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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater

16 Ranked Colleges
857 Degrees Awarded
$30,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater” ranking - to help you make that 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 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama and theater arts programs as well as strong veteran support.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater” 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. 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying theater.

Top 16 Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, UIUC supports 52,679 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full UIUC Veteran Student Life Report

2
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 155 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Columbia College Chicago supports 6,769 students, and 140 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 98 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,151. On top of their other funding sources, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Columbia College Chicago offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State, 530 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 528 of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul were GI Bill® students, of which 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. During this same period, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

5
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central College landed the #5 spot on the list. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 39 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

North Central also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,832 students enrolled at North Central, 46 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,214. On top of their other funding sources, 15 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Read More…

6

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SIUE does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at SIUE]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-edwardsville/student-life/veterans/)

7

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

8

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, UIC supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIC offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of Illinois at Chicago]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

9
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking, coming in at #9. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 53 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Roosevelt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 4,680 students enrolled at Roosevelt, 95 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,071. On top of their other funding sources, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

10
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking, coming in at #10. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 124 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)

11
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

12

Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 43 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full NIU Veteran Student Life Report

13

Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

WIU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at WIU, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Western Illinois University]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

14
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Bradley also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Bradley supports 5,855 students, and 96 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 61 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bradley offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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.

Full Bradley University Veteran Student Life Report

15
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Illinois Wesleyan University supports 1,636 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,755. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois Wesleyan]](/colleges/illinois-wesleyan-university/student-life/veterans/)

16
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Theater ranking. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,982 students enrolled at Millikin, 24 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,013. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

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