| Juilliard School | NYC | Viola Davis, Adam Driver | Classical Theater | Highly Competitive |
| Yale School of Drama | CT | Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong’o | Theater & Playwriting | Rigorous Auditions |
| NYU Tisch | NYC | Lady Gaga, Anne Hathaway | Film & Broadway | Audition-Based |
| ACT | San Francisco | Denzel Washington | Stage Performance | Auditions Required |
| UCLA | LA | James Franco, Ben Stiller | Film & Television | Competitive |
| Carnegie Mellon | Pittsburgh | Zachary Quinto, Billy Porter | Musical Theater | Strict Auditions |
| USC | LA | Forest Whitaker, Sophia Bush | Film & TV Acting | Industry-Connected |
| Actors Studio – Pace | NYC | Bradley Cooper, Paul Newman | Method Acting | Intensive Auditions |
| CalArts | CA | Don Cheadle, Tim Burton | Experimental Theater | Portfolio & Audition |
| Boston University | Boston | Julianne Moore, Jason Alexander | Theater Arts | Strong Academics & Audition |