by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Illinois, there were 857 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,223 and $24,226 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 40 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in drama and theater arts.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois theater students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 155 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 40 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Millikin University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 55 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Principia College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Central College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 39 ’s theater 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
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 freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois Wesleyan
Roosevelt University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 53 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Knox College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Knox College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Eureka College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Eureka College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eureka, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, Blackburn College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Blackburn College 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.
With a ranking of #10, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 94 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lincoln College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Lincoln College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 124 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 68 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 43 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 8 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Monmouth College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Monmouth is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Bradley University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Bradley University
With a ranking of #18, Rockford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Rockford University is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
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 #19, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 15 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Elmhurst University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Illinois College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois College
With a ranking of #24, Judson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
With a ranking of #25, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Eastern Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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