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2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California

12 Ranked Colleges
512 Degrees Awarded
$45,700 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Acting Major in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Acting Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Acting is the 323rd most popular major in the country with 1,793 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 512 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Acting Major in California” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in acting. To top this list, a school must have a successful acting program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Acting Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Acting Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Acting Major in California”.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 150 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles Acting Report

2
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

Out of the 12 schools in the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, New York Film Academy landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Burbank, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 170 degrees to qualified ’s acting students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at New York Film Academy

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California. 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 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at USC

4

Out of the 12 schools in the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 37 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full CalArts Acting Report

5
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s acting degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Academy of Art University Acting Report

6
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 14 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Chapman University Acting Report

7
American Conservatory Theater crest
American Conservatory Theater
San Francisco, California

American Conservatory Theater did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. American Conservatory Theater is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 12 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Acting at American Conservatory Theater

8
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 8 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Pepperdine Acting Report

8

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s acting degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Acting at UCSD

10
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s acting students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read more about Acting at USD

11
TOA crest
Theatre of Arts
Hollywood, California

Theatre of Arts landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking. Theatre of Arts is a small school located in Hollywood, California that handed out 1 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Acting at TOA

12
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Acting Major in California ranking. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 0 ’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at MSMU

Notes and References

References

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