2026 Best Dance Schools in Illinois

Dance degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 7 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best dance schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Dance Schools in Illinois

Best Schools for Dance in Illinois

If you are not 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.

Top Schools in Dance

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Champaign, IL

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Dance Degrees Awarded

$57,461 Median Starting Salary

No school ranked higher than University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign this year for dance. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign awarded about 15 dance degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the dance program make about $57,461 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,061. Read more about the dance program at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

2

Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL

Associate's Degree Highest Degree Type

20 Dance Degrees Awarded

$29,160 Median Starting Salary

Columbia College Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in dance, ranking #2. Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. About 52% of students finish within six years. About 20 dance degrees were awarded at Columbia College Chicago in the most recent year. Dance graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn a median of $29,160 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree. Get the full dance details for Columbia College Chicago

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.