When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 1,686 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 323rd most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 381 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in acting. That schools that top this list have a program in acting in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California”.
Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Theatre of Arts landed the #1 spot on the list. Theatre of Arts is a private for-profit institution located in Hollywood, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Full American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles Acting Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York Film Academy. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California. New York Film Academy is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 160 ’s acting degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 12 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #5 spot on the list. California Institute of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 17 ’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Chapman University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. Located in Orange, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified ’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
University of Southern California landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 45 ’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #9, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California list. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
University of San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 7 ’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 8 ’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Acting at University of California - San Diego
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Acting Major in California ranking. Mount Saint Mary’s University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s acting degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies