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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

68 Ranked Colleges
2,081 Degrees Awarded
$7,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 18,124 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $21,403 and had an average of $26,932 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 3,777 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,010 and $29,820 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,081 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 68 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great drama and theater arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 0.5% 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Stanford

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,850 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,379 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Drama & Theater Arts Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UCLA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 85 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,558 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of California - Irvine Drama & Theater Arts Report

California State University - Fullerton came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $4,291 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Cal State Fullerton

University of California - Berkeley ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 44 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,392 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Fresno State

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #22 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at CSULB

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 53 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,945 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at CSUN

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $2,455 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at CSUDH

#4 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,475 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

University of California - San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UCSD

University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $9,378 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Drama & Theater Arts Report

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 91%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Davis

#17

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

With a ranking of #17, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

WWU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $9,743 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WWU.

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%.

Full Western Washington University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $8,870 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Diego State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #19, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Drama & Theater Arts Report

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,819 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Sac State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Stanislaus

#22

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

With a ranking of #22, Southern Oregon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ashland, Oregon is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Oregon University is $7,293 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southern Oregon University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#23

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 145 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Southern California

#24

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. University of Alaska Fairbanks is a medium-sized school located in Fairbanks, Alaska that handed out 7 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Alaska Fairbanks is $7,133 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UAF

#25

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $10,872 for far western us region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz

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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.

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