19
Ranked Colleges
4,186
Degrees Awarded
$25,369
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 149,215 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,700 and had an average of $25,051 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 5,631 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,194 and $25,846 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,186 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality visual and performing arts programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the visual and performing arts program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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 following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s”.
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 Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 228 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 255 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, Illinois State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 Illinois State University]](/colleges/illinois-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 837 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,151. During this same period, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Columbia College Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia]](/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville supports 12,860 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16.Among the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Southern Illinois University Carbondale]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 401 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul also took the #7 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 More…
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 155 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, UIC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 More…
With a ranking of #8, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.
North Central also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12.Our most recent data shows that 46 of the 2,832 students enrolled at North Central were GI Bill® students, of which 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,214. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 North Central Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 144 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, NIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
Western Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, WIU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University, 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Western Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 197 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern University]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, Roosevelt has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Roosevelt supports 4,680 students, and 95 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 43 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,071. To help with additional expenses, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17.Among the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago, 261 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full Loyola University Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Eastern Illinois University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 184 of the 8,626 students enrolled at EIU were GI Bill® students, of which 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,730. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
With a ranking of #15, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Bradley is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 88 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Bradley also took the #11 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 5,855 students enrolled at Bradley, 96 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bradley offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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…
Olivet Nazarene University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Olivet Nazarene supports 3,764 students, and 57 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 35 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Olivet Nazarene 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%.
Full Olivet Nazarene Veteran Student Life Report
School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #17. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 576 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4.Of the 3,132 students enrolled at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 55 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,359. In addition to receiving other benefits, 16 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying visual & performing arts list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 56 of the 2,908 students enrolled at Wheaton College Illinois were GI Bill® students, of which 45 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,675. During this same period, 29 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Veteran Student Life Report
Millikin University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Visual & Performing Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. Millikin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 1,982 students enrolled at Millikin, 24 are 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Millikin offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The impressive undergraduate 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 More…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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