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2026 Best Value Musical Theater Schools in Washington

[Musical Theater](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/drama-and-theater-arts/musical-theater/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for musical theater students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Musical Theater Schools in Washington

2026 Best Value Musical Theater Schools in Washington

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the musical theater degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Musical Theater Schools

1

Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA

$9,417 In-State Tuition & Fees

$24,752 Avg Student Debt

$61,580 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in musical theater, no school beat Central Washington University this year. Central Washington University is a very large public school located in the town of Ellensburg. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,417, compared with $27,526 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for musical theater graduates is $24,752. Soon after graduation, musical theater degree recipients from Central Washington University generally make around $24,674. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Central Washington University admits about 91% of applicants.

2

Cornish College Of The Arts
Seattle, WA

$41,684 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,000 Avg Student Debt

$33,696 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Cornish College Of The Arts earned it the #2 place for musical theater. Located in the city of Seattle, Cornish College Of The Arts is a small private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $41,684 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for musical theater graduates is $27,000. Early-career musical theater graduates make about $19,045. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 62%.

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.