Best Acting Schools in Los Angeles

Why it is here: A competitive BFA in Acting for Stage and Screen at USC's University Park campus, entered by audition with one classical (pre-1900) and one contemporary monologue. Tuition is published ($75,384 per year, 2026-27) with competitive admissions scholarships; USC also runs a three-year MFA in Acting with a short film and spring showcases.

Limitations: One of the most expensive undergraduate options here; scholarships are competitive, not guaranteed.

May suit: Undergraduates who want stage and screen training inside a large research university in Los Angeles.

Why it is here: An eight-semester BFA in Acting (On-Camera & Theatre) in Hollywood combining performance training for stage, film and television with academic studies, an accelerated option and a capstone production; $49,500 per year (2026-27) and audition-based scholarships are published.

Limitations: A private arts college; compare total cost of attendance, not only tuition.

May suit: Students who want a performance-focused BFA in Hollywood with an accelerated route.

Why it is here: A liberal-arts BA in Theatre in Westchester with a performance focus, including Acting for the Camera, Method Acting and Acting Shakespeare; applicants audition with two monologues.

Limitations: A BA rather than a BFA; tuition was not stated on the pages we checked.

May suit: Students who want acting within a broader university degree.

Why it is here: A four-year BA in Theater with an Acting area of emphasis at UCLA in Westwood; all theater undergraduates may audition for most departmental productions.

Limitations: Entry is through admission to the major rather than a dedicated acting conservatory audition, and a graduate acting MFA was not listed on the pages we could read.

May suit: Students who want acting within a public research university's theater program.

Why it is here: The Academy's two-year full-time conservatory at 1336 N. La Brea Avenue, with a Los Angeles tuition schedule ($42,350 per year, 2026-27) and audition-based entry; a musical-theatre track is listed separately.

Limitations: We record the Los Angeles AOS tracks as conservatory awards because no page we read tied the Los Angeles campus to a degree-granting authority; ask the Academy how the award is conferred in California.

May suit: Actors who want a full-time, two-year conservatory in Hollywood.

Why it is here: A 24-month program in Hollywood taught across twelve terms with faculty evaluation each term; classes can also be taken part-time and count towards the two-year program. A program price and split-payment plan are published.

Limitations: The published price is labelled for the 2024 school year, so confirm current fees. No formal award is stated.

May suit: Actors who want Adler-based training with the option to build it up part-time.

Why it is here: A full-time block program of acting classes and productions at Los Angeles City College in East Hollywood, entered by audition and charged at California community-college per-credit rates.

Limitations: Leads to a vocational certificate, not a degree; the fee text we read was dated.

May suit: Actors who want full-time, production-based training at public-college cost.

Why it is here: A six-week accelerated technique course ($945, two classes a week) covering script analysis, personalization and scene work, which leads into ongoing scene study; the studio also lists online youth and voice-acting classes.

Limitations: Non-award classes; ongoing scene study requires the technique course first.

May suit: Adults who want a clear on-ramp into ongoing scene study in Hollywood.

Why it is here: Continuous Meisner-technique classes in North Hollywood in which every student works each class; all new students start in the beginning class and are promoted by their teacher. Monthly fees are published.

Limitations: No formal award and no fixed end date; progress depends on teacher promotion.

May suit: Actors who want long-term, ongoing Meisner training.

Why it is here: The first level of the Groundlings Core Track, entered through a free placement audition, after open-enrollment introductory sessions ($55) and a six-session beginner workshop; the advanced Lab ends in a performance on the Groundlings stage. Course prices are published.

Limitations: Improvisation and sketch training rather than general actor training.

May suit: Actors drawn to comedy, improvisation and character work.

Why it is here: Four-week voice-over fundamentals in animation (and a separate commercial course) at a Studio City studio, with classes of up to eight and booth time in every session.

Limitations: Prices were not published on the pages we checked.

May suit: Actors starting voice-over who want in-booth practice in small groups.

Why it is here: A four-year BFA in Acting at CalArts in Valencia (City of Santa Clarita), moving from American plays to classical texts and contemporary screen work; a three-year MFA in Acting is also offered.

Limitations: In Santa Clarita, not the City of Los Angeles; tuition was not readable on the pages we checked.

May suit: Actors who want a conservatory BFA within an interdisciplinary art school.

Why it is here: A full-time two-year Method conservatory in West Hollywood (six 12-week sessions) with a published annual fee, plus an Associate of Occupational Studies degree program offered only at this campus and a 12-week introductory program.

Limitations: West Hollywood is its own city, not part of the City of Los Angeles. The certificate program awards a Certificate of Merit, not a degree.

May suit: Actors committed to Method training in a full-time format.

Why it is here: A three-month, twice-weekly Orientation ($875) leading to ongoing monthly Intermediate and Advanced Scene Study ($280 per month), with published class sizes of about 35–50 enrolled; a youth and teen class (ages 7–17) is separate.

Limitations: Large enrolled classes; entry is by interview.

May suit: Adults who want a long-running scene-study class structure.

Why it is here: A two-year Associate in Arts in Theatre with performance coursework in acting styles, voice, stage movement and musical theatre, plus a transfer-oriented associate degree, at public community-college cost.

Limitations: A broad theatre degree, not a dedicated acting conservatory.

May suit: Students starting a degree path cheaply before transferring to a four-year program.

Why it is here: A three-year MFA in Drama with an acting emphasis, structured around personalization, style and process, and professionalism, with productions each quarter and a third-year showcase.

Limitations: In Irvine, Orange County. The acting cycle shown on the pages we read was for an earlier admission year.

May suit: Graduate actors who want a university MFA in Southern California outside Los Angeles.

Why it is here: A BFA in Screen Acting in the City of Orange combining acting technique with screenwriting, film technology and film history; graduates leave with an actor reel.

Limitations: Screen-focused rather than theatre-focused; tuition was not readable on the pages we checked.

May suit: Undergraduates who want acting training aimed at film and television.