2026 Best Acting Schools in Tennessee

Acting degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best acting schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Acting Schools in Tennessee

Best Schools for Acting in Tennessee

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

1

Belmont University
Nashville, TN

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

17 Acting Degrees Awarded

$49,699 Median Starting Salary

Leading the list is Belmont University, our #1 school for acting. Set in the city of Nashville, Belmont University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 70% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 17 acting students who graduated with this degree at Belmont University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the acting program make about $49,699 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $23,447 to complete this degree. Get the full acting details for Belmont University

2

Visible Music College
Memphis, TN

Associate's Degree Highest Degree Type

12 Acting Degrees Awarded

$28,885 Median Starting Salary

Visible Music College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best acting schools. Located in the city of Memphis, Visible Music College is a small private not-for-profit university. Roughly 12% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 12 acting students who graduated with this degree at Visible Music College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, acting degree recipients from Visible Music College generally make around $28,885. Visible Music College graduates carry a median of $14,000 in student loans. See the full acting program report for Visible Music College

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.