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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

40 Ranked Colleges
1,149 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Theater Arts is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,941 theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,149 theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 40 colleges that offered a degree in theater arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent theater arts programs, but they also cost less that 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 theater arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank 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 California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theater Arts in California (With Aid)

#21 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA 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 also took the #21 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Theater Arts Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Stanford University

#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #14 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 full report on Theater Arts at Cal State Fullerton

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 62 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 96%.

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

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 53 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The low 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 Theater Arts at California State University - Northridge

California State University - Fresno landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

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.

Read more about Theater Arts at California State University - Fresno

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 full report on Theater Arts at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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 full report on Theater Arts at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#16 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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%. 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 full report on Theater Arts at CSULB

#11 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Theater Arts Report

#11

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 26 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

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

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Theater Arts Report

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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 full report on Theater Arts at California State University - Sacramento

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#9 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Theater Arts at UCSB

#4 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. 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.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Theater Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#15

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

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 Theater Arts at California State University - Stanislaus

#17

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#22 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid list, SDSU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Read more about Theater Arts at San Diego State University

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

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%. 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 UC Davis Theater Arts Report

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#20 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Full San Francisco State University Theater Arts Report

California State University - East Bay ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 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 with aid.

Read more about Theater Arts at California State University - East Bay

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#15 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 San Jose State Theater Arts Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

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

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#17 in overall quality

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 For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #17 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Theater Arts Report

#24

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#23 in overall quality

Sonoma State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend SSU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at SSU

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

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

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Theater Arts Report

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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