
- 78–83%GuelphBachelor of Arts and Sciences (BAS)
- 78–82%CarletonJournalism
- 80–83%WesternArts and Humanities
- 80–83%Laurier (Waterloo)Arts Degree (BA) + Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Co-op
- 80–83%St. Jerome'sArts, Honours (BA): St. Jerome's University
- 80–83%St. Jerome'sHonours Arts and Business (Regular/Co-op)
- —OCADIllustration
- —OCADIndigenous Visual Culture
- —OCADIntegrated Media
- —OCADVisual and Critical Studies (Art History)
Other subjects
- Business Studies 203
- Interdisciplinary Studies 187
- Computer Science 135
- Education Studies 117
- Environmental Studies 116
- Psychology 109
- General or Integrated Engineering 104
- Law & Criminology 101
- Media and Communication Studies 98
- Economics 95
- Biological Sciences 92
- Others in Subjects Related to Medicine 92
Ranges are what universities publish, not guaranteed cutoffs. Work out your top 6 to see which of these you actually clear.