2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Dance (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 3,397 people earned their degree in dance, making the major the 161st most popular in the United States. 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 the Plains States region, there were 124 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $18,900 and $22,992 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 115 dance graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in dance. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great dance programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the dance program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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More Ways to Rank Dance Schools
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 the Plains States Region 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. 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.
Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Dance (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region 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. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s dance degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $5,273 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $7,266 for plains states region 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 93%. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carleton College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
Carleton also took the #9 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $9,579 for plains states region 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Olaf College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s dance students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, St. Olaf has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Olaf is $12,459 for Plains States Region 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 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $12,975 for plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
UNL also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $12,216 for plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, 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 85%.
With a ranking of #7, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 11 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
Minnesota State Mankato also made our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $11,057 for plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Dance at Minnesota State University - Mankato
With a ranking of #8, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMKC is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 11 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMKC is $12,065 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Dance at University of Missouri - Kansas City
With a ranking of #9, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gustavus Adolphus College is a small school located in Saint Peter, Minnesota that handed out 6 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k list, Gustavus Adolphus has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gustavus Adolphus is $12,150 for Plains States Region 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Lindenwood University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lindenwood University, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,388 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lindenwood University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Kansas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for KU is $14,387 for plains states region bachelor’s degree dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Luther College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Luther College is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 1 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $16,636 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Webster University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Webster University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s dance degrees to qualified students.
Webster did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Webster is $18,661 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Stephens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Dance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stephens College is a small school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 2 bachelors’s dance degrees in 2019-2020.
Stephens did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Stephens is $17,210 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Dance students whose families make $0-$30k.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jazzart Dance Theatre.
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