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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Acting in California

12 Ranked Colleges
512 Degrees Awarded
$45,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking.

Acting is the 323rd most popular major in the country with 1,793 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 512 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree 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.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california acting students.

Top 12 Most Focused Colleges for Acting in California

1
American Conservatory Theater crest
American Conservatory Theater
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Conservatory Theater. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California. Located in San Francisco, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s acting students in 2020-2021.

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. 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%.

Read more about Acting at American Conservatory Theater

1
TOA crest
Theatre of Arts
Hollywood, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Theatre of Arts. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. Hollywood, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s acting degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Acting at Theatre of Arts

3

Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 150 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Acting at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles

4
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, New York Film Academy landed the #4 spot on the list. New York Film Academy is a private for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 170 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.

Read more about Acting at New York Film Academy

5
CalArts crest
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California

Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #5 spot on the list. 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 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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

6
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s acting degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at Academy of Art University

7
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. Chapman is a medium-sized school located in Orange, California that handed out 14 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Acting at Chapman University

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 71 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Acting at USC

9
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 8 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Full Pepperdine University Acting Report

10
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #10, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. USD is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at USD

11

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s acting degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at UCSD

12
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 0 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at Mount Saint Mary’s University

Notes and References

References

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