The 20 Most Popular Acting Programs on stageready (August 2026)

1

New York University

New York, NY·Private

The most-saved acting program on stageready trains undergraduates through the studio system at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, placing each student in a professional studio such as the Atlantic Acting School, the Stella Adler Studio, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, or the Experimental Theatre Wing. The drama BFA combines that conservatory studio work with a liberal arts core, and admission runs through a video prescreen layered on an NYU acceptance rate near 9 percent. Based in Greenwich Village, it is one of the largest actor training programs in New York City.

2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA·Private

Carnegie Mellon's School of Drama, founded in 1914, was the first degree-granting drama program in the United States, and acting is offered as a track within its four-year conservatory BFA in Drama. The school is the first and exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards, and its acting graduates include Holly Hunter, Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, and Leslie Odom Jr. Admission is highly competitive against a university acceptance rate near 12 percent, with a video prescreen before a live audition and a senior showcase staged for industry professionals in New York, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh.

3

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI·Public

Michigan's BFA in Theatre Performance sits inside the School of Music, Theatre and Dance and is ultra-selective, drawing its actors into four to five mainstage productions a year cast entirely from acting majors. The degree runs at least 122 credits, roughly two thirds in the conservatory and the rest in liberal arts, and a video prescreen comes before the audition. In-state students find the net price unusually low for a program of this caliber.

4

Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA·Public

Penn State's BFA in Acting is highly selective, training a small cohort in Meisner, Michael Chekhov, Lecoq, and Fitzmaurice voicework, with casting opportunities at Penn State Centre Stage each semester and a term abroad at Theatre Academy London. A video prescreen precedes the live audition. Graduates include Jonathan Frakes, and Keegan-Michael Key earned his MFA from the program.

5

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY·Private

Ithaca's BFA in Acting runs on ensemble-based, individualized training that layers Alexander Technique, mask work, and Rasaboxes onto core voice, movement, and scene study, with a study-abroad term at the Ithaca College London Center. Recent cohorts have been small, around 14 to 16 students, admission is highly selective with a video prescreen, and students audition for mainstage productions every semester. Graduates include actor CCH Pounder and Jharrel Jerome of Moonlight and When They See Us.

6

The Juilliard School

New York, NY·Private

Juilliard's Drama Division, founded in 1968, trains an exceptionally small and selective acting cohort at Lincoln Center, where BFA and MFA students sit in the same classes and no one is cut once admitted. Four years of conservatory work cover voice, movement, Alexander Technique, and scene study. Its alumni include Viola Davis, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Jessica Chastain, and Patti LuPone.

7

Chapman University

Orange, CA·Private

Chapman's BFA in Screen Acting is built with Dodge College of Film and Media Arts for students who want to work primarily in film and television while still getting stage experience. The official program page notes that undergraduates can audition for film, television, theatre, and student-led productions, and seniors leave with an actor reel plus a showcase for industry professionals. The Southern California location keeps Los Angeles close without putting students directly in the city.

8

Emerson College

Boston, MA·Private

Emerson's BFA in Acting sits in Boston's Theatre District and pairs ensemble-based conservatory training with a sizable liberal arts core. The official program page emphasizes voice, movement, improv, scene study, Shakespeare, and on-camera work, plus collaboration with film students and Emerson Stage's nine-show season. Seniors take their work to Boston and New York for an Acting BFA showcase before agents, casting directors, producers, and directors.

9

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA·Private

USC's BFA in Acting for Stage and Screen is an ultra-selective conservatory of roughly 18 students a year, set in the heart of Hollywood with direct access to the film and television industry. Training connects classical stage work with on-camera, voice-over, and digital media, mainstage opportunities begin sophomore year, and a video prescreen precedes the audition. Alumni of the drama school include Forest Whitaker, LeVar Burton, and Patrick J. Adams.

10

DePaul University

Chicago, IL·Private

DePaul's BFA in Acting sits inside The Theatre School in Chicago, where the performance department describes professional training for stage and screen. Students train in a city with a deep theatre scene, work with faculty active in the field, and build production experience through the school's large annual slate. The program also ends with digital and live graduate showcases for industry guests.

11

California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA·Public

Acting at Cal State Fullerton is a concentration within the BFA in Theatre, and at an average net price near $6,555 it is the most affordable program on this list. The department stages eight mainstage productions a year, and BFA students are guaranteed to perform in at least two of them, with the Los Angeles industry about 26 miles away. Admission is highly selective and includes a video prescreen.

12

SUNY Purchase

Purchase, NY·Public

SUNY Purchase runs a four-year conservatory BFA in Acting that is one of a small group of programs meeting the standards of the Consortium of Conservatory Theatre Training Programs, with 27 to 40 hours a week of direct faculty contact and no musical theatre track. The cohort trains as a single company, performs with the Purchase Repertory Theatre, and presents an industry showcase in New York and Los Angeles. Its alumni include Edie Falco, Stanley Tucci, Parker Posey, and Wesley Snipes, and at an average net price near $18,913 it is among the more affordable conservatories here.

13

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, NC·Public

UNCSA's School of Drama trains actors in a conservatory setting where the undergraduate degree is the BFA in Drama. The school emphasizes audition-based admission, intensive studio work, and production experience inside a stand-alone arts conservatory. For students who want a small, performance-first environment rather than a broad theatre major, it remains one of the clearest acting-focused options in the public arts-school landscape.

14

Rutgers University

New Brunswick, NJ·Public

Rutgers trains actors through the BFA Theater program at Mason Gross School of the Arts, where acting is one of the core concentrations. The school traces the conservatory program to 1976 and to William Esper's Meisner-based leadership, then layers in Rutgers Theater Company productions from the second year, a full-year Shakespeare's Globe experience in London, and a senior industry showcase in New York City.

15

Elon University

Elon, NC·Private

Elon's BFA Acting combines conservatory-style training with a liberal arts campus and keeps cohorts intentionally small, with the official program materials describing roughly 16 new students a year. Actors train across movement, voice, scene work, script analysis, direction, and design while performing from the first semester in plays, musicals, workshops, and student-generated work. The program also points students toward internships, summer theatre, and audition preparation.

16

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL·Private

Northwestern delivers acting as one of four areas within its BA in Theatre, housed in the School of Communication, and admission comes through the university rather than a separate audition, with an acceptance rate near 8 percent. Up to 40 productions are staged each year across the Wirtz Center and a large student-run scene, and the acting curriculum offers an optional two-year cohort sequence beginning sophomore year. Its alumni in comedy and screen acting include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, Zach Braff, and Megan Mullally.

17

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX·Public

Texas State's BFA Acting for Stage & Screen is a four-year, sequence-based program built for theatre, film, and television work. Official materials describe small incoming cohorts of about 14 to 16 students, bi-monthly Actors' Lab meetings with the full BFA company, prescreen-to-callback admission, and a senior professional voice reel. The San Marcos location also keeps Austin and San Antonio close for additional performance connections.

18

Baldwin Wallace University

Berea, OH·Private

Baldwin Wallace's BFA Acting is a small conservatory program in Northeast Ohio, with official materials highlighting acting faculty who work professionally in the Cleveland theatre scene and a typical incoming class around 18 to 22 students. The program connects actors with Great Lakes Theater, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Play House, Near West Theatre, and other regional partners, and it closes with a senior showcase shared with industry professionals.

19

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA·Public

UCLA trains actors through a Bachelor of Arts in Theater in its School of Theater, Film and Television, where acting is an area of emphasis built on a five-quarter core of acting, voice, and movement rather than a separate BFA. The Los Angeles campus sits at the center of the film and television industry, and graduates who studied theater there include George Takei, Carol Burnett, and Tim Robbins. UCLA is highly selective overall, with an acceptance rate near 9 percent, yet stays affordable at an average net price around $12,548, especially for California residents.

20

Boston University

Boston, MA·Private

Boston University's School of Theatre, inside the College of Fine Arts, pairs conservatory-style actor training with a large research university and links students to professional companies through its Professional Theatre Initiative. Every performance student shares a first-year core in acting, voice, movement, and Alexander Technique before declaring an acting major, then works across a full season in studio classes of roughly 14 students. The program is highly selective with a video prescreen, and its acting alumni include Julianne Moore, Geena Davis, Michael Chiklis, and Ginnifer Goodwin.