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2023 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

442 Ranked Colleges
17,341 Degrees Awarded
$10,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, drama and 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.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 442 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

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.

Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 57 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #24 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for Theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $5,135 for Theater students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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

3
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hunter College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,158 for theater students with aid per year to attend Hunter College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Hunter

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 122 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Cal State Fullerton is in the top on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Fullerton

5
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid. The City College of New York is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 42 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,805 for theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at The City College of New York

6

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 26 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Drama & Theater Arts Report

7
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $3,067 for Theater students with aid.

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%.

Full Brooklyn College Drama & Theater Arts Report

8

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 37 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $3,302 for theater students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Los Angeles

9
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 121 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It costs about $9,946 for theater students with aid per year to attend Florida State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 Drama & Theater Arts at Florida State University

10
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for theater students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Purdue

11
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, Florida

With a ranking of #11, Valencia College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Valencia College is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 91 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Valencia College is $5,354 for theater students with aid.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Valencia College

12

New York City College of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York City College of Technology is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend City Tech is $4,120 for Theater students with aid.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at New York City College of Technology

13

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for Theater students with aid.

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

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UCLA

14

With a ranking of #14, University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a public institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNCSA excels when it comes to theater quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UNCSA is $13,276 for theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts

15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 72 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Drama & Theater Arts Report

16

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 102 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Austin also took the #17 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Drama & Theater Arts Report

17
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 60 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, IU Bloomington also did well on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $14,619 for Theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University - Bloomington

18

With a ranking of #18, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 129 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for Theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Irvine Drama & Theater Arts Report

19

University of California - San Diego landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 61 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD is also in the top of our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $15,240 for theater students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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 1.0% 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 more about Drama & Theater Arts at UCSD

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 26 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our theater students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,234 for Theater students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Madison

21

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,054 for Theater students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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%.

Full CSULB Drama & Theater Arts Report

22

University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNLV also claimed a top spot on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $10,993 for theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

23

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State Drama & Theater Arts Report

24
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 145 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Texas State is in the top on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,887 for Theater students with aid per year to attend Texas State University.

Full Texas State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

25

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 43 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC excels when it comes to theater quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $14,321 for theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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28
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
29
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Queens College
Queens, New York
30
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York
31
32
33
LaGuardia crest
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, New York
34
35
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University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
36
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39
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University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
39
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45
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University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
46
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49
SUNY Fredonia crest
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, New York
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Theater Schools For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
51 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
53 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
54 Towson University Towson, MD
55 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
56 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
57 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
58 University of North Texas Denton, TX
59 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
60 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
61 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
62 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
63 Ball State University Muncie, IN
64 Florida International University Miami, FL
65 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
Rank College Location
66 Purchase College Purchase, NY
67 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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