Best Actor programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction.
128 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,351 people a year. The job pays a median of — in California across about 26,170 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0501In California → | 1,884 | 80.1% | 121 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0506In California → | 402 | 17.1% | 9 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0509In California → | 45 | 1.9% | 6 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0599In California → | 11 | 0.5% | 3 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0507In California → | 9 | 0.4% | 3 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 128 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Film Academy Burbank, CA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 150 | Acting | $15,355 | 68% | $46,505 | — |
| 2 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 139 | Acting | $21,473 | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 3 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 102 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $20,461 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 4 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 97 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $18,182 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 5 | American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Acting | $14,335 | 78% | $41,802 | 83% |
| 6 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $19,673 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 7 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 74 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $19,231 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 8 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 67 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $18,026 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 9 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $21,869 | 79% | $36,488 | 45% |
| 10 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $20,538 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 11 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 57 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $17,524 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 12 | Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 13 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 14 | California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Acting | $22,673 | 67% | $42,045 | 32% |
| 15 | Moorpark College Moorpark, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 44% | — | — |
| 16 | Citrus College Glendora, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 41% | — | — |
| 17 | Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 29% | — | — |
| 18 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $16,645 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 19 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $22,610 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 20 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $20,503 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 21 | Chapman University Orange, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $24,644 | 82% | $42,965 | 65% |
| 22 | Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 23 | East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 24 | Grossmont College El Cajon, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 25 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,000 | 56% | — | 94% |
All 128 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Film Academy | Burbank | Private for-profit | 150 | 2 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 139 | 4 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 102 | 2 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 97 | 1 |
| American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 87 | 1 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 81 | 1 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 74 | 1 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 67 | 2 |
| Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 63 | 1 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 58 | 2 |
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 57 | 1 |
| Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill | Public | 51 | 1 |
| Santa Ana College | Santa Ana | Public | 50 | 1 |
| California Institute of the Arts | Valencia | Private not-for-profit | 49 | 2 |
| Moorpark College | Moorpark | Public | 49 | 1 |
What actors earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
BLS publishes an hourly wage only for this occupation. The work is intermittent, so no annual figure is estimated.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California, by employment
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Actors page.
How to become a Actor
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Actors7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0501Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- 50.0506Acting
- 50.0507Directing and Theatrical Production
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0511Comedy Writing and Performance
- 50.0512Theatre and Dance
- 50.0599Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing actors programs in California.
What degree do you need to become an Actor?+
Some college, no degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General, which awarded 1,884 degrees in California in 2024-25, 80.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Actor?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Together they graduate about 2,351 people a year in California.
Is demand for actors growing?+
BLS projects a +0.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
128 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do actors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Actor, Actress, Comedian, Performer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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