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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

15 Ranked Colleges
301 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Religious Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 9,704 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 301 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in religious studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality religious studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $7,595 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at CSULB

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCLA.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Religious Studies at UCLA

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Religious Studies at UC Irvine

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSUN has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at California State University - Northridge

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at UCR

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Cal State Fullerton

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at UC Davis

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Religious Studies at UCSB

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full San Diego State University Religious Studies Report

#10

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at USC

#11

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#10 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SFSU.

Read more about Religious Studies at San Francisco State University

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#14 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $11,793 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 85%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Religious Studies Report

Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Costa Mesa, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanguard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,123 for california bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanguard University of Southern California.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at Vanguard

#14

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Westmont is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Westmont also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Westmont is $26,078 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Westmont

#15

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $21,716 for California Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Baptist University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Baptist University Religious Studies Report

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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

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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