BFA Dance at The Ohio State University

Programme overview

An accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Dance, the Department of Dance offers students rigorous training at the intersection of movement practice, creative activity and theoretical inquiry. Students in the dance program earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and receive a comprehensive education across the field of contemporary dance with a focus on the dancing experience. Because the BFA dance program is focused on building the whole artist, students can combine academic and artistic interests.

Faculty: Arts and Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbus, OH, United States

What you will study

Students in the BFA dance program take course work in movement practice, performance, choreography, history/theory/literature, analysis, dance education, kinesiology, production and creative technology. They benefit from small classes with faculty and visiting artists. Faculty mentorship begins early and integrates with personalized education, individualized attention, and first- and last-year seminars that develop cohort community.

Career pathways

Graduates of the BFA dance program are young artists and entrepreneurs who creatively and consciously forge their own paths of professional success. They create dance companies and collectives and teach in schools, studios and universities. Dance graduates write books, make films, document dance traditions and engage in cultural diplomacy.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to the university (and the Arts and Sciences college where applicable) applies; no separate programme-specific requirement published. An audition is required for acceptance to the highly competitive BFA dance program. The audition experience considers prospective students' past dance training, extracurricular interests and activities; individual interview with faculty; group audition with contemporary, African and ballet movement phrases taught by faculty; and improvisation guided by faculty.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,921 a year (2026-27). Columbus campus on-campus Instructional Fee (tuition) for students beginning Autumn 2026: $6,460.50 per semester at 12-18 credit hours, shown as two semesters (Autumn and Spring). The Ohio State Tuition Guarantee fixes this rate for four years for Ohio re Source

Entry terms for first-year applicants to the Columbus campus: Autumn 2027 and Spring 2027 (Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026). Summer first-year applications are not accepted.

Transfer applicants can start in Spring, Summer or Autumn 2027.

First-year, Columbus campus, Autumn 2027: early action (non-binding) deadline November 1, 2026; regular decision deadline January 15, 2027; financial aid priority date February 1; acceptance fee deadline May 1, 2027. Early action decisions: December 11 (Ohio residents and Stamps Eminence applicants) and January 22 (non-Ohio residents and international applicants); regular decision decisions March 5.

First-year applicants apply with the Common Application. ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year Columbus applicants (superscored; sent directly by the testing agency); applicants out of high school two or more years are not required to submit scores. The essay is not required.

Transfer applicants (Columbus campus): Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027; Summer 2027 deadline May 15, 2027. Regional campuses: December 1, 2026, April 15, 2027 and July 15, 2027 respectively.

International transfer applicants: Spring 2027 deadline October 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://undergrad.osu.edu/apply

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