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

18 Ranked Colleges
322 Degrees Awarded
$16,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

Across California, there were 504 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $17,450 and $21,542 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 322 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in dance. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality dance programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Dance (Income $0-$30k) in California

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 40 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Dance Report

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Dance at Cal State Fullerton

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 96%.

Read more about Dance at University of California - Berkeley

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about Dance at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Dance Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Dance at SDSU

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on Dance at UCR

#11 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UCSD Dance Report

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 26 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB Dance Report

#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #10, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%.

Full San Jose State Dance Report

#11

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s dance degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Dance at USC

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #12, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Dance at San Francisco State University

#13

Mills College

Oakland, California
#16 in overall quality

Mills College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

Mills also took the #16 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,749 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mills.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Dance at Mills

#14

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California

Dominican University of California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Dominican University of California is located in San Rafael, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s dance degrees to qualified students.

DUofC also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University of California is $27,906 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Dance at Dominican University of California

#12 in overall quality

Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Moraga, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

SMC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SMC is $25,057 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full SMC Dance Report

#16

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also took the #7 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,367 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Dance at Loyola Marymount University

#17

Chapman University

Orange, California

Chapman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

Chapman also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $33,219 for california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chapman University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Chapman Dance Report

#18

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California

California Institute of the Arts came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 14 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, CalArts has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $43,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Institute of the Arts.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California Institute of the Arts Dance Report

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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