2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 18,124 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Southwest region, there were 1,377 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,362 and $23,453 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 48 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #14 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for southwest region theater students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 55 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $18,023 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Woman’s University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
TWU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Woman’s University is $9,617 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Texas Woman’s University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Texas A&M University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. West Texas A&M University is a fairly large school located in Canyon, Texas that handed out 20 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region theater students with aid list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at West Texas A&M University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is a small school located in Chickasha, Oklahoma that handed out 7 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,607 for southwest region theater students with aid per year to attend University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Texas State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas State is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 150 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $15,230 for southwest region theater students with aid.
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 62 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UNT also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UNT is $15,086 for southwest region 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.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Texas
Austin Community College District ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Austin Community College District is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 3 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,861 for southwest region theater students with aid per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Austin Community College District
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,920 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.
Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school awarded 55 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
SHSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $14,617 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid.
Stephen F Austin State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.
SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,723 for southwest region theater students with aid per year to attend SFASU.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Stephen F Austin State University
With a ranking of #12, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.
UH also took the #10 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $12,838 for southwest region theater students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Texas Tech University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $17,571 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid per year to attend Texas Tech.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Scottsdale Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,397 for southwest region theater students with aid per year to attend Scottsdale Community College.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Scottsdale Community College
With a ranking of #15, Central New Mexico Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 5 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Central New Mexico Community College is $3,429 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Central New Mexico Community College
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 60 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region theater students with aid list, University of Arizona has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,016 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid per year to attend University of Arizona.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Arizona
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 69 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $11,706 for southwest region theater students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and it awarded 26 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is $16,332 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
OSU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,648 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Northeastern State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern State University is $9,994 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 18 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce is $13,017 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Texas A&M University - Commerce
Estrella Mountain Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Avondale, Arizona, this medium-sized public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Estrella Mountain Community College is $9,200 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Estrella Mountain Community College
Mesa Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mesa Community College is located in Mesa, Arizona and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Mesa Community College is $9,669 for southwest region theater students with aid.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Mesa Community College
New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $8,659 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at New Mexico State University - Main Campus
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNM is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 24 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNM is $14,446 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid.
Tarleton State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Stephenville, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region theater students with aid list, Tarleton has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton is $18,979 for Southwest Region Theater students with aid.
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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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