2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 18,124 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $21,403 and had an average of $26,932 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,227 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,531 and $31,651 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,609 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great drama and theater arts programs and 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 drama and theater arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid list, Cal State LA has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & 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 University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 107 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Fullerton
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 62 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
Out of the 45 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, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 53 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
CSUN also took the #20 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge 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 Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Northridge
California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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%.
University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 41 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB 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 low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
With a ranking of #14, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Drama & Theater Arts Report
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
The low 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
San Diego State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend San Diego State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at San Diego State University
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 located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Davis
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 40 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Cal State East Bay
With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #22 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 Pomona, California, and 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 Cal Poly Pomona.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #19 spot in our “Best Drama & 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid list, SSU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.
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%.
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. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full California State University - Chico Drama & Theater Arts Report
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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