Circle in the Square Theatre School is a private nonprofit institution offering certificate degrees based in New York, New York. It enrolls 39 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNational Association of Schools of Theatre
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
65/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes99
Value14
Affordability7
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 8%, Circle in the Square Theatre School is among the most selective colleges in the country.
Acceptance Rate
8%
Highly Selective
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Circle in the Square Theatre School is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Getting more selective ↓
62.9 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Circle in the Square Theatre School isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $28,089 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$28,089
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
10%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
48%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$25,610
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,500
Books & Supplies
$600
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,555
Total Cost of Attendance
$41,990
Application fee: $60 (one-time, due at submission)
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50025%percentile
$15,64775%percentile
What this means:
10% of students receive Pell grants. Most cost is borne by families above Pell thresholds. Verify your individual aid offer before deciding.
Graduation Rate & Retention
100% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
—
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
100%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Circle in the Square Theatre School earn a median of $39,899 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$39,899
Earning > $25K
—
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
What this means:
Moderate return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$1.4 of median earnings 10 years out. Compare carefully against your funding plan.
Who Studies Here
Circle in the Square Theatre School is home to 39 students, an intimate, close-knit community.
Total Enrolled
39
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
—
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 33.3%13
Other 25.6%10
International 20.5%8
Black 12.8%5
Asian 5.1%2
Hispanic 2.6%1
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Circle in the Square Theatre School. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large CityNew York, New York
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
14%of students are 25 or older
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Circle in the Square Theatre School offers
a focused set of programs:
1 distinct programs across
1 major.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Circle in the Square Theatre School is 2:1, low (small classes, more faculty contact).
Student : Faculty
2:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Pros & Cons of Circle in the Square Theatre School
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Circle in the Square Theatre School tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Highly selective, strong peer cohort
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Strong first-year retention
CONS
Above-average net price
Highly competitive admissions, many strong applicants are rejected
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, Circle in the Square Theatre School is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students seeking a highly selective peer group; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Circle in the Square Theatre School
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Circle in the Square Theatre School.
Is Circle in the Square Theatre School hard to get into?
Yes. Circle in the Square Theatre School is among the most selective colleges in the United States, with an acceptance rate of 8%. Successful applicants typically have top-decile test scores and strong academic, extracurricular, and recommendation profiles.
What is the acceptance rate at Circle in the Square Theatre School?
Circle in the Square Theatre School has an acceptance rate of 8%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Circle in the Square Theatre School cost?
The average net price after aid at Circle in the Square Theatre School is $28,089 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Circle in the Square Theatre School worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $39,899 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $28,089 per year. That's roughly 1.4x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Circle in the Square Theatre School known for?
Circle in the Square Theatre School is best known for its programs in Drama & Theatre. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Circle in the Square Theatre School graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Circle in the Square Theatre School are $39,899, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Circle in the Square Theatre School accredited?
Yes. Circle in the Square Theatre School is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre.
How many students attend Circle in the Square Theatre School?
Circle in the Square Theatre School enrolls 39 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
Is Circle in the Square Theatre School a public or private college?
Circle in the Square Theatre School is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Circle in the Square Theatre School located?
Circle in the Square Theatre School is located in New York, New York.
What programs does Circle in the Square Theatre School offer?
Circle in the Square Theatre School offers 1 distinct programs. The most popular include Drama & Theatre.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Circle in the Square Theatre School?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Circle in the Square Theatre School is 2:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in New York
Other colleges in New York share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
