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

13 Ranked Colleges
336 Degrees Awarded
$20,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 423 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $19,071 and $29,159 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 336 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Virginia” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia

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

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,198 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students.

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%. 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 Virginia Tech

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 55 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $22,169 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 89%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at James Madison University

#3

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $20,397 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $21,048 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at George Mason University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

VCU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $22,021 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students per year to attend VCU.

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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at VCU

#6

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

Radford University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Radford is a fairly large school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 19 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,447 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students per year to attend Radford University.

Full Radford Drama & Theater Arts Report

#7

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Old Dominion also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,493 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend Old Dominion.

Full Old Dominion University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

William & Mary landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at William & Mary

#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Liberty University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Liberty University

#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Regent is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 4 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $15,267 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend Regent.

Full Regent Drama & Theater Arts Report

#11

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #11. Shenandoah University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winchester, Virginia. It awarded 39 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Shenandoah did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $27,124 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students per year to attend Shenandoah University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Shenandoah University

#12

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Bridgewater College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Bridgewater College is located in Bridgewater, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Bridgewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater is $17,929 for virginia bachelor’s degree theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Bridgewater

#13

Hollins University

Roanoke, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Hollins University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Hollins University is a small school located in Roanoke, Virginia that handed out 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Hollins also took the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hollins University is $20,603 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Theater students.

The 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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Hollins

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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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