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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

12 Colleges
$16,875 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,773 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You

With 455 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, drama and theater arts is the #62 most popular major in Virginia.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Virginia 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found John Tyler Community College to be the best value school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at John Tyler Community College are $4,800 per year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at John Tyler Community College

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#2

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $14,174 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Virginia Tech Report

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#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA
$12,638 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 3 spot on the list. JMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year. While working on their degree, theater majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $482.

In addition to its great value ranking, JMU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at James Madison University Report

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#4

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Old Dominion University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in Virginia. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Old Dominion are $10,800 a year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Old Dominion take out is $26,000.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Old Dominion University

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#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year. Theater majors at GMU take out an average of $26,851 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

Full Drama & Theater Arts at George Mason University Report

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#6

Radford University

Radford, VA
$11,542 Average Tuition & Fees

Radford University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list. Radford is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.

Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $11,542 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, theater majors at Radford accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Radford University Report

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$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year.

University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list.

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#8

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA
$18,820 Average Tuition & Fees

Regent University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia ranking. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Regent are $18,820 a year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Regent University

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$15,028 Average Tuition & Fees

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a very large student population.

VCU undergraduate students pay an average of $15,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from VCU take out $21,475 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

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#10

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

Liberty University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year.

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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 453
North Carolina 498
Florida 656
Tennessee 203
Kentucky 181
South Carolina 175
Louisiana 168
Arkansas 97
Alabama 147
Mississippi 64
West Virginia 49

One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 12 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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