Dance: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 40 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Dance pays
Career outlook for Dance graduates
The job market for the occupations Dance graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary | 122,800 | +1.7% | $80,190 | Master's degree |
| Dancers | 12,300 | +4.5% | — | No formal educational credential |
| Choreographers | 4,600 | +6.1% | $55,600 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Dance vs similar majors
How Dance stacks up against the closest fields in Visual & Performing Arts on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Dance Visual & Performing Arts · this major | Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Design and Applied Arts | Visual and Performing Arts, Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 13 F | 20 F | 24 F | 17 F |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $35,050 | $49,346 | $48,751 | $46,078 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $23,701 | $33,236 | $33,324 | $28,029 |
| ROI vs cost | -222% | -48% | -54% | -87% |
| Typical debt | $26,728 | $33,258 | $24,245 | $35,747 |
| Colleges offering it | 40 | 58 | 416 | 10 |
Dance earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Dance
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Associate's | $54,412 | $20,500 | +129% | Strong return |
| 2 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA | Associate's | $55,505 | $27,000 | +55% | Break-even |
| 3 | SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY | Associate's | $49,831 | $21,500 | +19% | Break-even |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Associate's | $48,294 | $23,393 | -14% | Poor return |
| 5 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Associate's | $49,423 | — | -46% | Poor return |
| 6 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX | Associate's | $45,951 | $21,280 | -70% | Poor return |
| 7 | New York University New York, NY | Certificate | $46,428 | $107,374 | -92% | Poor return |
| 8 | California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA | Associate's | $45,119 | — | -99% | Poor return |
| 9 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Associate's | $44,100 | $20,500 | -123% | Poor return |
| 10 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | Associate's | $41,919 | $21,500 | -158% | Poor return |
| 11 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA | Associate's | $41,568 | $27,000 | -170% | Poor return |
| 12 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | Associate's | $35,852 | $22,750 | -187% | Poor return |
| 13 | Fordham University Bronx, NY | Associate's | $35,086 | $25,000 | -201% | Poor return |
| 14 | Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY | Associate's | $35,998 | $26,595 | -208% | Poor return |
| 15 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Associate's | $40,010 | $25,500 | -214% | Poor return |
| 16 | Chapman University Orange, CA | Associate's | $33,077 | $23,624 | -217% | Poor return |
| 17 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Associate's | $36,092 | $27,000 | -235% | Poor return |
| 18 | New York University New York, NY | Associate's | $32,847 | $23,004 | -247% | Poor return |
| 19 | Dean College Franklin, MA | Associate's | $32,944 | $27,000 | -269% | Poor return |
| 20 | Adelphi University Garden City, NY | Associate's | $32,810 | — | -298% | Poor return |
| 21 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | Associate's | $32,909 | $25,565 | -308% | Poor return |
| 22 | Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK | Associate's | $32,954 | $24,100 | -321% | Poor return |
| 23 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | Associate's | $19,056 | $27,000 | -339% | Poor return |
| 24 | Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA | Associate's | $29,025 | $27,000 | -359% | Poor return |
| 25 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL | Associate's | $28,579 | $27,000 | -361% | Poor return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.