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2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

15 Ranked Colleges
193 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 1,944 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 319th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 214 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 193 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in acting. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great acting programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the acting program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The acting school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Acting in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 10 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students list, WMU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students per year to attend Western Michigan University.

Full WMU Acting Report

#2

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 5 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Purdue Acting Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UC is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Acting Report

#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wright State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Wright State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,823 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

Read full report on Acting at Wright State University - Main Campus

#5

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oakland University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s acting students in 2019-2020.

Oakland also took the #11 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,802 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students per year to attend Oakland University.

Read full report on Acting at Oakland University

#6

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio
#3 in overall quality

Otterbein University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Westerville, Ohio, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Otterbein also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Otterbein is $23,386 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at Otterbein

#14 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 9 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $22,906 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students per year to attend OHIO Athens.

Full OHIO Athens Acting Report

#8

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $25,634 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley Acting Report

#9

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 60 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #9 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

Read full report on Acting at Columbia

#12 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at UIC

#6 in overall quality

Baldwin Wallace University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Berea, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

Baldwin Wallace College also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Baldwin Wallace College is $22,917 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Baldwin Wallace College Acting Report

#12

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Roosevelt University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $22,749 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students per year to attend Roosevelt University.

Full Roosevelt Acting Report

#13

University of Evansville

Evansville, Indiana
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of Evansville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UE is a small school located in Evansville, Indiana that handed out 5 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

UE also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UE is $21,626 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Acting students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at UE

#14

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at DePaul University

#15

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s acting degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Wesleyan also took the #5 spot in our “Best Acting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan is $26,039 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree acting students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan Acting Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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