2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 855 degrees and certificates were awarded to drama and theater arts students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #47 most popular major in the state.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for theater students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges.
Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for drama and theater arts students. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Theater majors at Illinois State take out an average of $24,853 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 10% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Eastern Illinois University is a great value for drama and theater arts students. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at Eastern Illinois University Report
Out of the 18 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. Theater majors at SIUE take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for drama and theater arts students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. On average, theater graduates from UIUC take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
UIUC also made our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from NIU take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University
Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois list. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia are $27,786 per year. Theater majors at Columbia take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $613, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at UIC take out is $24,313.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago
With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $22,500.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
Roosevelt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Roosevelt undergraduate students pay an average of $31,493 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Roosevelt take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $803, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 364 |
| Ohio | 523 |
| Indiana | 315 |
| Wisconsin | 259 |
More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in Illinois
Drama & Theater Arts Related Majors for Theater
One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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