2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid
23
Ranked Colleges
762
Degrees Awarded
$25,400
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” 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 Pennsylvania, there were 762 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,598 and $26,648 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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
The theater school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid”.
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. 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 in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Pennsylvania (With Aid)
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Pitt is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 15 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,058 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 11 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
SRU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is $19,927 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full SRU Drama & Theater Arts Report
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northampton County Area Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Northampton County Area Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Northampton Community College also took the #23 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northampton Community College is $9,162 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northampton Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 74 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $36,775 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Carnegie Mellon
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the #5 spot on the list. Temple is a large public school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 94 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania theater students with aid list, Temple has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Temple is $23,888 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Temple
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 18 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
WCUPA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for WCUPA is $21,484 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Lafayette College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Lafayette College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania theater students with aid list, Lafayette has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $32,926 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid per year to attend Lafayette College.
The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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%.
Full Lafayette College Drama & Theater Arts Report
Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Harrisburg Area Community College is a public institution located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at HACC, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $11,608 for pennsylvania theater students with aid per year to attend Harrisburg Area Community College.
Full HACC Drama & Theater Arts Report
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bloomsburg, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bloomsburg is $20,639 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $25,046 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 impressive undergraduate 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.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Pennsylvania
Point Park University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.
Point Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $21,600 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid per year to attend Point Park.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Point Park Drama & Theater Arts Report
California University of Pennsylvania came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. California University of Pennsylvania is located in California, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Cal U also took the #21 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California University of Pennsylvania is $19,117 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Full California University of Pennsylvania Drama & Theater Arts Report
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus is a public institution located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
IUP also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for IUP is $22,828 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Millersville is a medium-sized school located in Millersville, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Millersville also took the #17 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millersville is $23,133 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Drama & Theater Arts Report
Albright College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Albright is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Reading, Pennsylvania. It awarded 10 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Albright also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Albright is $19,427 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Albright College
York College of Pennsylvania landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. York College of Pennsylvania is a small school located in York, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at YCP, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend YCP is $22,233 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at York College of Pennsylvania
Messiah University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. Messiah is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Messiah not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $26,864 for pennsylvania theater students with aid per year to attend Messiah.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Messiah University
Muhlenberg College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Muhlenberg College is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Muhlenberg, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $29,936 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid per year to attend Muhlenberg College.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 Muhlenberg College Drama & Theater Arts Report
Susquehanna University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Susquehanna is located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Susquehanna also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Susquehanna University is $25,396 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Susquehanna University Drama & Theater Arts Report
DeSales University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking. DeSales University is located in Center Valley, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
DeSales did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for DeSales University is $29,547 for Pennsylvania Theater students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at DeSales
Duquesne University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Duquesne not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $31,383 for pennsylvania theater students with aid per year to attend Duquesne University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Duquesne
With a ranking of #22, Villanova University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Villanova also took the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova University is $43,577 for pennsylvania theater students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Villanova Drama & Theater Arts Report
The University of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. UArts is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $39,564 for pennsylvania theater students with aid per year to attend The University of the Arts.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 The University of the Arts
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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
- *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.
Credits
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