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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $0-$30k)

7 Ranked Colleges
322 Degrees Awarded
$25,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k

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 “Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in acting. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great acting programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the acting program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Acting Schools

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 For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Nassau Community College

Garden City, New York
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Nassau Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. Nassau Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Garden City, New York. It awarded 3 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Nassau Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Nassau Community College is $2,007 for Associate Degree Acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Acting at Nassau Community College

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northampton County Area Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s acting degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Northampton Community College also made our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Northampton Community College is $7,556 for associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Acting at Northampton County Area Community College

#5 in overall quality

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 For Those Making $0-$30k. KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts is a small private for-profit school situated in Dallas, Texas. It awarded 26 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k list, KD Conservatory has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts is $19,345 for Associate Degree Acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Acting at KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is located in New York, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 associates’s acting degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k list, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is $42,053 for associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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. 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

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #5 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 associates’s acting degrees to qualified students.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $29,390 for associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Academy of Art University Acting Report

#6 in overall quality

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 112 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our associate degree acting students whose families make $0-$30k list, New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Acting Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $37,897 for Associate Degree Acting students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.

Read more about Acting at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

#7

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#7 in overall quality

New York Film Academy did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for an Associate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. New York Film Academy is a small school located in Burbank, California that handed out 21 associates’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $40,748 for Associate Degree Acting students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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

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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