Danceat The Juilliard School
Graduates earn $14,220/yr in their first year — about 37.0% below the national Dance average. Base-case 10-year earnings $378K; scenarios range from $362K to $374K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Juilliard School
The financial outcomes for Juilliard Dance reflect the highly specialized and intensely competitive nature of professional performance arts. This program is designed to cultivate elite dancers for the world stage, and graduates often secure coveted roles in prestigious companies like Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, or New York City Ballet. These demanding, full-time performance careers, while artistically unparalleled, typically offer more modest initial compensation, especially when balanced against the high cost of living in New York City. Your early career will likely prioritize artistic fulfillment and performance experience over immediate high earnings. Many dancers eventually transition into stable careers as choreographers, postsecondary instructors, or arts administrators, leveraging their exceptional training and network. When considering this path, understand you are investing in unparalleled artistic development and a world-class network, preparing for a fulfilling, albeit often financially challenging, performing career before transitioning to other stable roles.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Juilliard School's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Dance
How Juilliard School stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Dance offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Dance trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Dance at Juilliard School
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Dance at The Juilliard School?
A score of 17/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Dance. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Is Dance at The Juilliard School worth the student debt?
Median debt of $27,000 against $14,220/yr starting salary means roughly 1.9 years of earnings go to repayment. That's above average — financial aid and loan terms matter here.
Can you still earn well with Dance from The Juilliard School?
First-year earnings trail the national median, but starting salary isn't the full picture. Regional cost of living, career trajectory, and tuition cost all factor in. Check the five-year earnings data when available.