by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 11,385 people earned their degree in theater arts, making the major the 70th most popular in the United States.
Across the New England region, there were 654 theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region” ranking looked at 33 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Salem State is a medium-sized school located in Salem, Massachusetts that handed out 20 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Salem State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Salem State is $19,017 for New England Region Theater students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region. Bridgewater State is a medium-sized school located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts that handed out 11 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Bridgewater State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $18,951 for new england region theater students per year to attend Bridgewater State University.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gordon College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Located in Wenham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gordon College, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gordon College is $25,748 for New England Region Theater students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Out of the 33 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern Maine landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Southern Maine is located in Portland, Maine and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Maine is $12,055 for New England Region Theater students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at University of Southern Maine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Connecticut State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region. Danbury, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region theater students list, WestConn has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $18,166 for new england region theater students per year to attend Western Connecticut State University.
Read more about Theater Arts at Western Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Willimantic, Connecticut, and it awarded 20 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
ECSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $19,290 for new england region theater students per year to attend ECSU.
Rhode Island College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Rhode Island College is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 24 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
RIC also made our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for RIC is $12,144 for New England Region Theater students.
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 23 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $22,038 for new england region theater students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Connecticut landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Located in Storrs, Connecticut, this large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
UCONN also took the #3 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Connecticut is $22,974 for new england region theater students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Central Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. This medium-sized school is located in New Britain, Connecticut, and it awarded 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend CCSU is $16,723 for new england region theater students.
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is located in Durham, New Hampshire and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our new england region theater students list, UNH has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is $24,160 for New England Region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern Connecticut State University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Southern Connecticut State University is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $20,830 for New England Region Theater students per year to attend SCSU.
Read full report on Theater Arts at Southern Connecticut State University
University of Rhode Island ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. University of Rhode Island is a fairly large school located in Kingston, Rhode Island that handed out 25 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Rhode Island is $18,638 for New England Region Theater students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Maine did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #14. University of Maine is a fairly large school located in Orono, Maine that handed out 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,033 for New England Region Theater students per year to attend University of Maine.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Massachusetts - Boston came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston is $17,752 for New England Region Theater students.
Read more about Theater Arts at University of Massachusetts - Boston
With a ranking of #16, Clark University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Clark, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Clark University is $27,233 for new england region 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 undergrad 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 undergraduate 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.
Sacred Heart University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Sacred Heart University is a medium-sized school located in Fairfield, Connecticut that handed out 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Sacred Heart also made our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $42,431 for New England Region Theater students per year to attend Sacred Heart University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Suffolk University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #18. Suffolk is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Suffolk did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $30,995 for new england region theater students per year to attend Suffolk University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Vermont landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Located in Burlington, Vermont, this fairly large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Vermont is $19,509 for New England Region Theater students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad 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%.
Dean College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Franklin, Massachusetts, and it awarded 24 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $30,667 for new england region theater students per year to attend Dean College.
Emerson College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region list. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Emerson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Emerson is $45,171 for new england region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Williams College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Williams also took the #10 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $23,497 for New England Region Theater students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Boston University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #23. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $30,395 for new england region theater students.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Tufts University landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Tufts also took the #8 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $37,494 for new england region theater students per year to attend Tufts University.
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 impressive undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Smith College landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in the New England Region ranking. Smith College is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Smith also took the #15 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $29,615 for New England Region Theater students per year to attend Smith.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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