Bachelor's · New York, New York

Is Dance at The Juilliard School worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 14.2 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $36,428; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $54,014; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $22,498; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $177k (likely $177k – $214k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $16k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NY; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 14.2 years (likely 9.3–20+); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$242k (likely −$358k – −$128k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$28k (likely −$258k – $228k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 91%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26