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Drew University in Madison has the No. 8 college theater program in the country, according to The Princeton Review’s Best College Theater ranking in the 2027 edition of The Best 392 Colleges. Drew is the only New Jersey school in the top 25.
The Princeton Review bases the theater ranking on student ratings of their campus theater productions. Drew finished ahead of several well known theater schools, including New York University (No. 9), Northwestern University (No. 10), Ithaca College (No. 13) and Carnegie Mellon University (No. 15).
The top 10
Elon University is No. 1, followed by Wagner College (2), SUNY Purchase College (3), Bennington College (4), Muhlenberg College (5), Emerson College (6), Wesleyan University (7), Drew University (8), New York University (9) and Northwestern University (10).
The list leans heavily toward the Northeast. Eight of the top 10 programs are in New York, New England, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, which means Drew is competing directly with schools like Wagner, Purchase, Muhlenberg and Emerson for the same pool of theater students. Lafayette College (No. 16) and Sacred Heart University (No. 24) are the other nearby schools in the top 25.
Ranks 11 through 25
Sarah Lawrence College is No. 11, followed by the University of Mary Washington (12), Ithaca College (13), Denison University (14), Carnegie Mellon University (15), Lafayette College (16), Oberlin College (17), High Point University (18), Rollins College (19), Nazareth University (20), Chapman University (21), Loyola Marymount University (22), Butler University (23), Sacred Heart University (24) and Florida Southern College (25).
A small school with a big stage
Drew is a private university at 36 Madison Avenue in Madison with 1,611 undergraduates and a 12 to 1 student to faculty ratio, according to its Princeton Review profile. The same profile lists Drew among The Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges, Best Northeast colleges and Colleges That Create Futures.
The campus is also home to a professional stage. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, the main stage of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, “sits on the campus of Drew University,” according to the Shakespeare Theatre’s venues page, with its box office at the same 36 Madison Avenue address. Drew and the Shakespeare Theatre announced a spring 2026 collaboration for the campus community.
A long run on the list
Drew says it has been named to The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges list every year since 1992, according to the university’s Aug. 18, 2026 announcement. Only 392 colleges appear in the 2027 book, and a top 10 finish for a single program puts Drew in rare company.
For more on Morris County’s colleges, see our complete guide to North Jersey colleges and universities, and plan a night out around a show with our local’s guide to Madison.
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