2026 Best Dance Doctoral Degree Schools
Looking for the best Dance doctoral degree programs in the United States? This list ranks 364 colleges by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor analyzed schools to produce this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Dance Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Leading the list is Texas Womans University, our #1 Dance school in the United States. Based in Denton, TX, Texas Womans University is a public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,640, while out-of-state students pay about $18,480. Students borrow a median of $21,953 to complete their Dance program here. Read the full report on Texas Womans University
Out of the 364 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, Ohio State University Main Campus landed the #2 spot. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University Main Campus is a public institution. About 88% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $13,244, compared with $40,022 for out-of-state students. Ohio State University Main Campus Dance students take on a median of $26,000 in debt. Read the full report on Ohio State University Main Campus
The strong Dance programs at University Of California Riverside earned it the #3 place in the United States. Set in Riverside, CA, University Of California Riverside is a public institution. University Of California Riverside posts a six-year graduation rate of 76%. In-state tuition and fees average $14,636, with out-of-state students paying around $46,524. The median Dance program debt is $19,187. Get the full University Of California Riverside report
You'll be in good company at Temple University, which ranked #4 this year. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Roughly 75% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $23,005, with out-of-state students paying around $38,805. Typical Dance student debt is $27,000. Read the full report on Temple University
The strong Dance programs at Johnson C Smith University earned it the #5 place in the United States. Get the full Johnson C Smith University report
Mount Holyoke College landed the #6 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Mount Holyoke College
Goucher College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Read more about Goucher College
Colorado College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Get the full Colorado College report
The Ailey School did well this year, earning the #9 position. Read more about The Ailey School
Troy University
Troy University placed #10 among Dance schools in the United States. See the full Troy University profile
University Of Maryland College Park ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. More on University Of Maryland College Park
Nova Southeastern University landed the #12 spot in the United States this year. More on Nova Southeastern University
Kenyon College
Kenyon College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Get the full Kenyon College report
Muhlenberg College placed #14 among Dance schools in the United States. Read more about Muhlenberg College
The University Of Texas At El Paso did well this year, earning the #15 position. Get the full The University Of Texas At El Paso report
University Of Idaho placed #16 among Dance schools in the United States. Read the full report on University Of Idaho
Napa Valley College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Get the full Napa Valley College report
Ohio University Eastern Campus placed #18 among Dance schools in the United States. Read the full report on Ohio University Eastern Campus
Southwestern College Chula Vista came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Southwestern College Chula Vista
Greenfield Community College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Greenfield Community College
Appalachian State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Read the full report on Appalachian State University
Haverford College did well this year, earning the #22 position. See the full Haverford College profile
Adelphi University did well this year, earning the #23 position. See the full Adelphi University profile
Cleveland State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Read the full report on Cleveland State University
University Of South Florida Main Campus did well this year, earning the #25 position. Read the full report on University Of South Florida Main Campus
Rest of the Top 50 Best Dance Doctoral Degree Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also made the top of the list:
Anderson University Indiana ranked #26 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. More on Anderson University Indiana
Coker College
Coker College placed #27 among Dance schools in the United States. More on Coker College
Bucks County Community College landed the #28 spot in the United States this year. See the full Bucks County Community College profile
San Jose City College came in at #29 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on San Jose City College
South Mountain Community College did well this year, earning the #30 position. More on South Mountain Community College
The University Of Montana came in at #31 in this year's ranking. More on The University Of Montana
University Of Houston ranked #32 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. See the full University Of Houston profile
Oberlin College
Oberlin College landed the #33 spot in the United States this year. More on Oberlin College
University Of California Santa Barbara placed #34 among Dance schools in the United States. Get the full University Of California Santa Barbara report
Bennington College landed the #35 spot in the United States this year. More on Bennington College
Portland State University landed the #36 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Portland State University report
Reed College
Reed College ranked #37 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Get the full Reed College report
Fullerton College came in at #38 in this year's ranking. Get the full Fullerton College report
Long Island University C W Post Campus placed #39 among Dance schools in the United States. More on Long Island University C W Post Campus
Victor Valley College landed the #40 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Victor Valley College
University Of Richmond placed #41 among Dance schools in the United States. Read more about University Of Richmond
Wright State University Main Campus placed #42 among Dance schools in the United States. See the full Wright State University Main Campus profile
Florida Southern College came in at #43 in this year's ranking. Read more about Florida Southern College
Raritan Valley Community College came in at #44 in this year's ranking. More on Raritan Valley Community College
Modesto Junior College placed #45 among Dance schools in the United States. Get the full Modesto Junior College report
Colorado State University Fort Collins came in at #46 in this year's ranking. More on Colorado State University Fort Collins
Fordham University ranked #47 on our 2026 list of the best Dance schools. Read more about Fordham University
Miracosta College landed the #48 spot in the United States this year. More on Miracosta College
Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania placed #49 among Dance schools in the United States. Get the full Slippery Rock University Of Pennsylvania report
Bates College
Bates College landed the #50 spot in the United States this year. See the full Bates College profile
Related Dance Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Dance Schools (All Levels)
- Best Dance Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Dance Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Dance Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Dance Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Dance Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Dance Master’s Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 364 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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