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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey

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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.

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey

Check out the theater programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
$13,298 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Montclair State University to be the best value school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in New Jersey. 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 be in good company if you decide to attend New Jersey Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. NJIT is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Newark.

NJIT undergraduate students pay an average of $18,016 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, NJIT also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology Report

$14,952 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Ramapo College of New Jersey landed the # 3 spot on the list. Ramapo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, Ramapo College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey list.

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$15,208 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rutgers University - Newark is a great value for drama and theater arts students. Rutgers Newark is a large public school located in the city of Newark.

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

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Rutgers Newark is ranked #5 for overall quality for theater in New Jersey.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Rutgers University - Newark Report

#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 college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kean are $12,595 per 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 city of Camden.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Rutgers Camden are $15,657 a 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

#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 fairly large public school located in the suburb of Glassboro.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rowan are $14,376 per 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 landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public school located in the 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

#9

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ
$35,850 Average Tuition & Fees

Rider University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Rider are $35,850 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Rider 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.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Rider University Report

$40,054 Average Tuition & Fees

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

FDU undergraduate students pay an average of $40,054 in in-state tuition and fees each 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

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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