The Best 10 Drama Schools and Arts Colleges in the US 2026
The United States is home to some of the world's most respected drama schools, conservatories and performing arts colleges.
From Juilliard and NYU Tisch in New York to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and USC in Los Angeles, aspiring actors can choose between intensive conservatory training, university-based BFA programmes and specialist graduate acting courses.
But choosing the best acting school in the US is not simply about finding the institution with the most famous name.
Different schools offer very different approaches to actor training. Some combine intensive conservatory training with a wider university education, while others place acting students within specialist performing arts institutions. There are also important differences between undergraduate BFA programmes and graduate-level MFA training.
This guide looks at 10 of the best drama schools and performing arts colleges in the US for actors considering professional training.
First published 3rd November 2022
Last updated 7th August 2026
Best drama schools in the US at a glance
Compare 10 leading American drama schools and performing arts colleges for professional actor training.
| Drama school | Location | Main acting route | Good option for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juilliard | New York City | BFA MFA | Elite conservatory actor training |
| NYU Tisch | New York City | BFA | Studio training within a major university |
| David Geffen School of Drama at Yale | New Haven | MFA Certificate | Elite graduate actor training |
| Carnegie Mellon | Pittsburgh | BFA | Acting and musical theatre |
| USC School of Dramatic Arts | Los Angeles | BFA BA | Stage and screen acting |
| CalArts | Valencia, California | BFA | Experimental and interdisciplinary performance |
| UNCSA | Winston-Salem | BFA | Specialist conservatory training |
| Purchase College | Purchase, New York | BFA | Small-company intensive training |
| Rutgers Mason Gross | New Brunswick, New Jersey | BFA | Stage, screen and classical actor training |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | BFA | Professional training with liberal arts study |
1. The Juilliard School
Location: New York City, New York
Best known for: Elite conservatory actor training
Main acting routes: BFA Acting and MFA Acting
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, Alexander Technique, classical and contemporary performance
Notable alumni: Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Adam Driver
Juilliard is one of the most famous performing arts schools in the world.
Based at Lincoln Center in New York, its Drama Division provides four years of intensive actor training for both undergraduate BFA and graduate MFA students.
The programme develops acting alongside voice, movement and Alexander Technique, with students applying their training across a broad dramatic repertoire.
One of the distinctive features of Juilliard's actor training is the size of the intake. The Drama Division typically admits just 18 actors each year across both undergraduate and graduate training, with approximately eight to ten students entering each route.
Juilliard's MFA Acting programme is also now tuition-free for all four years, although this does not apply to the undergraduate BFA in the same way.
Competition for admission is therefore exceptionally high.
Who might Juilliard suit? Actors looking for extremely selective, intensive conservatory training in New York with a major international reputation.
2. NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Location: New York City, New York
Best known for: Acting, theatre, musical performance and screen arts
Main acting route: BFA in Theatre through Tisch Drama
Training includes: Acting, movement, voice, theatre studies, production and specialist studio training
Notable alumni: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mahershala Ali and Idina Menzel
NYU Tisch offers a different model of actor training from Juilliard.
Rather than studying entirely within a standalone conservatory, students combine professional studio training with academic study as part of New York University.
Tisch Drama's undergraduate BFA requires substantial professional training alongside theatre studies, general education and electives. Students initially complete sequential training within a primary studio before gaining access to additional advanced professional training.
That studio model is one of the defining features of Tisch.
Students can experience different approaches to acting and performance while remaining part of one of the largest universities in the United States.
The Greenwich Village location also puts students in the middle of New York's theatre, film and wider creative industries.
Who might NYU Tisch suit? Actors who want intensive professional training while retaining the broader academic and social environment of a major university.
3. David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Best known for: Graduate-level professional theatre training
Main acting routes: MFA Acting and Certificate in Drama
Training includes: Acting, voice, speech, movement, Shakespeare, physical storytelling, camera and audio
Notable alumni: Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett and Paul Giamatti
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale is one of America's most prestigious graduate drama schools.
There is an important distinction for prospective students: Yale's professional acting programme is not a traditional undergraduate BFA.
The school primarily offers graduate-level professional training, with its Acting programme leading to an MFA or, for eligible students without a bachelor's degree, a Certificate in Drama. Around 15 to 17 actors are admitted each year.
Training progresses from realism and fundamental acting craft into Shakespeare, physical storytelling, non-naturalistic work and self-generated performance.
Students also work on camera and with audio, while Yale Repertory Theatre provides opportunities to observe and work alongside professional theatre-makers.
Another major distinction is funding. All full-time students in degree and certificate programmes currently receive 100% tuition support following a major gift from the David Geffen Foundation.
Who might Yale suit? Actors seeking elite graduate-level training after university or substantial previous experience rather than applicants looking for a conventional undergraduate acting degree.
4. Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Best known for: Acting, musical theatre and professional theatre training
Main acting routes: BFA Acting and BFA Acting/Music Theater
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, performance and professional preparation
Notable alumni: Leslie Odom Jr., Ted Danson and Zachary Quinto
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama has a longstanding reputation as one of America's leading professional theatre schools.
Based within Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the School of Drama combines conservatory-style specialist training with the resources of a major research university.
Its undergraduate performance routes include Acting and Acting/Music Theater, with entry involving a competitive prescreening and audition process.
For 2026 admission, applicants to both routes were required to complete a prescreen before being invited to virtual or in-person auditions.
Carnegie Mellon's theatre network is particularly strong, with graduates working extensively across Broadway, regional theatre, film and television.
For applicants interested in both straight acting and musical theatre, it is one of the most important American schools to research.
Who might Carnegie Mellon suit? Actors looking for highly competitive conservatory training within a university, particularly performers considering both acting and musical theatre.
5. USC School of Dramatic Arts
Location: Los Angeles, California
Best known for: Stage and screen acting
Main acting routes: BFA Acting for Stage and Screen, BFA Musical Theatre and BA Dramatic Arts
Training includes: Acting, stage, screen, voice, movement and professional development
The USC School of Dramatic Arts is an important addition to this updated guide.
Being based in Los Angeles gives USC a naturally strong relationship with the American film and television industries while maintaining substantial theatre and performance training.
Its specialist undergraduate route is the BFA in Acting for Stage and Screen, while students can also study Musical Theatre or take the broader BA in Dramatic Arts.
The BFA is highly selective, and applicants must identify Acting for Stage and Screen as their first-choice major when applying.
USC's combination of theatre training and location makes it particularly attractive for actors interested in developing careers across both live performance and screen.
The wider university also provides access to major programmes in film, television, music and other creative disciplines.
Who might USC suit? Actors who want intensive acting training with particularly strong access to the Los Angeles film and television industry.
6. California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia
Location: Valencia, California
Best known for: Experimental, interdisciplinary and contemporary arts training
Main acting route: BFA Acting
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, performance and interdisciplinary creative practice
Notable alumni: Don Cheadle, Ed Harris and Alison Brie
CalArts has a distinctive place within American arts education.
Rather than focusing solely on traditional conservatory actor training, the California Institute of the Arts brings theatre students together with filmmakers, dancers, musicians, animators, visual artists and other creative disciplines.
Its four-year BFA Acting programme focuses on developing the actor's body, voice, emotional range and imagination while encouraging students to explore different performance media and methods.
That interdisciplinary culture is one of the biggest reasons to consider CalArts.
Actors interested in experimental performance, creating their own work and collaborating with artists outside conventional theatre may find its environment particularly attractive.
The California location also provides proximity to the wider Los Angeles creative industries.
Who might CalArts suit? Actors interested in experimental, multidisciplinary and contemporary performance rather than a purely traditional conservatory model.
7. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Best known for: Conservatory-style professional actor training
Main acting route: BFA Acting
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, stage combat, verse, singing, dance and performance
Notable alumni: Mary-Louise Parker and Anna Camp
UNCSA is one of America's major public arts conservatories.
Its School of Drama offers undergraduate BFA training with concentrations in Acting and Directing.
Actors follow an intensive course of study combining acting, movement and voice with additional skills including mask, stage combat, verse, singing, dance, accents and dialects.
Production work forms a major part of the training, allowing students to apply their technical development to classical and contemporary repertoire.
Unlike university programmes where performance training is only one part of a wider theatre degree, UNCSA is explicitly structured around professional arts training.
That makes it one of the closest American equivalents to a specialist conservatoire model.
Who might UNCSA suit? Actors seeking rigorous undergraduate conservatory training within a specialist performing arts university.
8. Purchase College, SUNY - Conservatory of Theatre Arts
Location: Purchase, New York
Best known for: Intensive BFA actor training
Main acting route: BFA Acting
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, classical and contemporary performance
Notable alumni: Edie Falco and Parker Posey
Purchase College's Conservatory of Theatre Arts offers one of the more intensive public-university acting programmes in the United States.
Its BFA Acting is a four-year sequential programme in which each cohort effectively works as its own acting company.
Training places significant emphasis on developing the actor's body, voice, technique and individual artistic identity.
Admission is highly competitive and requires a prescreen followed by the school's callback process.
Purchase's location is another advantage.
The campus sits outside New York City in Westchester County, meaning students can train within a more traditional residential college environment while remaining relatively close to the New York theatre and screen industries.
Who might Purchase suit? Actors looking for an intensive, small-company BFA experience with proximity to New York City.
9. Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Best known for: Professional BFA actor training
Main acting route: BFA Theater - Acting
Training includes: Meisner, voice, movement, screen, classical theatre, devising and professional preparation
Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts is another strong option for actors interested in conservatory-style training within a major university.
Its four-year BFA Acting programme develops students across acting technique, voice, movement, on-camera work, classical material, devising and professional audition preparation.
Meisner-based work forms part of the foundation of the programme, while students progressively move towards screen, classical and industry-focused training.
A particularly distinctive part of the course is the opportunity to study at the Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare's Globe in London during the final stages of training.
The programme concludes with professional preparation and an industry showcase in New York.
Who might Rutgers suit? Actors looking for structured four-year conservatory training, strong classical and screen components and access to both New York and international study.
10. University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Best known for: Acting, musical theatre and multidisciplinary performing arts
Main acting route: BFA Theatre Performance - Acting
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, stage combat, classical and contemporary theatre
Notable alumni: James Earl Jones, Gilda Radner and Darren Criss
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is one of America's leading university-based performing arts schools.
Its BFA Acting combines specialist professional training with a substantial liberal arts education.
Around two-thirds of the degree is currently completed within the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, while approximately one-third sits within the wider liberal arts curriculum.
Acting training includes voice, movement, stage combat, improvisation, classical and contemporary work, collaboration and ensemble development.
Students also have extensive opportunities to perform in fully staged university productions.
Michigan is particularly renowned for the breadth of its performing arts provision, making it a strong option for students who want intensive acting training while remaining part of a large American university.
Who might Michigan suit? Actors looking for professional BFA training combined with a broader university education and a major multidisciplinary performing arts community.
Frequently asked questions about US drama schools
What is the best drama school in the US?
There is no single drama school that is best for every actor.
Juilliard, NYU Tisch, Carnegie Mellon and David Geffen School of Drama at Yale are among the most internationally recognised institutions, but the right programme depends on the actor's age, experience, training goals and preferred environment.
What are the hardest drama schools to get into in the US?
Juilliard is particularly selective, with its Drama Division typically accepting around 18 actors each year across its undergraduate and graduate acting programmes.
Other schools including NYU Tisch, Carnegie Mellon, Yale and USC also operate highly competitive admissions or audition processes.
Is Juilliard the best acting school in America?
Juilliard is one of America's most prestigious acting schools, but that does not automatically make it the best programme for every actor.
Its intensive conservatory environment and extremely small intake will suit some performers more than others.
Is NYU Tisch good for acting?
Yes. NYU Tisch is one of America's most established professional theatre-training institutions.
Its undergraduate Drama programme combines studio-based professional training with theatre studies and wider university coursework.
Is Yale School of Drama an undergraduate school?
No, not in the conventional sense.
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale primarily provides graduate professional training. Its Acting programme leads to an MFA for eligible students or a Certificate in Drama for certain students who do not hold an undergraduate degree.
Is Yale School of Drama free?
Full-time students in David Geffen School of Drama degree and certificate programmes currently receive 100% tuition support.
Students still need to account for living and other expenses, although additional need-based support may also be available.
Is Juilliard free?
Juilliard's MFA Acting programme is currently tuition-free for all four years of training.
This should not be confused with Juilliard's undergraduate BFA Acting, which has different tuition and financial-aid arrangements.
What are the best acting schools in New York?
Juilliard and NYU Tisch are two of the most prominent actor-training institutions located directly in New York City.
Purchase College is located in nearby Westchester County, while Rutgers in New Jersey also provides relatively easy access to the New York theatre industry.
What are the best acting schools in Los Angeles?
USC School of Dramatic Arts is one of the major acting schools in Los Angeles, while CalArts is based in Valencia in the wider Los Angeles area.
Both offer professional acting training but have very different approaches.
Do you need to attend drama school to become an actor?
No.
Professional actors enter the industry through many different routes, and an acting degree does not guarantee a career.
However, high-quality training can help actors develop technique, gain extensive performance experience, build professional discipline and prepare for the realities of working in theatre, film and television.
