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2024 Best Acting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

5 Colleges in California
206 Bachelor's Degrees
Acting is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #230 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for acting students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 206 bachelor's degrees in acting during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Acting School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Acting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of acting for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality acting program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for acting students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Acting Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Acting Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Acting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Acting in California

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for acting students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Acting

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in acting has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from University of Southern California

2
14 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in acting has to look into Chapman University. Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from Chapman University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
23 Annual Graduates

California Institute of the Arts is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in acting. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valencia.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from California Institute of the Arts

4
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Academy of Art University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in acting. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from Academy of Art University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from New York Film Academy

Best Acting Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Acting Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 521 27
Oregon 343 1
Nevada 201 16

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Acting is one of 11 different types of Drama & Theater Arts programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Acting

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 1,158
Playwriting & Screenwriting 148
Theater Design & Technology 32
Musical Theater 31
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 11
Costume Design 9
Directing & Theatrical Production 5
Comedy Writing and Performance 1

Notes and References

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