2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 9,704 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,163 and had an average of $28,712 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 406 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,300 and $41,089 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 36 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the religious studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Religious Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Read more about Religious Studies at UCLA

#2

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,686 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 1 doctorate’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Religious Studies at UCR

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Religious Studies Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.

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