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2024 Best Dance Schools

179 Colleges in the United States
3,288 Dance Degrees Awarded
$22,085 Avg Early-Career Salary
Dance isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #158 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 179 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Dance Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,288 degrees in dance to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Dance School

Best Dance Schools The dance program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Dance rankings. We derive our Best Overall Dance School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Dance Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Dance
Bachelor's Degrees in Dance
Master's Degrees in Dance
Doctor's Degrees in Dance

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Dance Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Dance in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the dance degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Dance

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Dance Degrees Awarded
$29,321 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in dance has to look into New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 dance students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the dance major at New York University earn $7,236 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in dance from New York University

2
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In GA

Every student pursuing a degree in dance has to look into Emory University. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were roughly 6 dance students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from Emory University

3
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NC

Duke University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in dance. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 9 dance students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from Duke University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI

Every student who is interested in dance needs to look into University of Wisconsin - Madison. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 10 dance students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In NY

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 1 dance students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from Columbia University in the City of New York

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Dance Degrees Awarded
20.7% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. This university ranks 15th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 58 dance students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the dance program report average early career wages of $22,184.

More information about a degree in dance from University of California - Irvine

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL
41 Dance Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were roughly 41 dance students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Florida

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MO
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 8 dance students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from Washington University in St Louis

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
23.8% Growth in Graduates

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 21 dance students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Southern California

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In TX
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 14 dance students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from Southern Methodist University

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 21 dance students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In LA

Tulane is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New Orleans. This university ranks 1st out of 29 schools for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.

There were approximately 10 dance students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from Tulane University of Louisiana

13
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Dance Degrees Awarded
7.5% Growth in Graduates

U of U is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City. This university ranks 3rd out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were roughly 53 dance students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the dance program state that they receive average early career earnings of $20,152.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Utah

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 13 dance students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Dance Degrees Awarded
15.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 33 dance students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the dance program make an average of $14,394 for their early career.

More information about a degree in dance from University of California - Los Angeles

16
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In NY

Skidmore is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Saratoga Springs. This college ranks 21st out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 8 dance students who graduated with this degree at Skidmore in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in dance from Skidmore College

17
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 24 dance students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Dance degree recipients from University of Iowa earn a boost of about $4,338 over the typical earnings of dance majors.

More information about a degree in dance from University of Iowa

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$18,093 Median Starting Salary
$25,913 Median Student Debt

Chapman is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 25 dance students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, dance degree recipients typically make about $18,093 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in dance from Chapman University

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 2 dance students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in dance from Northwestern University

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Dance Degrees Awarded
26.5% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. This university ranks 2nd out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 34 dance students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the dance program earn around $21,123 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in dance from Ohio State University - Main Campus

21
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, NY

Located in the city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 21 dance students who graduated with this degree at Juilliard in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the dance degree program at The Juilliard School make $5,109 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in dance from The Juilliard School

22

Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 20 dance students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the dance program earn around $22,703 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in dance from Texas Christian University

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Dance Degrees Awarded
29.8% Growth in Graduates

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This university ranks 28th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 57 dance students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, dance degree recipients typically make about $21,620 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in dance from California State University - Long Beach

24
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Dance Degrees Awarded
$34,080 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 45 dance students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Dance degree recipients from Texas State University earn a boost of approximately $11,995 over the average earnings of dance graduates.

More information about a degree in dance from Texas State University

25

Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 19 dance students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the dance program earn about $17,719 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in dance from The University of Texas at Austin

Rest of the Top Best Dance Schools

26

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Dance Schools award.

Rank College Location
27 George Washington University Washington, DC
28 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
29 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
30 The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA
31 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
32 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
33 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
34 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
35 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA

Dance by Region

View the Best Dance Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Dance is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Dance Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Dance 3,148
Other Dance 87
Ballet 53

View All Dance Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Dance

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355
Arts & Media Management 4,788
Other Visual Art 912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 10

View All Dance Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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