by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 96 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Dance Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,650 bachelor's degrees in dance to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of dance for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for dance students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Dance Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in dance. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
New York University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in dance. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from New York University
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in dance needs to take a look at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
It's difficult to beat University of Wisconsin - Madison if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in dance. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Wisconsin - Madison
It's difficult to beat University of California - Riverside if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in dance. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Riverside
Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Southern Methodist University
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine.
Bachelor's recipients from the dance degree program at University of California - Irvine earn $5,599 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Irvine
Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Temple University
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the dance program make about $21,167 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the dance program report average early career wages of $19,787.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Los Angeles
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Dance bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of around $3,140 above the typical income of dance majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Southern California
Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the dance program earn about $21,275 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Chapman University
Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City.
Dance bachelor's degree recipients from University of Iowa receive an earnings boost of around $7,840 above the typical income of dance majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Iowa
U of U is a fairly large public university located in the city of Salt Lake City.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the dance program state that they receive average early career wages of $24,125.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Utah
UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Maryland - College Park
MMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of New York.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the dance program earn around $21,880 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Marymount Manhattan College
Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the dance program make an average of $16,639 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Florida
Located in the small city of New London, Conn College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Connecticut College
Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from The University of Texas at Austin
Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 21 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 22 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 23 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA |
| 24 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 25 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 26 | The University of the Arts | Philadelphia, PA |
| 27 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 28 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy | New York, NY |
| 29 | Purchase College | Purchase, NY |
| 30 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 31 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 32 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
View the Best Dance Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Dance has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Dance | 2,549 |
| Other Dance | 60 |
| Ballet | 41 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 23,952 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 19,777 |
| Music | 15,299 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 12,664 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 12,468 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 4,199 |
| Arts & Media Management | 2,899 |
| Other Visual Art | 483 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 61 |
| Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art | 6 |
