2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You
Drama & Theater Arts is the #60 most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This report analyzed 100 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for theater students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named LaGuardia Community College the best value school in the Middle Atlantic Region for drama and theater arts students. Located in the city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public school with a fairly large student population.
LaGuardia undergraduate students pay an average of $8,098 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Finger Lakes Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Finger Lakes Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Canandaigua.
Finger Lakes Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,710 in tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 100 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SRU are $14,615 a year.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
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Out of the 100 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Graduate Center are $15,360 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, The Graduate Center is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Harrisburg Area Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at HACC are $9,818 a year.
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New York City College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, City Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
City Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $15,270 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from City Tech carry an average student debtload of $6,500.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.
WCUPA undergraduate students pay an average of $22,247 in tuition and fees each year.
WCUPA excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
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SUNY Fredonia came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the town of Fredonia, SUNY Fredonia is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Fredonia are $18,670 per year. While working on their degree, theater majors at SUNY Fredonia accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Lehman College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large city of Bronx, Lehman is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lehman are $15,360 per year.
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Indiana, IUP is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IUP are $18,897 per year.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
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SUNY Plattsburgh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. SUNY Plattsburgh is a small public school located in the distant town of Plattsburgh.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Plattsburgh are $18,841 per year.
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Purchase College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Purchase College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Purchase.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Purchase College are $18,863 a year. Theater majors at Purchase College take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $584.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Purchase College
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Salisbury University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the small suburb of Salisbury, Salisbury is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Salisbury are $20,458 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Salisbury also is in the top 20% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at Salisbury University Report
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With a ranking of #13, Towson University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Towson is a very large public school located in the city of Towson.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Towson are $25,516 a year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from Towson carry an average student debtload of $17,500.
In addition to its great value ranking, Towson is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
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Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Neighborhood Playhouse School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Neighborhood Playhouse School are $17,400 a year. On average, theater graduates from Neighborhood Playhouse School take out $16,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
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 in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem, PA |
| 17 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 17 | Hunter College | New York, NY |
| 19 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 20 | St Mary’s College of Maryland | St. Mary’s City, MD |
Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best drama and theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 754 |
| New York | 2,542 |
| Maryland | 179 |
| New Jersey | 210 |
| District of Columbia | 67 |
More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in the Middle Atlantic Region
Majors Related to Theater
Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related 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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