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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Dance (Income $0-$30k)

204 Ranked Colleges
2,817 Degrees Awarded
$5,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Dance is the 161st most popular major in the country with 3,397 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, dance graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $20,940 and had an average of $26,168 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,817 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 204 colleges that offered a degree in dance. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent dance programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the dance program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Dance (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 204 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $5,273 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at WUSTL

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 204 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s dance degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $1,866 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Dance at Northwestern University

#3

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 204 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s dance degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, UF has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $1,994 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Dance at UF

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 204 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 16 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $3,166 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Dance Report

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 204 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Dance Report

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Rio Grande Valley is also in the top of our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 24 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,850 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Dance Report

With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Dance at UIUC

#9

Hunter College

New York, New York

With a ranking of #9, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter College is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 13 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $320 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at Hunter College

#10

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#7 in overall quality

Emory University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 6 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

Emory also took the #7 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory is $11,468 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Dance at Emory

#11

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #11, Florida State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s dance degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Florida State also did well on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $5,360 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at Florida State University

#12

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Hamilton College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Clinton, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s dance degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Hamilton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Hamilton College is $7,942 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Dance at Hamilton

#13

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#24 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 16 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

UMCP also took the #24 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $8,054 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Dance at UMCP

University of California - Irvine landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s dance degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at UC Irvine

#15

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehman is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 4 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lehman College is $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Dance at Lehman College

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 34 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,291 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Dance at California State University - Fullerton

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 26 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #16 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,266 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Dance Report

#18

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

University of North Carolina School of the Arts ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this small public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UNCSA is $3,456 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Dance at UNCSA

Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rexburg, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for BYU - I is $2,637 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full BYU - I Dance Report

#20

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, New York

Skidmore College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Skidmore is a small school located in Saratoga Springs, New York that handed out 17 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

Skidmore not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,372 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Skidmore.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Dance at Skidmore

#21

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont
Top 20% in overall quality

Middlebury College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Middlebury College is a small school located in Middlebury, Vermont that handed out 3 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

Middlebury also claimed a top spot on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Middlebury is $6,161 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Middlebury Dance Report

#22

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 21 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at Indiana University - Bloomington

#23

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Dance at UC Berkeley

#11 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,916 for Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Dance at Columbia

#25

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $9,579 for bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Carleton College Dance Report

Rest of the Best 31 in Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#28

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#29

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#30

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#31

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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