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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

19 Colleges
$32,105 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,194 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, visual and performing arts students earned 5,502 degrees and certificates from an Illinois school, making the subject the 10th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for visual and performing arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges.

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for visual and performing arts students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Illinois State take out $22,358 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $303, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at SIUE take out an average of $26,362 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 19 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $30,384.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Western Illinois University Report

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $22,130. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $557.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois rankings.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Northern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in Illinois. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,667 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $336.

Read More…

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UIC take out $24,384 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $295.

Read More…

$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from SIUC take out $23,143 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at Columbia take out an average of $26,429 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $557.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report

#9

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL
$31,493 Average Tuition & Fees

Roosevelt University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Roosevelt undergraduate students pay an average of $31,493 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Roosevelt take out is $24,625. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $803, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Roosevelt University

#10

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, IL
$40,820 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wheaton.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wheaton College Illinois are $40,820 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Wheaton College Illinois carry an average student debtload of $25,153.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wheaton College Illinois also is in the top 15% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois ranking.

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

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 2,306
Michigan 3,433
Ohio 4,641
Wisconsin 2,248

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355
Arts & Media Management 4,788
Dance 3,288
Other Visual Art 912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 10

Majors Similar to Visual & Performing Arts

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 556,813
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 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 Bonnielou2013.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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