2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Theater Arts is the 69th most popular major in the country with 11,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across California, there were 1,941 theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,149 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 Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 40 colleges that offer a degree 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the 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 a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low 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%.
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 62 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 University of California - Irvine
University of California - Berkeley landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,130 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read more about Theater Arts at California State University - Fresno
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUDH.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Theater Arts at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
CSULB also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge Theater Arts Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at University of California - San Diego
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 Making $30-$48k ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
University of California - Davis landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Theater Arts Report
San Diego State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stan State 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 estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,958 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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.
Sac State also made our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Theater Arts at California State University - Sacramento
Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Occidental College is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oxy, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,662 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oxy.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 49 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 91%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #21, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $11,793 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 85%.
Read more about Theater Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz
San Francisco State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
California State University - East Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $8,891 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Theater Arts at California State University - East Bay
San Jose State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, San Jose State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Jose State University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 #25 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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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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