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Casting director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a casting director. Casting directors usually study photography, communication, or theatre. 79% of casting directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 970 real casting director resumes to see exactly what casting director education sections show.
The most common colleges for casting directors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online casting director courses to help get the education required to be a casting director.
What education do you need to become a casting director?
What degree do you need to be a casting director?
- Bachelor's, 79%
- Associate, 9%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a casting director?
- Photography, 19%
- Communication, 18%
- Theatre, 14%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for casting directors
| Casting director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 11.97% |
| Full Sail University | 11.11% |
| University of Southern California | 9.40% |
| The New School | 5.13% |
| Hofstra University | 5.13% |
Best majors for casting directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photography | 19.1% |
| 2 | Communication | 17.7% |
| 3 | Theatre | 14.2% |
| 4 | Business | 7.2% |
| 5 | Fine Arts | 5.5% |
Best colleges for casting directors
The best colleges for casting directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
A casting director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for casting directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become casting directors.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for casting directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for casting directors
The most affordable schools for casting directors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for casting directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for casting directors.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
10. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for casting directors
The hardest universities for casting directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for casting directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for casting directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
14%
SAT average
1,531
7. Hamilton College
Clinton, NY • Private
Admissions rate
21%
SAT average
1,446
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for casting directors
The easiest schools for casting directors to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a casting director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for casting directors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average casting director salary by education level
| Casting director education level | Casting director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,542 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,616 |
Casting director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025