2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 739 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in drama and theater arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great drama and theater arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 93 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,800 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.
The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Chicago
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Drama & Theater Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $9,938 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $11,316 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Eastern Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,999 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
NIU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,861 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Northern Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,185 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k 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 landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,306 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $14,526 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Western Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report
Knox College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Knox is $19,186 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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.
Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $18,232 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Bradley University
Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest College is $19,152 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
Millikin also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $17,692 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Millikin.
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.
North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. North Park is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Park is $17,270 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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.
With a ranking of #16, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $17,837 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Elmhurst University
Augustana College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 16 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $16,249 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan is $19,857 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois Wesleyan
With a ranking of #19, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $20,128 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
With a ranking of #20, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Roosevelt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,330 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Roosevelt University.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Roosevelt University
Columbia College Chicago landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 157 students in 2019-2020.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,397 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia College Chicago
DePaul University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
DePaul also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $25,842 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend DePaul.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,788 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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%.
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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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