by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Acting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 183 bachelor's degrees in acting during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of acting for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality acting program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for acting students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Acting Bachelor's Degree Schools 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for acting students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in acting has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from University of Southern California
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in acting needs to take a look at Chapman University. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from Chapman University
Pepperdine University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in acting. Pepperdine is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from Pepperdine University
California Institute of the Arts is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in acting. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valencia.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from California Institute of the Arts
Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from Academy of Art University
Located in the midsize city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in acting from New York Film Academy
Explore all the Best Acting Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 521 | 27 |
| Oregon | 343 | 1 |
| Nevada | 201 | 16 |
Acting is one of 11 different types of Drama & Theater Arts programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theater Arts | 1,122 |
| Playwriting & Screenwriting | 209 |
| Musical Theater | 36 |
| Theater Design & Technology | 26 |
| Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft | 11 |
| Directing & Theatrical Production | 2 |
| Costume Design | 2 |
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