The Juilliard School
"Juilliard actors somehow are more marketable — the first-round draft picks," said one casting insider. Among the school's notable alumni: The Help stars Jessica Chastain (pictured) and Viola Davis.
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Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Julliard -
American Conservatory Theater
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of American Conservatory Glee's Darren Criss graduated from ACT, which offers MFA students an opportunity to be mentored by its resident company of top-notch professional actors.
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CalArts
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cal Arts Travis Preston, dean of the California Institute of the Arts School of Theater, calls CalArts "the hub of a vast network of artistic and professional relationships that traverses the globe." Ed Harris (pictured) is a graduate, as is Alison Brie and Don Cheadle.
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USC School of Dramatic Arts
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of U.S.C. Students at USC are prepped to make a living — trained for TV, feature films and Internet work. Henry Winkler (pictured here in his yearbook photo) went there, as did Kyra Sedgwick and Forest Whitaker.
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UCLA
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of U.C.L.A. UCLA BA and BFA drama students have a leg-up on the competition, working in the world's red-hot center for film, TV, animation and digital media production. James Dean transferred to the school in 1950 and beat out 350 people to win the role of Malcolm in Macbeth. He dropped out the following year to pursue his acting career.
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University of Washington
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Washington University Washington's Professional Actors program boasts that half of its students find work within a year of graduation. Notable alumni include Joel McHale (pictured) and Rainn Wilson.
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Carnegie Mellon
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Zachary Quinto calls Carnegie Mellon's acting program "a four-year playground," while Holly Hunter credits the school with teaching her her craft. Director Rob Marshall (pictured) also studied drama there.
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Rutgers
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rutgers University Only 9 percent of applicants get into Rutgers University's BFA acting program. They later do annual showcases in New York. Among its graduates are Kristin Davis and Once Upon a Time's Sebastian Stan, pictured.
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Syracuse University
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Syracuse University Archives The Syracuse BFA drama program draws 900 applicants a year. Among its notable alumni are Aaron Sorkin, who started as a musical theater student, and Vanessa Williams (pictured), a musical theater major from 1981-1983 who received her diploma 25 years after dropping out to become Miss America.