### SUMMARY

 Going to school for Dance is not only a valuable choice, but typically a required first step for pupils endeavoring to pursue a career as a private dance instructor, a pilates instructor, or a group fitness instructor. In fact, dance is of average popularity ranking as the 122nd most popular major. Last year alone, there were 2,661 dance degrees conferred. In-state tuition for dance at private universities is, on average, 3.9 times more spendy than their public equivalents.

 There are 267 schools that offer this degree. This number of schools is on par with other majors offered in the United States. If you're looking to immerse yourself with other dance undergrads, consider colleges in New York which have the most students admitted to dance annually. less precisely, the best region to major in dance is in the Mid East region with [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college), [The University of the Arts](/colleges/the-university-of-the-arts), and [Point Park University](/colleges/point-park-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick for the best conference to major in dance is the Pacific-12 Conference with [University of Arizona](/colleges/university-of-arizona), [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah), and [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus) representing the conference. Based on our list on the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our belief is that the best college for dance is [Emory University](/colleges/emory-university).

 The overall 'best' school might not actually be the best school for you. There might be tons of facets to think about when choosing institution. Features such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food would sway your decision on which school to attend. Here at Authority, we have evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which dance university is home to the top campus, the answer is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If you are very interested in which university is home to the finest campus, we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more to evaluate each major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can explore our well researched list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand, from that list, our selection of the university with the best student life for dance is [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor). Are you curious why? Keep scrolling to learn more about our top selections. Many of our conclusions just might shock you.

 If price is a significant deciding factor in your choice of where you attend school, you might consider avoiding [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspappears to be our most expensive school for dance, at least regarding out of state attendance. We have a list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that could put the expense at [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you could care to know that dance is the 76th most expensive major in America, with an average associated cost of $41,200. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for dance in the nation is District of Columbia demonstrated with a cost of $54,453 at the main college in the state George Washington University. Even more broadly, the most expensive region of the U.S. for dance is the Far West region which is best demonstrated with [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts) with a cost of $50,850, [Chapman University](/colleges/chapman-university) with a cost of $54,540, and [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california) with a cost of $57,256.

 Our cheapest region for dance is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Brigham Young University-Idaho](/colleges/brigham-young-university-idaho) with a cost of $4,208, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [Utah Valley University](/colleges/utah-valley-university) with a cost of $15,872. More optimistically, the most affordable university for dance is [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university). Our comprehensive list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can expect to pay around $10,500 for a degree in dance. The cost grows by a lot to an average of $25,900 for an out-of-state public-school student. On that note, our selection for the college with the best value for dance: [Emory University](/colleges/emory-university). On this page you can see our comprehensive list for the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. That being said, this discussion is based on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know where you live (and are not trying to collect that kind of data).

 Earnings for dance students differ a lot, but two-years after completing the major students will often make in the neighborhood of $49,000. While there can be much variation in earnings potential; highest paid earners can rake in up to $107,000. Even right out of school, the lowest end jobs within the dance field make $21,900, which isn't that bad. The top earning grads for dance have come from [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspand if you are looking for universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The overall diversity of dance is subpar, arriving in the 41st percentile of majors nationally. The university with the highest composite diversity for dance is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list of the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Dance major ranks only within the 72nd percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even lower in the 52nd percentile. White undergraduates make up the largest share at 62% of students studying dance. Additionally, 87% of students seeking a dance major are women.

 The median score of dance professors is 4.3 stars, a ranking that is 8% above the median score for every major; this is a pretty good ranking. If you are interested in the most popular dance professor nationally, look no further than Fanchon Cordell from [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts). This may come as a shock, but the best ranked professors for dance by student are at [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah). As we incorporate data other than simply rankings we find that the school with the overall best instructors for dance is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). You can find an explanation of our ever evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as many of the top examples of instructors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult university to get into for dance is [The Juilliard School](/colleges/the-juilliard-school). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we do have a general page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). Although, we do hope you believe that approaching the education process from context only formed from superlatives could cause problems. We at Authority encourage you to look at some of our other pages on different topics and peruse a couple of our background articles on beneficial things to look out for as you continue your university search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Dance is the 122nd most popular degree in America, with 2,661 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #123 [Apparel and Textiles](/rankings/best-colleges-for-apparel-and-textiles), and narrowly lost to #121 [Interior Design](/rankings/best-colleges-for-interior-design).

 The degree is offered at a total of 267 colleges across the nation, and is the 85th most widely offered degree. Given that dance is offered at 41% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that close to four in seven colleges offering dance are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most dance graduates, largely led by [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college), while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from [Marymount Manhattan College](/colleges/marymount-manhattan-college) and [Pace University](/colleges/pace-university).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more dance graduates than [Glendale Community College](/colleges/glendale-community-college), which graduated 59 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study dance). More students studied dance as a percentage of total students at [The Juilliard School](/colleges/the-juilliard-school) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Dance is the 76th most expensive major in the nation, with a median cost of $41,196 for the top 50 programs.

 The Far West has the most expensive colleges with high quality dance programs predominantly led by [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts) with an annual cost of $50,850. District of Columbia is the most expensive state for dance led by [George Washington University](/colleges/george-washington-university).

 Public schools with solid programs by and large charge 74.24% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 36.45% less than the median private school. So, if you're looking into studying at a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california), which is the 14th most expensive college in the US. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo). It costs just $5,790 per year, but it is its dance program is ranked #51. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university)  is probably a good fit for you, ranked #21 with an in-state cost of just $4,022. Another more affordable pick would be #10, [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college) in Westchester County, NY with a cost of $7,070 for in-state students and $16,980 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Paying for college is a large investment for most. It is critical to ensure you get a high return on your investment. We aim for the following job placement and income stats to help you in deciding your major at college.

 The average Dance student makes a first year salary of $22,686 a year (bottom 1%). Further into their careers, they can generate up to $107,029 to as little as $21,902, but average approximately $48,993. To put it in context, that is 27% north of the United States average.

 The most common job for a Dance graduate is Sales Leader, which ordinarily make near $44,000; next are Analyst and Medical Assistant, which for the most part earn more or less $54,000 and $25,000 respectively.

 The best paid region for Dance graduates is The Southeast. The most well paid state for Dance graduates is SC. Centennial Conference has the best paid Dance graduates of any conference..



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Dance: Median Professor Rating: 4.3 / 5, which is Top 100.

 Instructors again and again have an important impact your college experience, regardless of your major. An awesome instructor can provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem fun. Alternatively, a poor professor can derail your education or even worse... flunk you!

 Professors of Dance boast a median student rating of 4.3 / 5, putting them in 85th place in the United States based on overall professor quality. For context that's 7.5% greater than the national median professor rating for all subjects. Professors of Dance slightly out-ranked those from ["Organizational Communication"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-organizational-communication), whereas ["Zoology"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-zoology)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Dance.

 Now for some statistics about Dance professors. Colleges located in midsize citys tend to have the best Dance professors. The Pacific-12 Conference has the highest rated Dance professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Dance professors. Public institutions tend to have higher rated Dance professors than private universities. Finally, North Carolina has the highest rated Dance professors in America.

 Fanchon Cordell, professor at [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts)&nbspin Winston Salem, NC is the most popular Dance professor in the United States. Richard Wacko, professor at [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah)&nbspin Salt Lake City, UT is the highest rated Dance professor in the US, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which colleges have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College often can be a supremely consequential investment in one's life; it's an occasion for individual progress and expansion. Scholars attempt to capture what they want to do with their lives and develop many of the integral skills to become a prosperous adult. But learning isn't solely found in a classroom - the campus dialogue, the life lesson gained from a tenured professor, the exposure to a different viewpoint. Therefore, a diverse campus greatly improves what one gains from the time spent in university.

 Dance is a slightly more ethnically diverse major than average\*. 62% of the United States' Dance majors are white students, followed by latino students (12%), black students (11%), and students of other races\*\*(10%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [San Francisco State University](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university) located in San Francisco, CA.

 Secondly, Dance very heavily skews female, more so 90% of subjects. 87% of students majoring in Dance identify as women. [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego) in La Jolla, CA has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another significant type of diversity is wealth diversity. Dance is more financially diverse than 72% of majors. 28% of its majors come from households that earn above $110,000 per year, 16% are from homes with $30,000 to $48,000 annual incomes, and 26% grew up in households with a sub $30,000 income. [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts) is the most financially diverse college in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall OR is the most diverse state for Dance. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the California Collegiate Athletic Association is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 5%
* Black: 11%
* Latino: 12%
* White: 62%
* Other: 10%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 13%
* Female: 87%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 26%
* 30k - 48k: 16%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 28%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 70%
* Out of State: 24%
* International: 6%


2023 Dance Salary

There are about 9,331 students enrolled in Dance in the USA.

SALARY