2025 Best Dance Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Dance is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #115 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for dance students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 300 bachelor's degrees in dance to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Dance School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The dance bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality dance program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to dance students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of dance students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt dance students go into to obtain their bachelor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized dance related body.
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.
More Ways to Rank Dance Schools
The dance school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Dance Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Dance in California
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for dance students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Dance
University of California - Riverside is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in dance. UCR is a fairly large public university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Riverside
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in dance has to look into University of California - Irvine. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the dance major at University of California - Irvine get $4,011 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Irvine
It's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in dance. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.
After graduating, dance bachelor's recipients typically earn around $19,787 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of California - Los Angeles
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in dance has to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the dance program report average early career income of $25,653.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from University of Southern California
Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the dance program report average early career earnings of $21,275.
More information about a bachelor’s in dance from Chapman University