Post job
Major best colleges logo
Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for theatre Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for theatre Majors in US for 2021:
  1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  2. Northwestern University
  3. University of Notre Dame
  4. University of Florida
  5. University of California - Los Angeles
  6. University of Virginia
  7. College of William and Mary
  8. SUNY at Binghamton
  9. University of Southern California
  10. Brown University
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

25 best colleges for theatre majors in the US

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,900

2. Northwestern University

Location
Evanston, IL
Admission rate: 8%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $71,900

3. University of Notre Dame

Location
Notre Dame, IN
Admission rate: 18%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $69,700

4. University of Florida

Location
Gainesville, FL
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,700

5. University of California - Los Angeles

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 14%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,000

6. University of Virginia

Location
Charlottesville, VA
Admission rate: 26%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $56,800

7. College of William and Mary

Location
Williamsburg, VA
Admission rate: 37%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,400

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Location
Vestal, NY
Admission rate: 40%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,700

9. University of Southern California

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 13%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,400

10. Brown University

Location
Providence, RI
Admission rate: 8%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $64,800

11. Dartmouth College

Location
Hanover, NH
Admission rate: 9%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $74,600

12. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,900

13. University of California, Irvine

Location
Irvine, CA
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $44,300

14. University of Connecticut

Location
Storrs, CT
Admission rate: 49%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,800

15. Wesleyan University

Location
Middletown, CT
Admission rate: 17%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,400

16. University of Texas at Austin

Location
Austin, TX
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,200

17. Loyola Marymount University

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $53,000

18. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Location
Minneapolis, MN
Admission rate: 52%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,000

19. James Madison University

Location
Harrisonburg, VA
Admission rate: 71%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,100

20. University of California, Santa Barbara

Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Admission rate: 32%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $42,800

21. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Location
Madison, WI
Admission rate: 52%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,600

22. Stanford University

Location
Stanford, CA
Admission rate: 4%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $92,800

23. Colgate University

Location
Hamilton, NY
Admission rate: 25%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,300

24. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
Admission rate: 30%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,700

25. Wake Forest University

Location
Winston-Salem, NC
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $62,900

How we determined the best theatre colleges

We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what theatre departments offer the best career opportunities:
  • Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
  • Mean Earnings After 10 Years
  • Mean Earnings After 6 Years
  • Admission Rate (More selective the better)
  • Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
  • Median amount of debt
  • Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years