New York, NY · Private · 1,438 undergraduates · urban
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Highly selective
AMDA’s core purpose is professional performing-arts training in New York and Los Angeles, with students able to study in major entertainment centers.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Strong in student experience, and solid in career outcomes.Admission is by audition into a single discipline; general-population earnings measures describe this school poorly.
- Admission
- Audition-led admission
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 68.7%
6,580 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$26,975 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets American Musical and Dramatic Academy apart
Academic design
Degree and certificate programs emphasize studio practice, performance and instruction from working artists and industry professionals. Students train intensively in their chosen discipline rather than following a conventional broad liberal-arts model.
Campus pattern
The New York campus is embedded in Manhattan near major theatres, rehearsal spaces and performance institutions. Student culture is built around classes, rehearsals, auditions and productions.
Defining feature
AMDA’s core purpose is professional performing-arts training in New York and Los Angeles, with students able to study in major entertainment centers.
Can I get in?
Audition-led admission
Performance-based programs require an audition; filmmaking and screenwriting applicants complete specified creative submissions.
Recent applicant pool
6,580About 25 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Audition and portfolio
The audition or portfolio carries the file. The academic record qualifies the applicant; the performance decides the outcome.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for American Musical and Dramatic Academy, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What American Musical and Dramatic Academy weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Degree and certificate programs emphasize studio practice, performance and instruction from working artists and industry professionals. Students train intensively in their chosen discipline rather than following a conventional broad liberal-arts model.
Make the fit specific
AMDA’s core purpose is professional performing-arts training in New York and Los Angeles, with students able to study in major entertainment centers.
Account for the tradeoff
Performance-based programs require an audition; filmmaking and screenwriting applicants complete specified creative submissions.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Performance-based programs require an audition; filmmaking and screenwriting applicants complete specified creative submissions.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
AMDA’s core purpose is professional performing-arts training in New York and Los Angeles, with students able to study in major entertainment centers.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Admits separately
Dance
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
American Musical and Dramatic Academy beyond the classroom
The New York campus is embedded in Manhattan near major theatres, rehearsal spaces and performance institutions. Student culture is built around classes, rehearsals, auditions and productions.
A defining academic feature
Degree and certificate programs emphasize studio practice, performance and instruction from working artists and industry professionals. Students train intensively in their chosen discipline rather than following a conventional broad liberal-arts model.
What shapes an ordinary week
The New York campus is embedded in Manhattan near major theatres, rehearsal spaces and performance institutions. Student culture is built around classes, rehearsals, auditions and productions.
What changes the experience
AMDA’s core purpose is professional performing-arts training in New York and Los Angeles, with students able to study in major entertainment centers.