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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

45 Ranked Colleges
1,609 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 18,124 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. 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” ranking, we looked at 45 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 for a Bachelor’s in California”.

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. 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

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Drama & Theater Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 53 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #20 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 78 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

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

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

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 62 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 107 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #14 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Drama & Theater Arts Report

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Fresno State Drama & Theater Arts Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Francisco State University 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 also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at San Jose State

University of California - Irvine came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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 also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

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%. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Irvine

#10

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SSU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Sonoma State University

#11

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #11. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - San Diego landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 47 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students list, UCSD has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

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

Full UCSD Drama & Theater Arts Report

With a ranking of #13, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 15 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Cal State East Bay

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Drama & Theater Arts Report

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Chico State

California State University - Sacramento came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Sacramento, 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.

It costs about $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree theater students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

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

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Cal Poly Pomona

#18

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #18, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Drama & Theater Arts Report

#19

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

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. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree theater students per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Berkeley

University of California - Davis landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students list, UC Davis has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 UC Davis

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #21, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. 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 San Diego State University

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #22. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at CSUDH

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

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

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #24. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

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 low 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Stan State

#25

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree theater students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Humboldt State 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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