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2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

71 Ranked Colleges
2,364 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $23,190 and had an average of $23,522 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,364 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,388 and $25,089 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 71 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in drama and theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama and theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region theater students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

1
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 30 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,377 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Purdue

2

Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 72 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Drama & Theater Arts Report

3
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University - Bloomington

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full UW - Madison Drama & Theater Arts Report

5

Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 43 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $14,321 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UIUC

6

Sinclair Community College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dayton, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $4,959 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid per year to attend Sinclair Community College.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Sinclair Community College

7

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,214 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Drama & Theater Arts Report

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region theater students with aid list, UW - Stevens Point has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,346 for great lakes region theater students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 124 students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $23,279 for great lakes region theater students with aid per year to attend Northwestern.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University

10

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - La Crosse is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $14,654 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

11
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #11, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland University is $13,449 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Oakland Drama & Theater Arts Report

12

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 112 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

UC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $22,415 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UC Drama & Theater Arts Report

13
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,765 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid per year to attend Ball State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Ball State

14
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,058 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid per year to attend Michigan State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

15

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,051 for great lakes region theater students with aid per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Drama & Theater Arts Report

16

Indiana University - South Bend came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in South Bend, Indiana, and it awarded 10 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,646 for great lakes region theater students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - South Bend.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Indiana University - South Bend

17
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.

WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $20,371 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at WMU

18

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Ohio State Drama & Theater Arts Report

19

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $14,417 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Whitewater

20

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - River Falls is $13,844 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - River Falls Drama & Theater Arts Report

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It awarded 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Green Bay is $13,092 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UW - Green Bay

22
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 17 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,007 for great lakes region theater students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Central Michigan Drama & Theater Arts Report

23

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 39 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,486 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Drama & Theater Arts Report

24
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 68 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region theater students with aid list, Illinois State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,830 for great lakes region theater students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State

25

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 7 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $14,687 for Great Lakes Region Theater students with aid.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

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