2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 1,944 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 319th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,128 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 72 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in acting. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent acting programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the acting program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 16 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,467 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,879 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s acting students in 2019-2020.
Boston U also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Boston U is $13,256 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #4 spot on the list. UNLV is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s acting degrees to qualified students.
UNLV also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $9,880 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Acting at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Out of the 72 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #5 spot on the list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s acting students in 2019-2020.
BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $10,425 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Oakland University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $7,751 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Towson University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Towson is a public institution located in Towson, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Towson also took the #11 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Towson University is $12,632 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
SUNY Fredonia came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SUNY Fredonia is a small school located in Fredonia, New York that handed out 7 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
SUNY Fredonia also took the #12 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Fredonia is $11,935 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Oregon University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s acting degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $9,270 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Oregon University.
University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,252 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Southern California.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Connecticut ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCONN is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 10 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCONN, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Connecticut is $14,157 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
UNI also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $12,495 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNI.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,185 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Acting at University of Illinois at Chicago
Lindenwood University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lindenwood University is located in Saint Charles, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s acting degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $13,918 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lindenwood University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 1 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
UC also took the #13 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $18,106 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Lycoming College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lycoming College is a small school located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania that handed out 3 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lycoming College is $14,089 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Otterbein University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Westerville, Ohio, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
Otterbein also took the #18 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Otterbein is $17,236 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, University of Maryland - Baltimore County did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $12,605 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Acting at University of Maryland - Baltimore County
With a ranking of #20, Central Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. CWU is a fairly large school located in Ellensburg, Washington that handed out 8 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CWU is $11,423 for Bachelor’s Degree Acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a ranking of #21, Purchase College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Purchase College is a public institution located in Purchase, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purchase College has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purchase College is $16,699 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Bradley University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $18,232 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Syracuse University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Syracuse is a private not-for-profit institution located in Syracuse, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, Syracuse has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Syracuse University is $21,360 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Stevenson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Stevenson, Maryland is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Stevenson is $22,746 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
Western Michigan University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 10 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WMU is $15,276 for bachelor’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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