2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 1,944 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 319th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 570 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 97 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in acting. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent acting programs, but they also 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,631 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 9 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #3 spot in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Read full report on Acting at UCSD

#2

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Acting at University of Southern California

#3

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California

#2 in overall quality

$53,466 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of the Arts. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CalArts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree acting students whose families make $30-$48k list, CalArts has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CalArts are $53,466, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California Institute of the Arts Acting Report

#4

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

#4 in overall quality

$27,688 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 11 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688.

Read more about Acting at Academy of Art University

#5

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California

#5 in overall quality

$35,457 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 36 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at New York Film Academy are $35,457, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Acting at New York Film Academy

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Acting (Income $30-$48k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.

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