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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

23 Ranked Colleges
739 Degrees Awarded
$24,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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. 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 $75-$110k” 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $17,929 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

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 $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k list, SIUE has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $18,928 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $19,147 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full EIU Drama & Theater Arts Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,425 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University

With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UIUC

#7

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Millikin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,486 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Millikin.

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.

Full Millikin Drama & Theater Arts Report

#20 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 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 $20,698 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#9

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 71 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $25,379 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $20,270 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

#11

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $20,181 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Western Illinois University

#12

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

North Park University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Park is $19,563 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at North Park

#13

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Augustana College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Augustana also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $23,730 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Augustana.

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%. 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

#14

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Elmhurst University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $23,604 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full Elmhurst University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#15

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $28,169 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Bradley University

#16

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Knox is $23,813 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Knox College

#17

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 15 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $25,778 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at North Central College

#18

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 51 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also took the #22 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $23,695 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Roosevelt University

#19

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Lake Forest College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Lake Forest College is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Lake Forest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest is $30,189 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Full Lake Forest Drama & Theater Arts Report

#20

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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 also took the #15 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $33,864 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia

#21

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $27,302 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois Wesleyan

#22

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #22. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,877 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Drama & Theater Arts at DePaul

#23

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #23, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 27 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $36,700 for illinois bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

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%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Loyola Chicago

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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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