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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Acting

7 Ranked Colleges
322 Degrees Awarded
$28,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate” ranking.

Acting is the 319th most popular major in the country with 1,944 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the associate degree level specifically, there were 322 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,082 and $17,678 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in acting. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent acting programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the acting program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Acting Schools for an Associate” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate.

Top 7 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Acting

#1

Northampton County Area Community College

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality
$9,053 Average Net Price

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Northampton County Area Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 11 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Northampton Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northampton Community College is $9,053 for associate degree acting students.

Read full report on Acting at Northampton County Area Community College

#2

Nassau Community College

Garden City, New York
#2 in overall quality
$4,594 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Nassau Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate. Located in Garden City, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified associates’s acting students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our associate degree acting students list, Nassau Community College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Nassau Community College is $4,594 for Associate Degree Acting students.

Full Nassau Community College Acting Report

#3

KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts

Dallas, Texas
#5 in overall quality
$21,528 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate. KD Conservatory is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 associates’s acting degrees to qualified students.

KD Conservatory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,528 for Associate Degree Acting students per year to attend KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts Acting Report

#4

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality
$34,145 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 7 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $34,145 for associate degree acting students.

Read full report on Acting at Academy of Art University

#5

American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York

New York, New York
#1 in overall quality
$47,801 Average Net Price

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York landed the #5 spot on the list. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 121 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $47,801 for associate degree acting students per year to attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York Acting Report

#6

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

New York, New York
#6 in overall quality
$37,168 Average Net Price

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 112 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is $37,168 for associate degree acting students.

Read full report on Acting at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

#7

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#7 in overall quality
$45,280 Average Net Price

New York Film Academy came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate ranking. New York Film Academy is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 associates’s acting degrees to qualified students.

New York Film Academy also made our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for New York Film Academy is $45,280 for associate degree acting students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Acting at New York Film Academy

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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