Best Dance Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Art & Design Colleges in the United States
This page ranks 80 Dance programs in the United States by the median earnings of Dance graduates four years after completing. University of Iowa leads the list with median earnings of $60,188 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the median figure is $36,913, with a spread from $60,188 to $8,000. For 24 of the 80 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 54 of the programs and private nonprofits for 26. CUNY Hunter College posts the lowest average net price on the page at $2,984.
California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA | $60,188 | $22,531 | $15,316 | 83.6% |
| University of Iowa ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $60,188 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Stephen F Austin State University · Nacogdoches, TX | $57,593 | $14,260 | $10,318 | 94.0% |
| A public university in Nacogdoches, Stephen F Austin State University posts an admission rate of 94% and median earnings of $57,593 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Muhlenberg College · Allentown, PA | $56,503 | $28,905 | $12,302 | 72.0% |
| Muhlenberg College, a private nonprofit college in Allentown, shows median federal debt of $27,000 among Dance completers who borrowed alongside earnings of $56,503 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of South Carolina-Columbia · Columbia, SC | $55,274 | $22,811 | $12,634 | 60.2% |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia ranks 4th on this list, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $21,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 5 | Texas Woman's University · Denton, TX | $53,072 | $11,963 | $9,948 | 96.1% |
| With an average net price of $11,963, Texas Woman's University reports median earnings of $53,072 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Texas State University · San Marcos, TX | $53,057 | $16,805 | $12,715 | 89.3% |
| Texas State University ranks 40th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $53,057 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL | $51,744 | $22,420 | $19,169 | 76.7% |
| The University of Alabama posts an admission rate of 77%, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $22,750 in federal loans. | |||||
| 8 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $51,736 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick reports median earnings of $51,736 for its Dance graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 31 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 9 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $50,612 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| A private nonprofit university in Orange, Chapman University shows an average net price of $46,555 and median federal debt of $23,624 among Dance completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 10 | The Juilliard School · New York, NY | $50,287 | $43,571 | $30,168 | 9.2% |
| The Juilliard School admits 9% of applicants and reports median earnings of $50,287 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of North Texas · Denton, TX | $49,063 | $15,649 | $12,311 | 72.2% |
| University of North Texas ranks 41st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $49,063 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | Sam Houston State University · Huntsville, TX | $48,568 | $16,404 | $12,474 | 90.3% |
| Sam Houston State University reports median federal debt of $26,000 among Dance completers who borrowed and an admission rate of 90%. | |||||
| 13 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte · Charlotte, NC | $48,518 | $15,435 | $10,357 | 79.6% |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte reports median earnings of $48,518 for its Dance graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $15,435. | |||||
| 14 | Hofstra University · Hempstead, NY | $48,086 | $34,176 | $28,219 | 68.1% |
| A private nonprofit university in Hempstead, Hofstra University admits 68% of applicants and its Dance completers who borrowed left with a median of $23,250 in federal loans. | |||||
| 15 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $48,069 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranks 15th on this list and posts an average net price of $6,642 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 16 | Fordham University · Bronx, NY | $47,036 | $44,338 | $32,474 | 59.3% |
| Fordham University shows median earnings of $47,036 for its Dance graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 25 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 17 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $46,387 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on the page, 5th among nonprofit four-year institutions, and reports an admission rate of 46%. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $45,804 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of California-Riverside left with a median of $17,500 in federal loans, and the school's Dance graduates earned a median of $45,804 four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI | $45,108 | $15,273 | $5,263 | 84.6% |
| Western Michigan University ranks 19th on this list and reports an average net price of $5,263 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 20 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro · Greensboro, NC | $45,084 | $10,965 | $7,305 | 88.5% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro posts median earnings of $45,084 for its Dance graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 89%. | |||||
| 21 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $44,858 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| A public university in Santa Barbara, University of California-Santa Barbara shows a school-wide median federal debt of $13,993 and an average net price of $16,109. | |||||
| 22 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $44,627 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University ranks 22nd on this list and reports median earnings of $44,627 for its Dance graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $43,987 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion admits 90% of applicants and its Dance completers who borrowed left with a median of $23,393 in federal loans. | |||||
| 24 | East Carolina University · Greenville, NC | $42,785 | $15,739 | $10,046 | 89.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at East Carolina University left with a median of $22,750 in federal loans, and the school's Dance graduates earned a median of $42,785 four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $42,624 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida reports median earnings of $42,624 for its Dance graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $6,541. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Dance graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figures cover federally aided completers of Dance programs who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 24 of the 80 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from $60,188 to $8,000 spans $52,188, with University of Iowa at $60,188 and Stephen F Austin State University at $57,593, a gap of $2,595.
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