How much debt do University of Utah theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,316, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 theatre bachelor's programs in Utah. That works out to about $215 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from University of Utah worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 98% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Utah programs report higher pay.

Do University of Utah theatre graduates stay in Utah?

Most do. 51% (19 of 37) were working in Utah one year after graduating.

University of Utah Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Public university
Salt Lake City, UT
About 47 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Utah theatre graduates earn about what theatre graduates earn nationally, $20,701 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,316 in federal loans, less than at 81% of theatre programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying theatre degrees in Utah.

First-year earnings$20,70149th percentile of 257 programs nationally

Median federal debt$20,3164th lowest of 5 Utah programs

Debt-to-earnings98%Utah median 71%, national 115%

How it compares

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

	University of Utah	Utah	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,701	$23,341	$20,815
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,316	$19,284	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	98%	71%	115%
Programs compared		5	257

Debt and first-year pay at every Utah theatre program

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

University of UtahOther Utah programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $215 a month, or 12.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (33 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

51% of graduates (19 of 37) were working in Utah one year after graduating. Prices in the Salt Lake City area are about 1% above the national average, so a $20,701 salary here buys what about $20,523 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

$76,350

Median pay in Utah. 1,670 people work in this job in Utah. 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%: $36,500Top 10%: $168,140

Writers and Authors

$64,530

Median pay in Utah. 410 people work in this job in Utah. 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%: $36,260Top 10%: $101,460

About University of Utah

In-state tuition and fees	$9,620 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$30,860 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,200 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	27,264

Theatre ranks 50th of 50 bachelor's programs at University of Utah by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($90,282), Computer Engineering ($89,605), and Electrical Engineering ($75,654).

Other theatre bachelor's programs near Salt Lake City

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public		$20,701	$20,316
Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	34 mi	$23,896	$16,510
BYUProvo, UT · private nonprofit	37 mi	$21,047	$22,904

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,701 one year after graduating. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in Utah is $23,341.

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 Utah 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 Utah, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All University of Utah programs, ranked50 programs by pay and debt