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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Acting in California

7 Ranked Colleges
206 Degrees Awarded
$47,100 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Acting Major in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,793 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 323rd most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 512 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 206 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in acting. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their acting program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree acting students.

Top 7 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Acting in California

1
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school situated in Burbank, California. It awarded 81 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Acting at New York Film Academy

2
CalArts crest
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of the Arts. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California. California Institute of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of the Arts Acting Report

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Academy of Art University Acting Report

4
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Chapman University landed the #4 spot on the list. Chapman is a medium-sized school located in Orange, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at Chapman University

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

Read full report on Acting at University of Southern California

6
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Pepperdine University Acting Report

7
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s acting degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Acting at Mount Saint Mary’s University

Notes and References

References

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