2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 10% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois ranking.
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Out of the 19 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 2 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at SIUE take out an average of $26,362 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for visual and performing arts students. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each 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
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each 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 did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. 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.
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University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per 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 full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the 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.
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Columbia College Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in in-state tuition and fees each 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
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Roosevelt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Roosevelt are $31,493 per 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.
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Wheaton College Illinois landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Wheaton College Illinois also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Wheaton College Illinois Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in Illinois
Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors for Visual & Performing Arts
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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