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2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major

995 Ranked Colleges
11,385 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Theater Major

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 “Most Well Attended Theater Major” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 11,385 people earned their degree in theater arts, making the major the 70th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Theater Major” ranking looked at 995 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in theater arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful theater arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Well Attended Theater Major” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Theater Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Theater Major”.

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

Out of the 995 schools in the Most Well Attended Theater Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the #1 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 337 students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Theater Arts at NYU

2
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Theater Major. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 129 students in 2020-2021.

Full Texas State Theater Arts Report

3

Out of the 995 schools in the Most Well Attended Theater Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 117 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on Theater Arts at UC Irvine

4
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 114 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Florida State

5

Out of the 995 schools in the Most Well Attended Theater Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 113 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Cal State Fullerton

6
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Northwestern University Theater Arts Report

7

University of Central Florida ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major list. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad 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 UCF Theater Arts Report

8

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

9

California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 81 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at CSULB

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Northern Colorado did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. University of Northern Colorado is a public institution located in Greeley, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at University of Northern Colorado

11

Southern Oregon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking, coming in at #11. Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized public school situated in Ashland, Oregon. It awarded 72 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Theater Arts at Southern Oregon University

12
Muhlenberg crest
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #12, Muhlenberg College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. This small school is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 71 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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%.

Full Muhlenberg Theater Arts Report

13

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe

13

University of North Texas came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 70 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of North Texas Theater Arts Report

15
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Madison University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 69 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 Theater Arts at JMU

15

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

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

Full UMN Twin Cities Theater Arts Report

17

With a ranking of #17, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 68 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State University Theater Arts Report

18
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Theater Arts at NKU

18
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #18, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

Full UF Theater Arts Report

18
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 64 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at SDSU

21
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

With a ranking of #21, Montclair State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. Montclair, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 62 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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 more about Theater Arts at Montclair State

21

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 62 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Theater Arts Report

23

Savannah College of Art and Design ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major list. SCAD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Savannah, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 SCAD

24
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major ranking, coming in at #24. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Notre Dame

24

With a ranking of #24, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major list. UNC Greensboro is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Theater Arts at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Rest of the Best 53 in Most Well Attended Theater Major

Not only did these schools make the top 53 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
28
29
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
30
UNO crest
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
30
Citrus College crest
Citrus College
Glendora, California
32
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
32
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
34
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, Massachusetts
35
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
35
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, New York
37
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan
38
38
Wagner crest
Wagner College
Staten Island, New York
40
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
40
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas
40
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
40
SUNY New Paltz crest
SUNY New Paltz
New Paltz, New York
40
New School University crest
The New School
New York, New York
45
45
45
45
49
49
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York
49
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
49
KSU Georgia crest
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia
49

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Theater Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
54Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
54University of California - BerkeleyBerkeley, CA
54Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfield, MO
54Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
54Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
59Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY
59Regent UniversityVirginia Beach, VA
59University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
59Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
63University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
63LIU PostBrookville, NY
63University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
66The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
66Hofstra UniversityHempstead, NY
66University of Puerto Rico - Rio PiedrasSan Juan, PR
RankCollegeLocation
69University of IowaIowa City, IA
69California State University - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA
71University of Wisconsin - Stevens PointStevens Point, WI
71George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
71Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
71University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
71University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
71University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
77Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
77Hunter CollegeNew York, NY
77Cornish College of the ArtsSeattle, WA
77University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
77University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
77Millikin UniversityDecatur, IL
83California State Polytechnic University - PomonaPomona, CA
84Winthrop UniversityRock Hill, SC
84The University of MontanaMissoula, MT
86University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MS
86University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
88Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsville, TX
88Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
88Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA
88Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
88Northwestern State University of LouisianaNatchitoches, LA
88Queens CollegeQueens, NY
RankCollegeLocation
94Coastal Carolina UniversityConway, SC
95University of OregonEugene, OR
95Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC
95Molloy CollegeRockville Centre, NY
98University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
98University of KansasLawrence, KS
98California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
98Texas A&M University - CommerceCommerce, TX
98Moorpark CollegeMoorpark, CA
98Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI
104University of MemphisMemphis, TN
104University of IdahoMoscow, ID
104Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL
104University of North Carolina at WilmingtonWilmington, NC
104Stephen F Austin State UniversityNacogdoches, TX
104Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS
104University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC
111University of KentuckyLexington, KY
111LaGuardia Community CollegeLong Island City, NY
111East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC
111Chapman UniversityOrange, CA
111Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN
111Texas A&M University - Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX
111DeSales UniversityCenter Valley, PA
111SUNY FredoniaFredonia, NY
RankCollegeLocation
111Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
111The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
111University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC
122Towson UniversityTowson, MD
122Western Connecticut State UniversityDanbury, CT
122California State University - San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA
122University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI
122West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV
127Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica, CA
127Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC
127Dean CollegeFranklin, MA
127University of California - DavisDavis, CA
127Bowling Green State University - Main CampusBowling Green, OH
127Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA
127Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI
134California State University - FresnoFresno, CA
134Long Beach City CollegeLong Beach, CA
134University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
134University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
134University of Wisconsin - MadisonMadison, WI
134University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
140Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
140The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
140Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY
140Brown UniversityProvidence, RI
RankCollegeLocation
140Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
140Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT
146Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, NY
146East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park, CA
146Point Park UniversityPittsburgh, PA
146Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park, CA
146Suffolk County Community CollegeSelden, NY
146Cleveland State UniversityCleveland, OH
146Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
146University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
146Boston UniversityBoston, MA

Notes and References

References

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