2026 Best Playwriting & Screenwriting Schools in California
Playwriting & Screenwriting programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for playwriting & screenwriting students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Playwriting & Screenwriting in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the playwriting & screenwriting degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Playwriting & Screenwriting
Our analysis ranked Chapman University the best school in the country for a degree in playwriting & screenwriting. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Orange. Roughly 82% of students complete a degree within six years here. Chapman University awarded about 79 playwriting & screenwriting degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the playwriting & screenwriting program make about $24,644 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $22,500 to complete this degree.
See the full playwriting & screenwriting program report for Chapman University
University Of Southern California came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best playwriting & screenwriting schools. University Of Southern California is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. University Of Southern California graduates 92% of students within six years. There were roughly 61 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at University Of Southern California in the most recent data year. Graduates of the playwriting & screenwriting program make about $21,619 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete this degree.
See the full playwriting & screenwriting program report for University Of Southern California
Loyola Marymount University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in playwriting & screenwriting, landing the #3 spot this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Los Angeles. Roughly 79% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 84 playwriting & screenwriting degrees were awarded at Loyola Marymount University in the most recent year. Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates of Loyola Marymount University earn a median of $26,717 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $23,250 to complete this degree.
See the full playwriting & screenwriting program report for Loyola Marymount University
A rank of #4 makes New York Film Academy one of the top schools for playwriting & screenwriting. This small private for-profit university is located in the city of Burbank. About 68% of students finish within six years. About 43 playwriting & screenwriting degrees were awarded at New York Film Academy in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, playwriting & screenwriting degree recipients from New York Film Academy generally make around $13,813. Typical student debt for the program is $17,167.
Read more about the playwriting & screenwriting program at New York Film Academy
Students looking for a strong playwriting & screenwriting program will find one at Los Angeles Film School, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Hollywood, Los Angeles Film School is a moderately-sized private for-profit university. Roughly 34% of students complete a degree within six years here. Los Angeles Film School awarded about 78 playwriting & screenwriting degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their playwriting & screenwriting degree from Los Angeles Film School earn around $20,708 in the first couple years of their career. Los Angeles Film School graduates carry a median of $33,310 in student loans.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from Los Angeles Film School
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 17 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
