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2024 Best Acting Schools in New York

13 Colleges in New York
433 Acting Degrees Awarded
If you plan on majoring in acting, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #323 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Acting Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 433 degrees in acting to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Acting School

Best Acting Schools in New York The acting program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Acting rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for acting schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Acting Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Acting
Bachelor's Degrees in Acting
Master's Degrees in Acting

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 the Best Acting Schools in New York. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Acting in New York

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the acting degree levels they offer.

10 Top New York Schools in Acting

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Acting Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat American Musical and Dramatic Academy if you want to pursue a degree in acting. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.More information about a degree in acting from American Musical and Dramatic Academy

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NY

The Juilliard School is a good choice for students interested in a degree in acting. Located in the large city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 18 acting students who graduated with this degree at Juilliard in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in acting from The Juilliard School

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY

It's hard to beat Syracuse University if you wish to pursue a degree in acting. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 acting students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in acting from Syracuse University

4
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In NY

Purchase College is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in acting. Purchase College is a small public college located in the suburb of Purchase. This college ranks 59th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 12 acting students who graduated with this degree at Purchase College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in acting from Purchase College

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NY
99 Acting Degrees Awarded

American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

There were approximately 99 acting students who graduated with this degree at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in acting from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York

6
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NY
8.3% Growth in Graduates

New School University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #208 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means New School University is a great school overall.

There were roughly 12 acting students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in acting from The New School

7
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In NY

Located in the small suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #557 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ithaca is a great college overall.

There were about 11 acting students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in acting from Ithaca College

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NY
38 Acting Degrees Awarded

MMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of New York. This college ranks 44th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 38 acting students who graduated with this degree at MMC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in acting from Marymount Manhattan College

9
SUNY Fredonia crest
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NY

SUNY Fredonia is a small public school located in the distant town of Fredonia. This school ranks 91st out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 5 acting students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Fredonia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in acting from SUNY Fredonia

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NY
48 Acting Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, Pace University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 47th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 48 acting students who graduated with this degree at Pace University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in acting from Pace University - New York

Best Acting Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Acting Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Pennsylvania978114
Maryland61828
New Jersey6143
District of Columbia44117

View All Rankings >

Acting is one of 11 different types of Drama & Theater Arts programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Acting

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Theater Arts1,727
Musical Theater409
Playwriting & Screenwriting185
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft179
Theater Design & Technology140
Directing & Theatrical Production63
Costume Design3
Theatre and Dance3

View All Acting Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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