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2022 Best Value Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

34 Ranked Colleges
5,876 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 155,377 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, visual and performing arts is the 10th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,427 and had an average of $28,377 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 5,876 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,817 and $32,020 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality visual and performing arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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 visual and performing arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 386 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $6,452 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 73 degrees to qualified ’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $7,934 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UChicago

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 385 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UIUC

#4

Elgin Community College

Elgin, Illinois

Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Elgin Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual and performing arts degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for ECC is $6,022 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full ECC Visual & Performing Arts Report

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 ’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,560 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University Visual & Performing Arts Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 94 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $13,705 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Visual & Performing Arts Report

#7

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $19,691 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Wheaton College Illinois

#8

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 182 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 174 degrees to qualified ’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,683 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,542 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Tech Visual & Performing Arts Report

#11

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 91 ’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,912 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at WIU

#12

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 329 diplomas to qualified ’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,080 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Illinois State University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Illinois State

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 120 degrees to qualified ’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,985 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#14

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $20,390 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a 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 about Visual & Performing Arts at Millikin University

#15

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 40 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $17,841 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Olivet Nazarene University

With a ranking of #16, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#17

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 39 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park also took the #14 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $18,813 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full North Park Visual & Performing Arts Report

#18

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $21,453 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Augustana College

#19

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,220 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Saint Francis.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of St Francis Visual & Performing Arts Report

#20

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Lake Forest is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 27 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest also took the #12 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $24,683 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Lake Forest

#21

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,703 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Elmhurst University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Elmhurst University

#22

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

With a ranking of #22, Knox College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Knox is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Knox is $19,653 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Knox

#23

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #23, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 33 ’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $18,582 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Dominican U

#24

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 95 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #10 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $22,865 for Illinois Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Bradley

#25

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 ’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,353 for illinois visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend North Central.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full North Central College Visual & Performing Arts Report

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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