2023 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy & Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 19,993 people earned their degree in philosophy and religious studies, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, philosophy and religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,946 and had an average of $22,275 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 1,259 philosophy and religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,160 and $25,270 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in philosophy and religious studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality philosophy and religious studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the philosophy and religious studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools

The philosophy & religious studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Philosophy & Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1

University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$10,063 Average Net Price

$58,809 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 105 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy and religious studies students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $10,063 for virginia philosophy & religious studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Virginia.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Virginia Philosophy & Religious Studies Report

2

James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$14,985 Average Net Price

$46,195 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia philosophy & religious studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, JMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,985 for Virginia Philosophy & Religious Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at JMU

3

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$15,891 Average Net Price

$47,786 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU also made our “Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for Virginia Philosophy & Religious Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy & Religious Studies at VCU

4

Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$27,251 Average Net Price

$40,489 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 807 ’s philosophy and religious studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $27,251 for virginia philosophy & religious studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Liberty University Philosophy & Religious Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Philosophy & Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Colleges for Philosophy & Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.