by our College Data Analytics Team
[Dance](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/dance/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a dance degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools to find where dance graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose dance graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in dance, no school beat Suny College At Brockport this year. Set in the town of Brockport, Suny College At Brockport is a public institution. Students who complete the dance program here go on to a median salary of roughly $49,831.
Students chasing top earnings in dance will find them at Muhlenberg College, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Allentown, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Muhlenberg College typically earn about $55,505 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in dance will find them at Temple University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple University is a public institution. Dance graduates of Temple University earn a median of about $36,092 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in dance will find them at Rutgers University New Brunswick, which ranked #4. Rutgers University New Brunswick is a public school located in the city of New Brunswick. Students who complete the dance program here go on to a median salary of roughly $32,909.
New York University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying dance schools. Set in the city of New York, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Dance graduates of New York University earn a median of about $32,847 a year early in their careers.
Adelphi University earned the #6 position for dance graduate earnings this year. Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Garden City. Early-career dance graduates from Adelphi University make a median of around $32,810 per year.
Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania came in at #7 for dance graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Slippery Rock, Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Early-career dance graduates from Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania make a median of around $41,568 per year.
Cuny Lehman College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying dance schools. Set in the city of Bronx, Cuny Lehman College is a public institution. Dance graduates of Cuny Lehman College earn a median of about $27,843 a year early in their careers.
Marymount Manhattan College placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for dance. Set in the city of New York, Marymount Manhattan College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the dance program here go on to a median salary of roughly $35,998.
Rider University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying dance schools. Located in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Rider University typically earn about $30,456 annually.
Fordham University landed the #11 spot for dance salaries this year. Fordham University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bronx. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Fordham University typically earn about $35,086 annually.
Montclair State University came in at #12 for dance graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State University is a public institution. Dance graduates of Montclair State University earn a median of about $27,863 a year early in their careers.
Suny College At Potsdam came in at #13 for dance graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Potsdam, Suny College At Potsdam is a public institution. Dance graduates of Suny College At Potsdam earn a median of about $24,094 a year early in their careers.
Point Park University landed the #14 spot for dance salaries this year. Point Park University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh. Early-career dance graduates from Point Park University make a median of around $29,025 per year.
Desales University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying dance schools. Desales University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Center Valley. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Desales University typically earn about $20,611 annually.
Pace University New York came in at #16 for dance graduate earnings this year. Pace University New York is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Pace University New York typically earn about $19,614 annually.
University At Buffalo placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for dance. University At Buffalo is a public school located in the suburb of Buffalo. After graduating, dance degree recipients from University At Buffalo typically earn about $17,110 annually.
Suny At Purchase College came in at #18 for dance graduate earnings this year. Suny At Purchase College is a public school located in the suburb of Purchase. After graduating, dance degree recipients from Suny At Purchase College typically earn about $21,932 annually.
American Musical And Dramatic Academy earned the #19 position for dance graduate earnings this year. American Musical And Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. After graduating, dance degree recipients from American Musical And Dramatic Academy typically earn about $15,881 annually.
The Juilliard School came in at #20 for dance graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, The Juilliard School is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the dance program here go on to a median salary of roughly $14,220.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries dance graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 20 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.