How much debt do Montclair State theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,022, which ranks 4th lowest of 6 theatre bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from Montclair State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 135% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

Montclair State Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Montclair State theatre graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 76% (64 of 84) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Public university
Montclair, NJ
About 68 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Montclair State theatre graduates earn about what theatre graduates earn nationally, $18,474 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,022 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Two other New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$18,47428th percentile of 257 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,76894% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0224th lowest of 6 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings135%New Jersey median 135%, national 115%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New Jersey and national columns are the medians across all theatre bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Montclair State	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$18,474	$17,570	$20,815
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,768	$35,768	$34,512
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,022	$25,022	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	135%	135%	115%
Programs compared		6	257

Five years out, Montclair State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey theatre program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New Jersey medians.

Montclair StateOther New Jersey programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 94% between the first and fifth year.

Montclair State grads, year 1$18,474

Montclair State grads, year 5$35,768

All New Jersey theatre grads, year 5$35,768

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $27,000 against $20,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$22,498Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$17,697Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 17.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (65 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $23,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (64 of 84) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $18,474 salary here buys what about $16,412 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to theatre, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$119,840

Median pay in New Jersey. 2,970 people work in this job in New Jersey. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $62,310Top 10%: $206,770

Writers and Authors

$81,590

Median pay in New Jersey. 1,180 people work in this job in New Jersey. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,770Top 10%: $128,820

About Montclair State

In-state tuition and fees	$15,912 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$26,022 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,566 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	18,376

Theatre ranks 40th of 40 bachelor's programs at Montclair State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($104,219), Accounting ($56,917), and Chemistry ($55,389).

Other theatre bachelor's programs near Montclair

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public		$18,474	$25,022
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan CampusTeaneck, NJ · private nonprofit	9 mi	$16,666	$25,139
American Musical and Dramatic AcademyNew York, NY · private nonprofit	13 mi	$17,410	$27,000
Manhattan School of MusicNew York, NY · private nonprofit	13 mi	$29,400	$27,000
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	13 mi	$15,098	$17,739
The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit	14 mi	$17,113	$25,000
Drew UniversityMadison, NJ · private nonprofit	14 mi	$13,710	$27,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	14 mi	$20,916	$21,762
Marymount Manhattan CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	14 mi	$19,562	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $18,474 one year after graduating and $35,768 five years after. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $17,570.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of New Jersey comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the theatre program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Theatre bachelor's programs in New Jersey, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All Montclair State programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt