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Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois

40 Colleges
$22,223 Avg Salary
$24,226 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 40 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Drama & Theater Arts program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for theater majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Columbia College Chicago to be the most popular school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, theater majors at Columbia accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $613, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia College Chicago

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

While working on their degree, theater majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $16,333 in student debt.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 40 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the # 3 spot on the list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

On average, theater graduates from DePaul take out $24,750 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $513.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for drama and theater arts students. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Illinois State take out is $24,853.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University

#5

Millikin University

Decatur, IL

The excellent programs at Millikin University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in Illinois. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Decatur.

While working on their degree, theater majors at Millikin accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $430.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Millikin University Report

#6

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

Roosevelt University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois list. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

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.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

While working on their degree, theater majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, theater majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University Report

#9

North Central College

Naperville, IL

North Central College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, theater graduates from North Central take out $24,420 in student loans while working on their degree.

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With a ranking of #10, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.

Theater majors at UIC take out an average of $24,313 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 364
Ohio 523
Indiana 315
Wisconsin 259

One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 27 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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