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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in New Jersey

12 Ranked Colleges
221 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in New Jersey

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 New Jersey” ranking.

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 New Jersey, there were 241 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $18,120 and $23,756 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 221 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,288 and $24,807 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey” ranking looked at 12 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.

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 in New Jersey” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 in New Jersey

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

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in New Jersey

#1

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey list. This large school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick also took the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $21,654 for new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Rutgers New Brunswick Drama & Theater Arts Report

#2

Montclair State University

Montclair, New Jersey

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Montclair State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey list. Montclair State is a large school located in Montclair, New Jersey that handed out 71 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students list, Montclair State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Montclair State is $18,034 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The low 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%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Montclair State University

#3

Rowan University

Glassboro, New Jersey

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Rowan University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Glassboro, New Jersey, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Rowan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Rowan is $25,454 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Rowan

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, New Jersey Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. New Jersey Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Newark, New Jersey that handed out 4 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

NJIT also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $19,706 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend NJIT.

The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. 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 New Jersey Institute of Technology

#5

Kean University

Union, New Jersey

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Kean University landed the #5 spot on the list. Kean is a fairly large public school situated in Union, New Jersey. It awarded 21 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kean, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $18,604 for new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students per year to attend Kean University.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Kean University

#6

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Mahwah, New Jersey

Ramapo College of New Jersey landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey ranking. Ramapo College of New Jersey is located in Mahwah, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students list, Ramapo College has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ramapo College of New Jersey is $21,729 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at Ramapo College of New Jersey

#7

Rutgers University - Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Rutgers University - Newark came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey ranking. This fairly large school is located in Newark, New Jersey, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers Newark not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers Newark is $14,109 for new jersey 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 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Rutgers University - Newark Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

Rutgers University - Camden

Camden, New Jersey

Rutgers University - Camden ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey list. Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized school located in Camden, New Jersey that handed out 5 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers Camden, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - Camden is $13,660 for new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Rutgers University - Camden

#9

Drew University

Madison, New Jersey

With a ranking of #9, Drew University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey list. Located in Madison, New Jersey, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Drew also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Drew University is $25,386 for new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Drew

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #10. Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus is a private not-for-profit institution located in Madison, New Jersey. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FDU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus is $22,809 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

Full Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report

#11

Seton Hall University

South Orange, New Jersey
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Seton Hall University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey list. This medium-sized school is located in South Orange, New Jersey, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Seton Hall also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Seton Hall is $29,845 for New Jersey Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Seton Hall University

#12

Rider University

Lawrenceville, New Jersey
#10 in overall quality

Rider University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Rider did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Rider is $27,964 for new jersey bachelor’s degree theater students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Rider

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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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