Park City Ballet West Academy dancers can earn UVU college credit beginning Fall 2025

Photo: Courtesy of Ballet West

PARK CITY, Utah — Pre-professional ballet dancers at Ballet West Academy’s Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus, along with students at the academy’s three other sites, will be able to earn Utah Valley University credit for their training beginning in fall 2025, the partners announced.

Under the agreement between UVU’s School of the Arts and the Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy, students who meet specific requirements and pass a streamlined evaluation can translate their instruction and performance experience into college credit. Those credits may be applied toward an associate degree in dance and, ultimately, a Bachelor of Fine Arts at UVU.

“This partnership is a milestone in arts education and workforce development,” said Courtney Davis, dean of UVU’s School of the Arts. “By acknowledging the professional-level training students receive at Ballet West Academy, we’re not only supporting their academic and career goals — we’re creating a model for how institutions can honor the full spectrum of student achievement.”

The collaboration aligns with Utah’s Credit for Prior Learning policy and Utah System of Higher Education workforce initiatives, which award college credit for skills gained outside traditional classrooms. University and academy leaders said the program is among the first of its kind in the region and supports statewide goals to broaden access, improve equity and shorten time to graduation.

Ballet West Academy trains more than 1,000 students across its campuses and is the official school of Ballet West, the Salt Lake City–based company led by artistic director Adam Sklute. UVU, the state’s largest public university, offers certificates through master’s degrees and emphasizes flexible, affordable education.