The USC School of Dramatic Arts pairs conservatory-caliber actor training with a research university embedded in the industry's hometown, and its board of councilors, Connie Britton, Michael Chiklis, Danny Strong, signals how close that relationship runs. Playwright William C. DeMille founded the program in 1945.
Undergraduates choose between the BA in Dramatic Arts, flexible, with emphases from acting to comedy to musical theatre, and audition-gated BFAs including Acting for Stage and Screen and Musical Theatre. BFA admission runs a filmed pre-screen: two monologues under 90 seconds (one classical pre-1900 shot full-body, one contemporary in close-up), a personality video, and essays, with February callbacks. A three-year MFA in Acting tops the ladder, and a summer theatre conservatory serves high schoolers. Facilities include the Dick Wolf Drama Center.
Published university tuition for 2026-27 is $75,384, with total on-campus cost of attendance above $103,000 before aid, degree-scale money that buys degree-scale infrastructure, faculty of working professionals, and the USC network. Application deadlines run December for BFA and January for BA. For actors certain they want a university degree with elite industry adjacency, USC and UCLA are the two LA flagships; USC is the private-tuition, BFA-forward one.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
BFA Acting requires filmed SlideRoom pre-screen (classical + contemporary monologues, 90 sec each) with mid-February callback weekend, in person or virtual; BFA deadline Dec 1, 2026; BA final deadlines Jan 10, 2027 (first-year) / Feb 15, 2027 (transfer); SlideRoom audition applies to BFA programs, BA applies via Common App; admissions line (213) 740-1286. Duration: BA/BFA four years; MFA Acting three years.
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| undergraduate tuition 2026-27 (university-wide, 12-18 units, two semesters) | $75,384 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Location
Questions actors ask
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- USC SDA Programs, accessed 2026-07-16
- USC SDA Undergraduate How to Apply, accessed 2026-07-16
- BFA Acting for Stage and Screen, How to Apply, accessed 2026-07-16
- USC SDA Contact, accessed 2026-07-16
- USC Undergraduate Cost of Attendance 2026-2027, accessed 2026-07-16
- A Glimpse of SDA History, accessed 2026-07-16
- USC Accreditation (WSCUC), accessed 2026-07-16
Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.
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