WMU Department of Theatre

Deep Tuition Cuts for Out-of-state Students

After years of across-the-board tuition adjustments that left out-of-state students paying more than twice what Michigan students pay, Western Michigan University has capped nonresident tuition for future undergraduates in a way that will dramatically reduce the tuition bills for incoming nonresidents.

Basic, main-campus tuition rates for newly admitted nonresident students will be set at 1.25 times the rate that Michigan residents pay. That means that at 2017-18 basic tuition rates, annual tuition and required fees for a nonresident freshman or sophomore would be nearly cut in half—down to $15,536 from its current cost of $28,792. 

Create Your Career at WMU

WMU’s nationally award-winning Department of Theatre offers extensive onstage, offstage and behind the curtain training. The range of experiences to which you will be exposed is vast so that you can become the talented, vibrant, flexible theatre artist necessary in today’s field. Opportunities for participation in the production program begin during the freshman year. The department presents nine faculty-directed productions each season in three different theatres, which feature student designs in set, costumes, lighting and sound. Additional plays are presented in the laboratory theatre program and in the directing classes, providing even more opportunities for onstage experience and student directing through our Footlight productions.

So why choose WMU?

Here, you’re more than a student ID number. You are an individual—with talents and goals that we are eager to help you develop and explore. 

  • Conservatory-level training at a public university price.
  • Many production opportunities that put you to work right away.
  • Career building travel and study abroad opportunities.
  • Direct engagement with theatre, film and television professionals from around the world.

University Theatre productions are often recognized for their excellence. We have received top honors at the prestigious American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Alumni are regularly featured on Broadway, television, film and in regional theatres, and have received numerous Tony nominations.

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