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2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia

11 Ranked Colleges
455 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia

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 in Virginia” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 17,341 people earned their degree in drama & theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, drama & 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 Virginia, there were 455 drama & theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,773 and $23,721 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in drama & theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama & theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the drama & theater arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia” list to help you make the college 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. 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 Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia theater students.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Virginia Theater students.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Virginia Tech

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. James Madison University is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 69 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

JMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,562 for virginia theater students per year to attend JMU.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at JMU

3
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Regent University landed the #3 spot on the list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Regent is $24,888 for virginia theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Regent University

4

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #4 spot on the list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,490 for virginia theater students per year to attend VCU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Drama & Theater Arts Report

5
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mary Baldwin University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia list. Mary Baldwin is a small school located in Staunton, Virginia that handed out 30 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Mary Baldwin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mary Baldwin is $18,354 for Virginia Theater students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Mary Baldwin

6
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 11 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $22,006 for Virginia Theater students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 97%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia

7
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion University is $17,204 for Virginia Theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Old Dominion University

8
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia ranking. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $19,551 for virginia theater students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at George Mason University

9
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Radford is $16,505 for virginia theater students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Radford University

10
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for virginia theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Liberty University

11
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Virginia list. Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winchester, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Shenandoah, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shenandoah is $30,878 for virginia theater students.

The low undergrad 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 Shenandoah University Drama & Theater Arts Report

Notes and References

References

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