World Acting Schools

North America

Acting Schools in the USA

149 verified schools and studios with a teaching location here, offering 245 programs and classes. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every provider.

Browse by state

All states with research status

All 50 states and Washington, DC. 50 currently have at least one verified provider with a teaching location; the others are research gaps, not empty states.

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Major cities

Cities with at least two verified teaching locations.

Online from anywhere in the US

39 online or hybrid programs from US-based providers. They are not counted as located in any state; low-residency and hybrid formats are labelled.

Online acting programs

228 programs & classes

Results are listed alphabetically. There is no price ranking: prices in different currencies and bases (per class, per term, per year) are not comparable. Children’s and teen classes appear only when you choose a youth audience or open Children & Teens. Online programs are never counted as physically located in a state or city. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change recognition status, verification or order.

About actor training in United States

How actor training is organised

Actor training in the United States runs on two largely separate tracks. Universities and colleges award degrees (most often the BA or BFA at undergraduate level and the MFA at graduate level), usually entered by audition for BFA and MFA programs. Independent conservatories and studios teach full-time conservatory programs and part-time or evening classes that normally lead to a provider-issued certificate or to no award. Both tracks appear in this directory, labelled separately.

Source: nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

Qualification structures

Names and levels are local to United States. Similar names in other countries are not interchangeable.

BFA in Acting
A Bachelor of Fine Arts with a professional, studio-heavy acting curriculum, normally four years and entered by audition. Example from our records: Boston University School of Theatre's BFA in Acting. Source
BA in Theatre or Drama with an acting focus
A liberal-arts bachelor's degree in which acting is one part of a broader academic program; selection is often by general admission rather than audition. Listed only where an acting pathway is verified. Source
MFA in Acting
A graduate Master of Fine Arts, typically two to three years of full-time training entered by audition and callback; some programs publish tuition support for admitted students. Example: David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. Source
Conservatory programs and classes
Independent studios and conservatories run full-time programs, evening conservatories and ongoing classes, usually with a provider-issued certificate (for example Atlantic Acting School's two-year certificate program) or no award. A few conservatories describe an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree, such as the American Academy of Dramatic Arts; it is shown exactly as published. Source

Languages and auditions

Teaching languages. Teaching in the listed US programs is in English.

Admissions and auditions. International students who enrol in a full course of study generally need an F-1 visa issued on the basis of admission to a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP); check each school's certification and the official guidance before applying. Part-time studio classes do not usually qualify a student for a student visa. Source

Nothing here establishes visa, work-permit or credit-transfer eligibility. Check current rules with the official sources below.

Official study information

Country information last reviewed 16 October 2026. 6 sources consulted.