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Best Schools for Acting in Massachusetts
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the acting degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Acting
Leading the list is Emerson College, our #1 school for acting. Emerson College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. Roughly 77% of students complete a degree within six years here. Emerson College awarded about 14 acting degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, acting degree recipients from Emerson College generally make around $29,435. Emerson College graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans.
See the full acting program report for Emerson College
Boston University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best acting schools. Set in the city of Boston, Boston University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 89% of students complete a degree within six years here. Boston University awarded about 19 acting degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, acting degree recipients from Boston University generally make around $21,508. Typical student debt for the program is $26,958.
Read more about the acting program at Boston University
Students looking for a strong acting program will find one at Salem State University, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Salem, Salem State University is a moderately-sized public institution. About 50% of students finish within six years. Salem State University awarded about 19 acting degrees in the most recent data year. Acting graduates of Salem State University earn a median of $49,656 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,176 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in acting from Salem State University
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 4 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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