2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 17,341 people earned a degree or certificate in drama and theater arts, making the major the #60 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 498 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for theater students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Drama & Theater Arts
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for drama and theater arts students. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year.
BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list.
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Out of the 498 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the # 2 spot on the list. BYU - I is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Rexburg.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent programs at University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in the United States. Located in the large city of San Juan, UPR Rio Piedras is a public college with a large student population.
UPR Rio Piedras undergraduate students pay an average of $4,940 in tuition and fees each year. Theater majors at UPR Rio Piedras take out an average of $5,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at LaGuardia Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in the United States. LaGuardia is a large public school located in the large city of Long Island City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LaGuardia are $8,098 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valencia College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Valencia College are $9,383 per year.
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KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. KD Conservatory is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Dallas.
KD Conservatory undergraduate students pay an average of $16,884 in tuition and fees each year. Theater majors at KD Conservatory take out an average of $19,062 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $165.
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John Tyler Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 a year.
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Western Carolina University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $8,367 per year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from WCU carry an average student debtload of $23,551. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $263.
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With a ranking of #9, Finger Lakes Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the rural area of Canandaigua, Finger Lakes Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Finger Lakes Community College are $6,710 per year.
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Minneapolis Community and Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College are $5,906 a year.
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Scottsdale Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Located in the rural area of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Scottsdale Community College are $7,854 a year.
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Winona State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Winona State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list.
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Sinclair Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Sinclair Community College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Dayton.
Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Sinclair Community College also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year.
North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNK are $15,320 a year.
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University of South Dakota ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
USD undergraduate students pay an average of $12,942 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of South Dakota Report
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Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSMU are $45,388 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MSMU also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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West Texas A&M University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. West Texas A&M University is a moderately-sized public school located in the fringe town of Canyon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 a year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at West Texas A&M University take out is $19,500.
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Slippery Rock.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, SRU also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #20, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. While working on their degree, theater majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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South Dakota State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at South Dakota State University Report
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National University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in tuition and fees each year.
National University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at National University Report
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The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools ranking. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Graduate Center are $15,360 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, The Graduate Center also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #24 on the list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
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With a ranking of #25, Austin Community College District did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Austin Community College District are $10,590 a year.
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Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 498 different United States drama and theater arts schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools award.
Drama & Theater Arts by Region
View the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings
Drama & Theater Arts Related Majors for Theater
One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Theater
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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