2024 Best Dance Schools
179
Colleges in the United States
3,301
Dance Degrees Awarded
$22,085
Avg Early-Career Salary
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. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,301 degrees in dance during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Dance School
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
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
Every student pursuing a degree in dance has to take a look at New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 74 dance students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the dance degree program at New York University earn $7,236 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in dance from New York UniversityAny student pursuing a degree in dance needs to check out Emory University. Located in the 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 colleges nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.
There were roughly 7 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 UniversityMaster's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In NC
Duke University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in dance. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a 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 3 dance students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in dance from Duke UniversityEvery 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 very 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 roughly 17 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 - MadisonLocated in the large 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 approximately 6 dance students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in dance from Columbia University in the City of New YorkUC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. This university ranks 15th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 55 dance students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine 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 $22,184.
More information about a degree in dance from University of California - IrvineBachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In FL
$15,951
Median Student Debt
Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 30 dance students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in dance from University of FloridaMaster's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MO
Located in the large 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 4 dance students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in dance from Washington University in St LouisUSC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 25 dance students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in dance from University of Southern CaliforniaBachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In TX
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 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were about 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 UniversityLocated in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.
There were about 22 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 CampusBachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In LA
Tulane is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Orleans. This university ranks 1st out of 29 schools for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.
There were approximately 7 dance students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in dance from Tulane University of LouisianaU of U is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City. This university ranks 3rd out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.
There were roughly 48 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 wages of $20,152.
More information about a degree in dance from University of UtahU-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were about 23 dance students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in dance from University of Michigan - Ann ArborLocated 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 approximately 34 dance students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the dance program earn around $14,394 for their early career.
More information about a degree in dance from University of California - Los AngelesSkidmore is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs. This college ranks 21st out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 15 dance students who graduated with this degree at Skidmore in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in dance from Skidmore CollegeIowa is a very 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 about 19 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 around $4,338 above the average income of dance majors.
More information about a degree in dance from University of IowaChapman is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 45 dance students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, dance degree recipients usually earn around $18,093 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in dance from Chapman UniversityNorthwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were about 5 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 UniversityOhio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. This university ranks 2nd out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were approximately 24 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 about $21,123 for their early career.
More information about a degree in dance from Ohio State University - Main CampusLocated in the city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
There were about 21 dance students who graduated with this degree at Juilliard in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the dance major at The Juilliard School make $5,109 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in dance from The Juilliard SchoolLocated in the large 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 roughly 16 dance students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the dance program earn an average of $22,703 for their early career.
More information about a degree in dance from Texas Christian UniversityCSULB is a very large public university located in the city of Long Beach. This university ranks 28th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 46 dance students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, dance degree recipients typically earn around $21,620 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in dance from California State University - Long BeachLocated 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 about 41 dance students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Dance degree recipients from Texas State University receive an earnings boost of about $11,995 over the typical earnings of dance graduates.
More information about a degree in dance from Texas State UniversityLocated in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly 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 about 21 dance students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the dance program make around $17,719 for their early career.
More information about a degree in dance from The University of Texas at Austin
