Diploma in Acting is skill based 1 to 2 year course which comprises of 2 to 4 semesters as per the institute. The course will give detailed information including acting skills, performance on stage, voice inflection, camera acting, and analysis of scripts. The students are conditioned on character building, improvisation, mime, body communication, and audition training.
A candidate should have achieved the mark of 45-50 percent in his 10+2, cleared by a well-recognized board of education to be qualified to appear in Diploma in Acting. There are also some institutions that need to accept candidates on the form of auditions, portfolios and interviews.
An institute may charge between INR 50,000 – 3,00,000 as the average course fee of a Diploma in Acting, depending on the reputation of the institute and the duration of the course. Some of the best acting institutes in India where this study course is offered are National School of Drama (NSD), Film and television institute of India (FTII), Barry John Acting Studio, Whistling Woods International, and Actor Prepares by Anupam Kher.
Job options of diploma in acting As a diploma holder in acting, one can work in a theatre, serials, movies, Web series, advertisement, and voiceover projects. Jobs that graduates can take up comprise Theatre Artist, Actor, Voice Artist, Dialogue Coach, Assistant Director and Drama Instructor. Talented and experienced professionals in this domain can take home anywhere between INR 4-10 LPA at the start of their career and even more when it comes to taking up lead or high profile projects.
Table of Contents
- Diploma in Acting Course Highlights
- What is a Diploma in Acting?
- Why Study Diploma in Acting?
- Who Should Study Diploma in Acting?
- Diploma in Acting Eligibility Criteria
- Diploma in Acting Colleges in India
- Diploma in Acting Admission Process 2025
- Diploma in Acting Syllabus
- Diploma in Acting Job Opportunities in India
- Diploma in Acting FAQs
Diploma in Acting Course Highlights
Given below are the basic key highlights for the Diploma in Acting:
What is a Diploma in Acting?
The 1 to 2-year undergraduate/ post 12th Diploma Program is in the field of acting and is aimed at students who love performance arts and brushes with the art of acting. It offers an extensive training base on theatre expression, stage performance, character building, voice projection, and screen outlooks. This course will be suitable to those who want to pursue a professional career in theatre or cinema, television, or digital media.
Workshops, live performances and rehearsals form part of the curriculum so that students are practically trained. Students become acquainted with traditional and contemporary acting, improvisation, script reading, voice and speech, camera acting, stage and screen movement. The program also helps the learners to understand the history of theatre and dramatic literature, the cultural aspects of performance, training their creativity, discipline and emotional expression.
Also, read B.A in Acting
Why Study Diploma in Acting?
An actor does not only act as a profession, they explore the human emotion, a tale, and a way to express it. Diploma in Acting empowers people, who are enthusiastic about performing arts, to be able to express meaning through a character and performance on a stage, on a screen or even on voice.
These are some of the powerful reasons to undertake a Diploma in Acting:
- You get to learn the art of communication: The course exposes you to the art of performance acting, classic to contemporary on-screen performance, how to portray emotions, take character, and reach the audience.
- It improves discipline, creativity, and self-understanding: Another aspect of acting sharpens your ability to observe and your imagination, as well as promote emotional honesty and self-discovery. This will not only create your presence in the stage or any medium of your presentation but will also enhance your interpersonal and presentation skills.
- You acquire the skills of the industry: The mix of modules, such as voice, movement, improvisation and camera acting, will provide you with the skills needed to work in different media such as films, television, theatre and web series making you employment ready in different entertainment milieu.
- You feel collaboration and networking: The courseplanning promotes collaboration with fellow-students, managers and professors. It provides experience with real-time productions and contacts with professionals in the industry and equips you with the dynamics of the performance industry in real life.
Who Should Study Diploma in Acting?
The below are some of the major profiles of students who must consider taking a Diploma in Acting. It is time to consider them:
- Such people that are obsessed with performing arts, theatre, movies, and need to reveal human emotions and stories on either stage or cinema.
- Confident candidates, who are expressive, with high verbal and non-verbal communication skills or with a desire to acquire them through formal education.
- It is best suited to students who like to role-play, improvise, tell stories or to study creative working within the fields of cinema, drama, digital content or web series.
- The individuals who want to pursue a career in theatre production, film acting, voice overs, or those who would like to work as drama teachers or dialogue coaches at the performing art colleges.
- It is also a perfect choice to people who want to consider careers through creative agencies, advertising, television networks, OTT platforms, and entertainment journalism.
- This is also appropriate to those aspiring to build on their self confidence, body language, vocal modulation, and people skills in getting a career in the profession of a speaker or in brand communication.
Diploma in Acting Eligibility Criteria
The admission requirements in Diploma in acting course is given below. It is necessary to remember that particular requirements might be different in different institutions:
- An equivalent certificate in any stream, of qualification of 10+2 with reference to the recognized Board.
- Minimum of aggregate 45%-50 percent in Class 12; 5 percent concession in case of SC/ST/OBC students as per institute standards.
- Interest and talent in performing arts, dramatics, or stage performance will be placed on a high priority.
Diploma in Acting Colleges in India
The following is the list of few of the best Diploma in Acting colleges in India. To take up the course with these institutes, students have to fulfill the eligibility to course.
Diploma in Acting Admission Process 2025
Students choose to enter Diploma in Acting courses largely on the basis of merit, performance during an audition or interview. The following is the admission procedure in the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi:
Step 1: First visit the official site of NSD and complete the online application form by submitting personal, academic and contact information.
Step 2: furnish documents and process the application fee as required by the institute.
Step 3: Make yourself ready and attend the audition/ interview that NSD runs. This normally involves monologue, personality test and acting exercises.
Step 4: NSD publishes a merit list according to the score of the audition and interview. In case you are chosen, you will either get an email or see a notification on the official site.
Step 5: Please pay 5 token fees and produce the original documents in person at the institute to confirm your admission.
Required Documents:
- Marksheet and certificate 10+2
- Transfer Certificate (TC)
- Character Certificate
- Identity evidence (Aadhaar card, Passport, etc.)
- Passport-sized photographs
- Caste/Category certificate (if applicable)
Diploma in Acting Syllabus
The following syllabus of Diploma in Acting is studied in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune in case you need to refer to it. Their curriculum is normally optional in 2 semesters in a year that equates to theory, practice and performance.
Diploma in Acting Job Opportunities in India
After completing the Diploma in Acting, students can pursue various Job Profiles. Given below are some of the famous Job Roles you can pursue after completing the course. Along with the top recruiters and Average Pay.
Diploma in Acting FAQs
Is it possible to use a Diploma in Acting as a way of becoming a professional actor in films or theater?
Yes, Diploma in Acting imparts basic and extended skills of acting that are required in films, theatre and television to the course student. Students are trained to have artist depth, technical assurance of the industry with learning on modulations, body movement, improvisation and on camera tools. Colleges such as FTII, NSD or Whistling Woods are known well because of their professional connections and placement of their alumni within the entertainment industry.
Is the acting diploma accompanied by internships or real life performance?
Absolutely. In most acting diploma programs, there are chances at a public show case, stage performance, and intern work with acting theatre groups or a production house. As in the case of FTII, they end the program with a last production project or a presentation in the open courts, where students get to know what it is like being directed, producing and seeing the respondents. Casting directors and professionals in the industry may be on the prowl at these platforms.
Do students of all streams (Science, Commerce, Arts) have a chance to apply to Diploma in Acting?
Yes, all educational levels students are entitled to apply into the Diploma in Acting, given they have the basic qualification (usually 10+2). More important is enthusiasm, liking to perform and, in some cases, passing an audition or an interview stage. There can also be written entrance test and physical auditions in institutes such as NSD and FTII that test the talent of acting.
What aspects of the modern acting and screen presence do the course involve?
Curriculum in the leading acting schools incorporates the contemporary components of acting including camera acting, green screen training, audition training and exposure to current scripts and digital platforms. Students can also practice acting in voiceovers, acting in web series, and acting in short films or OTT in courses and develop skills to work on different mediums.
Does a course in Diploma in Acting have any interdisciplinary exposure?
Not only that, lots of acting diplomas cover interdisciplinary areas of study such as Film Appreciation, Dance, Psychology or even Music. A knowledge of these aspects is useful in creating character and in improving expressive power. Direction, screenwriting or even launching a makeup design, are all other elective courses preferred by some institutions, to increase the range of skills and industry relevance of the student.
