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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$20,095 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$20,105 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You

With 210 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, drama and theater arts is the #80 most popular major in New Jersey.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 10 schools in New Jersey 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.

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. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
$13,298 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Montclair State University the best value school in New Jersey for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Montclair State are $13,298 a year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Montclair State take out is $26,949. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.

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$18,016 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New Jersey Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. NJIT is a large public school located in the large city of Newark.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NJIT are $18,016 per year.

NJIT excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list.

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$14,952 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ramapo College of New Jersey is a great value for drama and theater arts students. Ramapo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Mahwah.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ramapo College are $14,952 per year. Theater majors at Ramapo College take out an average of $20,422 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

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$15,208 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rutgers University - Newark. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Rutgers Newark is a large public school located in the city of Newark.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rutgers Newark are $15,208 per year. Theater majors at Rutgers Newark take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Rutgers Newark also took the #5 spot in our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey rankings.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Rutgers University - Newark Report

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#5

Kean University

Union, NJ
$12,595 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Kean University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Located in the large suburb of Union, Kean is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Kean are $12,595 a year. Theater majors at Kean take out an average of $23,875 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$15,657 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Rutgers University - Camden did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Camden.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rutgers Camden are $15,657 per year. On average, theater graduates from Rutgers Camden take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Rutgers University - Camden Report

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#7

Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ
$14,376 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Rowan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Rowan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Glassboro.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Rowan are $14,376 a year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Rowan take out is $25,494.

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$15,804 Average Tuition & Fees

Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public school located in the small city of New Brunswick.

Rutgers New Brunswick undergraduate students pay an average of $15,804 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from Rutgers New Brunswick take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#9

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ
$35,850 Average Tuition & Fees

Rider University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Rider undergraduate students pay an average of $35,850 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Rider also claimed a spot on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Rider University Report

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$40,054 Average Tuition & Fees

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Madison.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FDU are $40,054 per year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from FDU carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Report

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

Explore all the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 754
New York 2,542
Maryland 179
District of Columbia 67

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

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 10 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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