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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

100 Colleges
$17,675 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$22,615 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for theater majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

LaGuardia Community College

Long Island City, NY
$8,098 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found LaGuardia Community College to be the best value school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public school with a large student population.

LaGuardia undergraduate students pay an average of $8,098 in tuition and fees each year.

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$6,710 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Finger Lakes Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s 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.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Finger Lakes Community College Report

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.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Graduate Center are $15,360 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Graduate Center also is in the top 10% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY

$9,818 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Harrisburg Area Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a fairly 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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$15,270 Average Tuition & Fees

New York City College of Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, City Tech is a public school with a 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at New York City College of Technology

West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCUPA are $22,247 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, WCUPA also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

#8

SUNY Fredonia

Fredonia, NY
$18,670 Average Tuition & Fees

SUNY Fredonia landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Located in the distant town of Fredonia, SUNY Fredonia is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SUNY Fredonia are $18,670 a 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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#9

Lehman College

Bronx, NY
$15,360 Average Tuition & Fees

Lehman College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Bronx, Lehman is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lehman are $15,360 per year.

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$18,897 Average Tuition & Fees

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. 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

#11

SUNY Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY
$18,841 Average Tuition & Fees

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 town of Plattsburgh.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Plattsburgh are $18,841 per year.

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#12

Purchase College

Purchase, NY
$18,863 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #12, Purchase College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Purchase College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Purchase.

Purchase College undergraduate students pay an average of $18,863 in tuition and fees each 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.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Purchase College Report

#13

Towson University

Towson, MD

Towson University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the city of Towson.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Towson are $25,516 per year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from Towson carry an average student debtload of $17,500.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Towson also is in the top 20% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Towson University

#13

Salisbury University

Salisbury, MD

Salisbury University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the suburb of Salisbury, Salisbury is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Salisbury undergraduate students pay an average of $20,458 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Salisbury 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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$17,400 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater

Additional 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 schools 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

Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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