2023 Best Value Colleges for Dance in California (With Aid)
14
Ranked Colleges
538
Degrees Awarded
$22,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 3,288 people earned their degree in dance, making the major the 158th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, dance graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $22,085 and had an average of $24,389 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 538 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $19,813 and $21,811 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in dance. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent dance programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the dance program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Dance Schools
The dance school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Dance in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 ’s dance degrees to qualified students.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for California Dance students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Dance at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 23 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for California Dance students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Dance at California State University - Fullerton
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 58 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for california dance students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Dance at University of California - Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s dance degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,822 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend UCR.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Dance at University of California - Riverside
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california dance students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Dance Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california dance students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Dance at University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best Dance Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for california dance students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Dance at University of California - San Diego
San Jose State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 6 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Dance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,542 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Dance at San Jose State
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 21 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,252 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend UCSB.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Dance at UCSB
With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s dance degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
SDSU also made our “Best Dance Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $13,845 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend San Diego State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Dance at SDSU
San Francisco State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s dance degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,459 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend SFSU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Dance at SFSU
University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 21 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Dance Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for California Dance students with aid.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full USC Dance Report
Chapman University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman also made our “Best Dance Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $44,198 for California Dance students with aid per year to attend Chapman.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Dance at Chapman University
California Institute of the Arts landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 23 ’s dance degrees in 2020-2021.
CalArts also made our “Best Dance Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of the Arts is $56,876 for california dance students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full California Institute of the Arts Dance Report
Loyola Marymount University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s dance degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Dance Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount is $44,467 for California Dance students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Dance at Loyola Marymount
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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