At a glance · California

  • 28 colleges in California offer a bachelor's dance program: 22 awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions); 6 more report a dance admit rate in the UC/CSU data.
  • Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: California State University-Long Beach (37), Chapman University (31), University of California-Irvine (29).
  • Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): University of California-Los Angeles — Dance, Fall 2025: 319 applied, 42 admitted (13%).
  • Highest reported admit rate into the program: California State University-Fullerton — 98.4% (63 applied, 62 admitted, Fall 2025).
  • Highest median earnings four years after the degree: Chapman University, $50,612.
  • Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-Fullerton, $6,555 per year.

Most dance programs ask for an audition, and the rate on this page is the college system's count of who applied and who was admitted, not a measure of the audition itself. Several campuses report two rows, a general dance major and a professional performance track, and both are shown. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · All 239 colleges nationwide →

Hardest reported gate

13%
University of California-Los Angeles
Dance, Fall 2025: 319 applied, 42 admitted

Highest reported admit rate

98.4%
California State University-Fullerton
Dance, Fall 2025: 63 applied, 62 admitted

Highest earnings, 4 yrs out

$50,612
Chapman University
median, graduates of this program

Lowest net price with aid

$6,555
California State University-Fullerton
average for aid recipients, per year

Every college, one row each

Colleges with a reported gate into the program come first, hardest first; the rest are sorted by earnings, then by graduates. Degree awarded is the program the college conferred bachelor's degrees in during 2022-23, with the number of graduates (federal IPEDS completions). Program admit rate is the college system's own number for this major (UC Information Center, CSU Chancellor's Office). Net price is the average paid by aid recipients; full price is the cost of attendance. Earnings are federal College Scorecard medians four years after the degree.

College Gate into the program Degree awarded
· graduates 2022-23
Program
admit rate
Campus
admit rate
Net price
with aid
Full
price
Earnings
4 yrs out
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 319 applied, 42 admitted · admit GPA 3.81–4.22
Dance, General
24 graduates
13% 11% $12,548 $38,614 $36,277
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 182 applied, 50 admitted · admit GPA 4.04–4.25
Dance, General
2 graduates
27% 27% $12,470 $38,701 —
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 256 applied, 82 admitted · admit GPA 3.77–4.24
Dance, General
18 graduates
32% 44% $16,109 $41,573 $44,858
San Diego State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance (Professional Performance)
Fall 2025: 155 applied, 61 admitted
impacted
Dance: 38.5%
Dance, General
7 graduates
39.4% 34% $15,364 $27,780 —
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 308 applied, 122 admitted
impacted
Dance (Professional Performance): 35.0% (transfer)
Dance, General
37 graduates
39.6% 47% $10,440 $22,679 $46,387
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 270 applied, 112 admitted · admit GPA 3.78–4.22
Dance, General
29 graduates
41% 30% $14,251 $38,632 $40,466
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-blind
Theatre And Dance
Fall 2025: 292 applied, 187 admitted · admit GPA 3.82–4.21
— 64% 46% $14,741 $41,238 —
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 29 applied, 23 admitted
— 79.3% 99% $13,171 $25,170 —
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 64 applied, 52 admitted
Dance, General
8 graduates
81.2% 96% $12,278 $26,488 $44,627
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 34 applied, 28 admitted
impacted
Dance (Professional Performance): 73.3%
Dance, General
23 graduates
82.4% 80% $13,760 $26,593 —
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 69 applied, 57 admitted
— 82.6% 93% $7,021 $20,485 —
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 121 applied, 101 admitted · admit GPA 3.36–3.95
Dance, General
8 graduates
83% 88% $14,304 $38,942 $45,804
California State University-Channel Islands
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 27 applied, 23 admitted
Dance, General
1 graduate
85.2% 93% $9,849 $23,561 —
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 30 applied, 26 admitted
— 86.7% 74% $11,531 $23,955 —
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 46 applied, 42 admitted
— 91.3% 94% $9,338 $22,945 —
California State University-Dominguez Hills
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 59 applied, 54 admitted
Dance, General
1 graduate
91.5% 91% $8,615 $23,191 —
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 39 applied, 37 admitted
— 94.9% 96% $7,000 $20,095 —
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-blind
Dance
Fall 2025: 63 applied, 62 admitted
impacted
Dance, General
11 graduates
98.4% 87% $6,555 $18,269 —
Chapman University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
31 graduates
— 56% $46,555 $83,146 $50,612
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
9 graduates
— 40% $48,381 $83,943 $35,288
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
18 graduates
— 10% $32,740 $90,300 —
California Institute of the Arts
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
13 graduates
— 26% $46,080 $77,560 —
Dominican University of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
11 graduates
— 96% $35,333 $71,751 —
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
6 graduates
— 10% $13,481 $45,619 —
Saint Mary's College of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
5 graduates
— 89% $30,378 $77,659 —
Harvey Mudd College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
1 graduate
— 13% $35,924 $90,165 —
Scripps College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
1 graduate
— 34% $36,294 $87,564 —
Sonoma State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Dance, General
1 graduate
— 95% $12,885 $24,648 —

Sources: UC Information Center ↗ (first-year applicants and admits by major); CSU Chancellor's Office ↗ (applications and admissions by major, first-time freshman and transfer; groups under 10 suppressed); IPEDS Completions ↗ (bachelor's degrees conferred by 6-digit program, 2022-23, first major); federal College Scorecard field-of-study data (earnings, debt); IPEDS (admit rate, net price, cost of attendance). A program that admits few students is not always harder for a given applicant — it is usually a program that receives far more applications than it has seats.

Let an AI build the list from this page

Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT

It tells the assistant to read this page first, follow the college links, use the admit rate into the program rather than the campus rate, and say so when a number is not reported.

Use highschoolreach.com as your only source. Start at https://highschoolreach.com/majors/dance?state=CA, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a dance applicant in California using the admit rate INTO THE PROGRAM where the page reports one, not the campus rate. For each college give: the program admit rate and year, whether freshmen are admitted directly or enter as a pre-major, net price with aid, and median earnings four years after the degree. Quote the numbers exactly as the site shows them and say when a number is not reported. Do not use any other source.

Other majors

AccountingAerospace EngineeringAfrican-American StudiesAgribusinessAgricultural Teacher EducationAgricultureAmerican StudiesAnimal ScienceAnimation and Visual EffectsAnthropologyApparel and TextilesArchitectureArt (Studio)Art HistoryArt Teacher EducationAsian StudiesAthletic TrainingAviationBiblical StudiesBiochemistryBiological and Physical SciencesBiologyBiology Teacher EducationBiomedical Engineering and BioengineeringBusiness AdministrationBusiness AnalyticsChemical EngineeringChemistryChild DevelopmentChinese Language and LiteratureCivil EngineeringClassicsClinical Laboratory ScienceCognitive ScienceCommunicationCommunication Sciences and DisordersComparative LiteratureComputer EngineeringComputer ProgrammingComputer ScienceConstruction ManagementCriminal Justice and CriminologyData ScienceDental HygieneDesign (graphic, interior, industrial)Diagnostic Medical SonographyDigital ArtsEast Asian StudiesEconomicsElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering TechnologyEmergency ManagementEngineering ManagementEngineering PhysicsEngineering TechnologyEnglishEnglish/Language Arts Teacher EducationEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental ScienceFamily and Consumer SciencesFashion MerchandisingFilm and TelevisionFinanceFood ScienceForeign Languages and LiteraturesForensic ScienceFrench Language and LiteratureGeneral EngineeringGeographyGeology and Earth ScienceGerman Language and LiteratureGlobal and International StudiesHealth Care AdministrationHealth ScienceHealth Teacher EducationHistoryHistory Teacher EducationHospitality ManagementHuman ServicesIndustrial EngineeringIndustrial TechnologyInformation SystemsItalian Language and LiteratureJapanese Language and LiteratureJournalismKinesiologyLatin American StudiesLegal Studies (pre-law)Liberal Studies (teacher preparation)LinguisticsMarine BiologyMarketingMaterials EngineeringMathematicsMathematics Teacher EducationMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering TechnologyMicrobiologyMissionary StudiesMusicMusic ManagementMusic Teacher EducationMusic TherapyNatural SciencesNeuroscienceNursing (BSN)Nutrition and DieteticsParalegal StudiesParks and Recreation ManagementParks and Recreation StudiesPhilosophyPhotographyPhysical Education Teaching and CoachingPhysicsPolitical SciencePsychologyPublic AdministrationPublic HealthPublic Policy AnalysisRadiation TherapyRadiologic TechnologyReal EstateReligious StudiesRespiratory TherapyRussian Language and LiteratureSacred MusicScience Teacher EducationSocial Science Teacher EducationSocial Studies Teacher EducationSocial WorkSociologySpanishSpanish Language Teacher EducationSpecial EducationSport ManagementStatisticsTeaching English as a Second LanguageTheatreTheologyUrban StudiesWildlife Science and ManagementWomen's StudiesYouth Ministry All majors →

The list is where the work starts

A dance list has to be built audition by audition, which is why the spread here matters: the same degree ran from 13% to 98.4% across California in one year. Pick campuses from both ends, and read each program's audition requirements before the application goes in. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359