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Best Dance Schools in California

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2023 Best Dance Schools in California

16 Colleges
$19,813 Avg Salary
$21,811 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Dance School for You

In 2020-2021, 483 degrees and certificates were awarded to dance students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #127 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Dance Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Dance Schools in California

Check out the dance programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Dance Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for dance students who want to pursue a degree in California. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Full Dance at University of California - Berkeley Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for dance students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Dance at University of Southern California

#3

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola Marymount University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, dance graduates from Loyola Marymount take out $22,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best dance schools in California. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.

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Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the # 5 spot on the list. UCSB is a very large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

Full Dance at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best dance programs. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

After completing their degree, dance graduates from UC Irvine carry an average student debtload of $19,500.

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University of California - San Diego landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best dance programs. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Dance at University of California - San Diego Report

University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for dance students. It came in at #8 on the list. UCR is a very large public school located in the city of Riverside.

Full Dance at University of California - Riverside Report

#9

Chapman University

Orange, CA

Chapman University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Dance Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that dance majors at Chapman take out is $25,913. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $643, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Dance at Chapman University

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best schools for dance students. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.

While working on their degree, dance majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $22,769 in student debt.

Full Dance at California State University - Fullerton Report

Best Dance Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Dance Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 53
Oregon 20
Nevada 30
Hawaii 4

More Dance Rankings in California

Dance is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jazzart Dance Theatre.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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