by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study dance, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 96 schools ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing dance, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ready to build your own comparison? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the leading dance colleges for veterans below:
Leading the list is Ohio State University-Main Campus, our #1 dance college for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full dance report for Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 89.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the dance program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of South Florida came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.0 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about dance at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a great choice for veterans pursuing dance, landing the #4 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the dance program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
A rank of #5 makes East Carolina University one of the top dance colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 88.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
See the full dance report for East Carolina University
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University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #6 spot for veterans pursuing dance. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the dance program at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
California State University-Long Beach came in at #7 for veteran dance students this year. California State University-Long Beach scores 86.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the dance program at California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #8 among the best dance colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full dance report for University of Florida
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 85.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the dance program at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University came in at #10 for veteran dance students this year. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
More about the dance program at Western Michigan University
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University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about dance at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Maryland-College Park came in at #12 for veteran dance students this year. University of Maryland-College Park scores 85.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the dance program at University of Maryland-College Park
Texas Tech University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 84.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about dance at Texas Tech University
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #14 for veteran dance students this year. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the dance program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of California-Santa Barbara came in at #15 for veteran dance students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.5 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
See the full dance report for University of California-Santa Barbara
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Ohio University-Main Campus ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 84.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about dance at Ohio University-Main Campus
Texas State University landed the #17 spot for veterans pursuing dance. The school's overall veterans score is 83.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the dance program at Texas State University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 82.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the dance program at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Florida State University placed #19 among the best dance colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 82.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full dance report for Florida State University
The University of Alabama ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 82.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
More about the dance program at The University of Alabama
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George Mason University placed #21 among the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 82.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full dance report for George Mason University
University of South Carolina-Columbia landed the #22 spot for veterans pursuing dance. University of South Carolina-Columbia scores 81.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full dance report for University of South Carolina-Columbia
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #23 for veteran dance students this year. Virginia Commonwealth University scores 81.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the dance program at Virginia Commonwealth University
Wayne State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 81.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full dance report for Wayne State University
University of Iowa ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best dance colleges for veterans. It scores 81.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full dance report for University of Iowa
These dance colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying dance: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
