2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 18,124 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $21,403 and had an average of $26,932 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 844 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,300 and $27,875 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in drama and theater arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent drama and theater arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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The theater 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 Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 118 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,712 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 48 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $12,350 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2019-2020.
NIU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $10,648 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Drama & Theater Arts Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $17,205 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,942 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WIU.
With a ranking of #12, Millikin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $17,656 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Lake Forest College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest also took the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $18,192 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Augustana College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $20,355 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Augustana College
Elmhurst University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Elmhurst also took the #18 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,903 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elmhurst.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Elmhurst University
North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. North Park is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
North Park also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $17,808 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Park.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan University is $18,570 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois Wesleyan University Drama & Theater Arts Report
With a ranking of #18, Knox College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Knox, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Knox is $16,828 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
North Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 15 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $18,889 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 169 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $27,120 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #21, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Roosevelt has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt University is $20,398 for illinois theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Drama & Theater Arts at Loyola University Chicago
DePaul University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 90 ’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,173 for Illinois Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.
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%.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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