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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

559 Ranked Colleges
13,307 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,307 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 559 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama and theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

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 For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Drama & Theater Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 26 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

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%.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Drama & Theater Arts Report

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 For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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%.

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

Out of the 559 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, New York City College of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. New York City College of Technology is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend City Tech is $3,667 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at City Tech

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 30 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW Seattle

#6

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

University of North Carolina School of the Arts ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNCSA also did well on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts is $13,885 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of North Carolina School of the Arts Drama & Theater Arts Report

#7

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. QC is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend QC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Queens College Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Florida Drama & Theater Arts Report

#9

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Berea College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Berea, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,184 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Berea.

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 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. 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Berea

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Stanford University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $11,496 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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. 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 University

#11

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Hunter College is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,490 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Hunter.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Hunter

#12

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

With a ranking of #12, Lehman College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Lehman College is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Lehman

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Drama & Theater Arts Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 14 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Madison also did well on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Madison

#15

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CCNY is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,385 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at The City College of New York

#16

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn College is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $2,683 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Brooklyn College

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at The University of Texas at Austin

#18

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 69 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $9,789 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Florida State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#19

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public school situated in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It awarded 12 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW - La Crosse is in the top on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

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 1.6% 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 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Drama & Theater Arts Report

#20

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 62 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

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.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UCLA

California State University - Northridge ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Northridge

#22

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $13,986 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

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 freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 California State University - Fresno Drama & Theater Arts Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. 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 also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 UC Irvine Drama & Theater Arts Report

Florida International University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida International University is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend Florida International University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at FIU

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#27

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#29

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#33

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#35

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#36

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#37

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#38

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#39

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas
#40

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York
#43

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#44

SUNY Fredonia

Fredonia, New York
#45

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#48

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#49

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
52 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
53 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
54 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
55 University of North Texas Denton, TX
56 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
56 Ball State University Muncie, IN
58 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
59 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
60 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
61 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
62 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
63 Towson University Towson, MD
64 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
65 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
Rank College Location
66 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
67 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
68 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
69 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
70 University of Houston Houston, TX
71 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
72 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
73 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
74 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
75 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
76 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
77 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
78 University of Georgia Athens, GA
79 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
80 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
81 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
82 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
83 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
84 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN

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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