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2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
189 Degrees Awarded
$34,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Acting Schools for a Master's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Acting is the 319th most popular major in the country with 1,944 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 189 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The acting school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid”.

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 For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree acting students with aid.

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Acting (With Aid)

#1

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Yale also took the #1 spot in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Yale University are $44,500.

Full Yale Acting Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s acting degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree acting students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.

Read more about Acting at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also made our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Acting at UCSD

#4

Mississippi University for Women

Columbus, Mississippi

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Mississippi University for Women landed the #4 spot on the list. Mississippi University for Women is located in Columbus, Mississippi and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

MUW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mississippi University for Women are $7,525, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Acting at MUW

#5

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree acting students with aid list, Brown has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brown University are $60,363, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Acting at Brown University

#6

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia College Chicago are $2,350.

Read more about Acting at Columbia College Chicago

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USC Acting Report

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

DePaul University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full DePaul Acting Report

#9

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#10 in overall quality

Academy of Art University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 #10 spot in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Acting at Academy of Art University

#10

The Juilliard School

New York, New York
#6 in overall quality

The Juilliard School came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The Juilliard School is located in New York, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

Juilliard also made our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at The Juilliard School are $49,260, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Acting at The Juilliard School

#11

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia
#7 in overall quality

George Washington University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. George Washington University is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 15 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

GWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GWU are $31,824, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full GWU Acting Report

#12

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#4 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s acting degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CalArts are $53,466, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Acting at CalArts

#13

The New School

New York, New York
#9 in overall quality

The New School came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. New School University is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 15 masters’s acting degrees in 2019-2020.

New School University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at New School University are $47,642.

Full New School University Acting Report

#14

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, New York Film Academy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Acting Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. New York Film Academy is a private for-profit institution located in Burbank, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy also made our “Best Acting Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at New York Film Academy are $35,457.

Full New York Film Academy Acting Report

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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