MAJORS · 1 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a dance degree worth it?
Part of Visual Arts and Music — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$306,014, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
−$306,014
across 107 bachelor’s programs · 3,914 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
−$363K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$447K ⟷ −$241K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
92.3%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
31
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$270K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$126K
Questions
- Is a dance degree worth it?
- On average no — across 107 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Dance is −$306,014 and the median is −$362,573. 92.3% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$447,418 and −$240,564.
- How long until a dance degree pays off?
- Among Dance programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 31 (FREOPP 2021). 92.3% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a dance major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Dance graduates span −$447,418 to −$240,564 — a +$207K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Dance: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/dance