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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

96 Ranked Colleges
2,084 Degrees Awarded
$15,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 18,124 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 2,373 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,381 and $25,614 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,084 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 96 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.

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.

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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Drama & Theater Arts Report

Out of the 96 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 96 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 University - Main Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report

Out of the 96 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 62 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #19 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend UW - Whitewater.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Drama & Theater Arts Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. UW - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 16 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $11,327 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Parkside

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 35 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Drama & Theater Arts Report

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #9, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 30 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stevens Point, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Stevens Point

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Ball State is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 72 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Ball State University is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Ball State

#10

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid per year to attend UW - Green Bay.

Full UW - Green Bay Drama & Theater Arts Report

#12

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#21 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Drama & Theater Arts Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 14 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #25 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at SIUE

#14

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid list, Michigan State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full Michigan State Drama & Theater Arts Report

#15

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

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

#16

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW - River Falls

#17

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this fairly large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Drama & Theater Arts at University of Southern Indiana

#18

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

With a ranking of #18, Indiana University - South Bend did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - South Bend is located in South Bend, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University - South Bend

#19

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Notre Dame is $33,025 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Notre Dame Drama & Theater Arts Report

#20

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Purdue University Fort Wayne did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Full Purdue University Fort Wayne Drama & Theater Arts Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Drama & Theater Arts Report

With a ranking of #22, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students with aid 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 Drama & Theater Arts at UIC

#23

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 26 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Full UWM Drama & Theater Arts Report

#24

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

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

#25

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 30 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Oakland University

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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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