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 “Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 17,341 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 40 colleges that offered a degree in drama and theater arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful drama and theater arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois”.
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 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 155 diplomas 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 Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 124 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 94 ’s theater 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 ’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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Millikin University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois. Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 55 ’s theater degrees 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.
With a ranking of #6, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Roosevelt University 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.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 43 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
North Central College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 39 students 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%.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s theater degrees 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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Bradley University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 13 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 13 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
With a ranking of #16, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Augustana College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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%.
With a ranking of #17, Knox College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Eastern Illinois University
Principia College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 5 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #20, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Concordia University, Chicago
Elmhurst University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 4 ’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%.
University of Chicago landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Chicago
Eureka College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Eureka, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Aurora University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Lincoln College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #24. Lincoln College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lincoln, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
.jpg){kind=link}