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Best Schools for Dance in 2026

62 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Dance, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Dance graduate earns $22,513/yr across 62 schools.

Programs Ranked

Avg Earnings

$22,513/yr

Avg DW Score

33/100

AI Risk

Low

21% task exposure

All Dance Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	Program	DW Score	Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
1	Dance Texas State University · San Marcos, TX	51 50–51	$38,967/yr	Low	10.9x
2	Dance Texas Woman's University · Denton, TX	46 43–46	$29,634/yr	Low	12.3x
3	Dance California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA	47 47–45	$30,686/yr	Low	8.8x
4	Dance University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA	41 40–41	$30,353/yr	Low	8.6x
5	Dance Stephen F Austin State University · Nacogdoches, TX	44 44–42	$33,340/yr	Low	6.9x
6	Dance University of South Carolina-Columbia · Columbia, SC	42 42–41	$33,291/yr	Low	5.6x
7	Dance Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ	39 36–41	$27,310/yr	Low	9.0x
8	Dance CUNY Lehman College · Bronx, NY	43 43–41	$27,843/yr	Low	8.4x
9	Dance Oakland University · Rochester Hills, MI	39 38–39	$31,999/yr	Low	4.4x
10	Dance University of North Carolina at Charlotte · Charlotte, NC	40 39–38	$23,587/yr	Low	9.0x
11	Dance University of North Texas · Denton, TX	38 34–40	$25,034/yr	Low	8.9x
12	Dance Florida State University · Tallahassee, FL	41 41–39	$21,877/yr	Low	8.7x
13	Dance Ball State University · Muncie, IN	39 39–38	$28,838/yr	Low	5.7x
14	Dance University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN	38 37–38	$31,597/yr	Low	3.8x
15	Dance Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · Slippery Rock, PA	36 31–40	$19,681/yr	Low	8.9x
16	Dance California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA	40 40–38	$24,087/yr	Low	7.5x
17	Dance University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA	36 35–36	$28,112/yr	Low	4.8x
18	Dance University of North Carolina at Greensboro · Greensboro, NC	38 39–37	$24,295/yr	Low	7.6x
19	Dance Sam Houston State University · Huntsville, TX	35 32–37	$19,202/yr	Low	8.0x
20	Dance University of Florida · Gainesville, FL	36 34–36	$16,639/yr	Low	7.5x
21	Dance SUNY College at Potsdam · Potsdam, NY	37 37–36	$24,094/yr	Low	5.9x
22	Dance Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH	34 30–36	$21,167/yr	Low	6.8x
23	Dance University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee · Milwaukee, WI	36 36–36	$25,456/yr	Low	5.4x
24	Dance Kennesaw State University · Kennesaw, GA	38 38–36	$18,888/yr	Low	7.2x
25	Dance University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA	27 24–28	$25,653/yr	Low	-0.1x
26	Dance Wayne State University · Detroit, MI	34 31–35	$23,626/yr	Low	5.1x
27	Dance University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT	36 36–36	$24,125/yr	Low	5.5x
28	Dance Radford University · Radford, VA	36 34–36	$26,476/yr	Low	4.4x
29	Dance University of South Florida · Tampa, FL	34 34–34	$16,389/yr	Low	5.4x
30	Dance Berklee College of Music · Boston, MA	26 23–27	$22,993/yr	Low	-0.1x
31	Dance University of Nevada-Las Vegas · Las Vegas, NV	34 33–34	$20,417/yr	Low	4.6x
32	Dance University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point · Stevens Point, WI	34 33–34	$20,625/yr	Low	4.8x
33	Dance University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ	34 32–34	$24,826/yr	Low	3.6x
34	Dance Montclair State University · Montclair, NJ	33 31–33	$23,191/yr	Low	3.7x
35	Dance American Musical and Dramatic Academy · New York, NY	25 22–26	$15,881/yr	Low	-0.1x
36	Dance The Juilliard School · New York, NY	25 22–26	$14,220/yr	Low	-0.4x
37	Dance Pace University · New York, NY	25 22–26	$19,614/yr	Low	-0.0x
38	Dance SUNY at Purchase College · Purchase, NY	32 29–34	$12,039/yr	Low	5.1x
39	Dance Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI	32 30–31	$21,540/yr	Low	3.1x
40	Dance The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL	32 30–31	$18,716/yr	Low	2.9x
41	Dance University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY	32 30–31	$17,110/yr	Low	3.0x
42	Dance University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA	31 29–31	$19,787/yr	Low	2.6x
43	Dance University of North Carolina School of the Arts · Winston Salem, NC	31 29–30	$14,201/yr	Low	2.7x
44	Dance University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK	31 29–31	$14,632/yr	Low	2.8x
45	Dance Indiana University-Bloomington · Bloomington, IN	30 28–29	$14,831/yr	Low	2.1x
46	Dance Muhlenberg College · Allentown, PA	28 25–30	$26,415/yr	Low	1.3x
47	Dance Virginia Commonwealth University · Richmond, VA	30 29–30	$20,397/yr	Low	2.1x
48	Dance Cornish College of the Arts · Seattle, WA	29 27–29	$27,255/yr	Low	0.4x
49	Dance Dean College · Franklin, MA	27 24–28	$24,236/yr	Low	0.8x
50	Dance Rider University · Lawrenceville, NJ	27 25–28	$24,515/yr	Low	1.0x
51	Dance Hope College · Holland, MI	26 24–27	$23,050/yr	Low	0.4x
52	Dance Marymount Manhattan College · New York, NY	26 24–28	$21,880/yr	Low	1.2x
53	Dance Oklahoma City University · Oklahoma City, OK	27 24–28	$19,548/yr	Low	1.5x
54	Dance George Mason University · Fairfax, VA	27 26–27	$12,409/yr	Low	1.2x
55	Dance Chapman University · Orange, CA	25 22–27	$21,275/yr	Low	0.3x
56	Dance Loyola Marymount University · Los Angeles, CA	25 22–26	$19,107/yr	Low	0.5x
57	Dance Anderson University · Anderson, IN	26 24–27	$20,329/yr	Low	0.4x
58	Dance Belhaven University · Jackson, MS	25 23–26	$15,711/yr	Low	0.3x
59	Dance Fordham University · Bronx, NY	25 22–27	$20,381/yr	Low	0.4x
60	Dance DeSales University · Center Valley, PA	26 23–26	$20,611/yr	Low	0.2x
61	Dance University of the Arts · Philadelphia, PA	25 22–26	$14,033/yr	Low	0.3x
62	Dance Point Park University · Pittsburgh, PA	25 22–27	$17,781/yr	Low	0.9x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Dance?

Based on our DegreeWorth Score, Texas State University ranks #1 for Dance with a score of 51/100 and graduate earnings of $38,967/yr.

How much do Dance graduates earn?

Across 62 schools, Dance graduates earn an average of $22,513/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $38,967/yr.

Is Dance a good major for AI resistance?

Dance has an average AI task exposure of 21%, rated "Low". This is a relatively AI-resistant field.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.