“Tuition-free” is becoming the new buzzword, as several of the world’s top drama schools plan to adopt that policy starting this fall, including the graduate programs at Juilliard and USC.

These join a number of existing free programs on The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual list of the best drama schools, as they look to expand accessibility and mitigate the debt many drama students bring into continuing education. It’s a big positive step in a year when many schools have been emerging from the pandemic era of largely online classes and leaning into more inclusive, tech-forward curriculums.

In addition to broadening access to more diverse candidates and wanting to stay competitive with recruitment, the push to go tuition-free at USC was spurred on by the writers and actors strikes. “Just knowing how volatile the industry is for these creatives, it’s extremely important that they not be saddled with...