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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

9 Ranked Colleges
128 Degrees Awarded
$18,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Iowa, there were 157 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,125 and $25,784 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 128 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UNI also took the #5 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $10,757 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNI.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UNI

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $12,975 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Iowa.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Iowa

#3

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grinnell College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Grinnell College is located in Grinnell, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Grinnell has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $11,945 for iowa bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grinnell.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Grinnell Drama & Theater Arts Report

#4

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coe College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Coe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $14,590 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Coe College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Coe

#5

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Luther College landed the #5 spot on the list. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Luther not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $16,636 for Iowa 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%.

Full Luther Drama & Theater Arts Report

#6

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Clarke University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Clarke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $32,534 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Clarke.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Clarke

#7

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Grand View University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grand View University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Grand View University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $18,481 for iowa bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Grand View University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

Drake also took the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drake is $25,212 for Iowa 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Drake

#9

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for St. Ambrose University is $23,977 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at St. Ambrose University

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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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