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2023 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

11 Ranked Colleges
455 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $23,190 and had an average of $23,522 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 455 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,773 and $23,721 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $10,063 for virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 31 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,003 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Virginia Tech.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Virginia Tech

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #3 spot on the list. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,985 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at JMU

4
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Regent University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Regent not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Regent University is $20,707 for virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Regent

5
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $13,574 for virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Old Dominion.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Old Dominion University

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Radford also took the #10 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Radford is $13,026 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Radford

7

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 57 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,891 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend VCU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Drama & Theater Arts Report

8
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $15,979 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at George Mason University

9
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Mary Baldwin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Staunton, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Mary Baldwin also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $17,744 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mary Baldwin University.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Mary Baldwin

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Shenandoah is located in Winchester, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, Shenandoah has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shenandoah is $26,784 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Shenandoah University

11
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,251 for Virginia Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Liberty University.

Full Liberty University Drama & Theater Arts Report

Notes and References

References

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