by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 6 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of acting. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 126 degrees in acting annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Your choice of acting school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Acting School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
The acting school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Acting Schools in Illinois. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
The schools below may not offer all types of acting degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
Any student who is interested in acting has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.More information about a degree in acting from Northwestern University
Columbia College Chicago is a good decision for students interested in a degree in acting. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #212 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.
There were approximately 45 acting students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in acting from Columbia College Chicago
It is hard to beat DePaul University if you want to pursue a degree in acting. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were about 37 acting students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in acting from DePaul University
Millikin University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in acting. Located in the city of Decatur, Millikin is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 40th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 5 acting students who graduated with this degree at Millikin in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in acting from Millikin University
Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bloomington. This university ranks 18th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 6 acting students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in acting from Illinois Wesleyan University
Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 24th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 14 acting students who graduated with this degree at Roosevelt in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in acting from Roosevelt UniversityExplore all the Best Acting Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
One of 11 majors within the Drama & Theater Arts area of study, Acting has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theater Arts | 500 |
| Musical Theater | 113 |
| Theater Design & Technology | 56 |
| Playwriting & Screenwriting | 45 |
| Comedy Writing and Performance | 39 |
| Directing & Theatrical Production | 22 |
| Theatre and Dance | 12 |
| Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft | 2 |
| Theatre Literature, History & Criticism | 1 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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