How Much Do Acting Classes Cost?

Acting classes cost anything from a $25 drop-in to more than $20,000 a year for full-time conservatory training. The ongoing adult classes we checked in Los Angeles ran $255 to $320 a month, and 10-week courses in LA and New York ran $675 to $975. Every price here comes from the school's own website, read on 3 November 2026.

How much do acting classes cost in LA and New York?

A sample of well-known schools across class types, in US dollars as each school publishes them, as of November 2026. Confirm with the school before you book.

Watch the extras. Lee Strasberg's LA page adds a $150 registration fee and $150 materials fee to the 12-week tuition, and its New York rate includes a $250 non-refundable registration fee. Scott Sedita's site says payment isn't refundable if you can't attend.

What do different types of acting classes cost?

From the prices above, ongoing monthly classes (scene study, Meisner) sit around $255 to $320 a month in LA. Fixed courses such as on-camera or audition technique run about $675 to $975 for 10 weeks. Improv starts with $25 to $55 single sessions and climbs to $580 for a 12-week level. Part-time conservatory programs cost around $3,000 for 12 weeks, and full-time training passes $20,000 a year.

Kym Jackson's suggested order: start with a foundation class, which might use Meisner or Stanislavski exercises before any scenes, add improv, then move into scene study. On-camera classes, casting director workshops and a commercial class come after, with a sitcom specialist if comedy is your goal.

How much do acting classes cost in the UK and Australia?

A few examples, read on each school's site in November 2026:

For more schools in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Toronto and Vancouver, see our acting classes by city directory.

What are you paying for in an acting class?

Mostly the teacher and the hours. Compare contact time, not just the headline price: Playhouse West's $255 covers two three-hour classes a week, while its $155 option is one. Check class size, footage, start-up or materials fees and minimum terms.

Payment terms matter too. HB Studio offers payment plans on courses over $100, with a $100 deposit and the balance due a week after the first class.

How do you choose a class that is worth the money?

Kym's method: search for schools within about 40 minutes of home, shortlist four or five, call each for the price, research the teacher, then audit two or three before you commit. Pick the class where at least half the students are better than you. Jess Orcsik adds: work out first what kind of actor you want to be, such as sitcom or drama, film or TV, and train with people who specialise in it.

Two red flags. Jess Orcsik told us a teacher charging you a fee to introduce you to agents is not common. And Kym is firm that a class should never leave you feeling horrible or unsafe; if it does, leave.

Are there free or affordable acting classes?

Yes, if you know where to look. Many schools let you watch first: Playhouse West advertises a free audit, as does Berg Studios in LA, and HB Studio lets you audit a course for $25. Drop-ins keep costs low, from $25 at Second City Chicago to £35 at GoHub in London. City Lit has a concession rate of £244.

Union members have extra options. As of November 2026, the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory costs $60 a year for adults and $25 for minors, for LA Local members in good standing, and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation says it runs free workshops and seminars for union performers.

How long should you stay in one acting class?

This shapes your budget more than any single fee. Kym suggests an ongoing weekly class as your base, with shorter courses added for new perspectives. Stay until you feel you're one of the top one or two actors in the room, often around six months per style, and she'd consider moving on after about two years anywhere.

Jess Orcsik goes further and suggests changing teacher about every three months to collect different methods. Either way, plan for training as an ongoing cost, not a one-off.

How much do kids' acting classes cost?

From the schools above: Ruskin School of Acting lists young actors' classes at $25 for 60 minutes or $40 for 90, and teen classes at $40 to $50 a class. Beverly Hills Playhouse lists its youth and teen class (ages 7 to 17) at a $500 start-up covering two months, then $250 a month.

Parent expert Bonnie J Wallace says scene study and improv both matter, but in a small town, any acting class is fine: kids learn by doing. Our guide to getting your child into acting covers the rest.

Are acting classes worth the money?

Kym's experience: when she's in class she books more often, and most actors she knows on TV series and studio films still train. Some stars started with no training, she says, but that's rare natural gift or luck, not a plan. Shaan Sharma makes the same case for commercials: acting is a profession, so you need professional skills to deliver consistently.

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All prices current from each school’s own website (linked above) as of 3 November 2026.