by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $23,190 and had an average of $23,522 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,364 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,388 and $25,089 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 160 colleges that offered a degree in drama and theater arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their drama and theater arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region theater students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 155 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia College Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Millikin University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 55 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Evansville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Evansville, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region. Principia College is located in Elsah, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Central College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at North Central College
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois Wesleyan
Baldwin Wallace University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Berea, Ohio, and it awarded 39 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Baldwin Wallace University
Lawrence University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Appleton, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Knox College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #11, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Delaware, Ohio, and it awarded 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Otterbein University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Westerville, Ohio, and it awarded 18 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Otterbein University
Eureka College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eureka College is located in Eureka, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Kenyon College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kenyon College is a small school located in Gambier, Ohio that handed out 8 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Earlham College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Earlham is located in Richmond, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Blackburn College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Blackburn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Carlinville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Kalamazoo College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. K College is a small school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Heidelberg University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Tiffin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Heidelburg College
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 36 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Ohio Northern University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. ONU is located in Ada, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Carthage College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Kenosha, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Anderson University Indiana came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Anderson, Indiana, and it awarded 5 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Anderson University Indiana
Ripon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Ripon College is a small school located in Ripon, Wisconsin that handed out 3 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hillsdale College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hillsdale College is a small school located in Hillsdale, Michigan that handed out 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 our data sources and methodologies
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