---
title: Is a Dance degree worth the debt?
cip: 5003
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Dance degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **60** colleges (60 of 60 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $21,579 ($23,340 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $24,550 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.10× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $18,899–$24,164 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $21,579 | $24,550 | 1.10× | 60 | 60/60 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Texas State University (TX) | $34,080 | $20,500 |
| Hofstra University (NY) | $30,958 | $23,250 |
| Texas Woman's University (TX) | $29,494 | $21,280 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (AZ) | $29,454 | $23,393 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia (SC) | $28,533 | — |
| Goucher College (MD) | $27,484 | — |
| The Juilliard School (NY) | $27,194 | $27,000 |
| Fordham University (NY) | $26,996 | $25,000 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte (NC) | $26,567 | $21,500 |
| University of Iowa (IA) | $26,423 | $21,500 |
| Rider University (NJ) | $25,861 | — |
| Sam Houston State University (TX) | $25,819 | $26,000 |
| Western Michigan University (MI) | $24,911 | $27,000 |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (PA) | $24,553 | $27,000 |
| Muhlenberg College (PA) | $24,541 | $27,000 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/dance.jsonld` · `/education/fields/dance.json`