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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

45 Ranked Colleges
1,609 Degrees Awarded
$17,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

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 California, there were 3,227 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,531 and $31,651 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,609 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent drama and theater arts 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 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,631 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Stanford University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $9,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 107 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,916 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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%. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at Cal State Fullerton

#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 California For Those Making $75-$110k 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 California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $19,590 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $14,544 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Long Beach

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,819 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Fresno State.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

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

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $10,904 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at CSUDH

California State University - Northridge came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $15,346 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $17,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#4 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $22,585 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#11

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $21,401 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at UC Berkeley

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 85 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $19,851 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UC Irvine

University of California - San Diego ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $20,205 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UCSD

#14

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,611 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend CSUSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at CSUSB

#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 California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $22,226 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UCSB

California State University - Sacramento landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $15,812 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 5 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $12,381 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at Stan State

With a ranking of #18, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $17,944 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Drama & Theater Arts Report

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #19. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $18,766 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at San Diego State University

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #20. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $19,805 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend San Jose State.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at San Jose State

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #21, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $21,027 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full San Francisco State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

California State University - East Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $17,710 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - East Bay

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $22,739 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

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

California State University - Chico ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 15 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,444 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Chico State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Chico State Drama & Theater Arts Report

#25

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #25, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $21,753 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full SSU Drama & Theater Arts Report

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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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