2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
9
Ranked Colleges
420
Degrees Awarded
$13,700
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 9,470 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 90th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,289 and had an average of $24,431 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 420 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,978 and $18,684 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the religious studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The religion 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 Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #1 spot on the list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for California Religion students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 more about Religious Studies at UCSB
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 10 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,006 for california religion students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Religious Studies at UC Davis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 12 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,266 for california religion students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Religious Studies at CSUN
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #7 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,590 for California Religion students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full Cal State Fullerton Religious Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california religion students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,810 for california religion students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCR Religious Studies Report
University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for California Religion students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Southern California
San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,705 for california religion students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Francisco State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Religious Studies at San Francisco State University
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $21,769 for California Religion students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Religious Studies at California Baptist University
Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $34,946 for california religion students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chapman University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Religious Studies at Chapman University
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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
- *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
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