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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k)

115 Ranked Colleges
6,012 Degrees Awarded
$27,583 Avg Salary
Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

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 For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,012 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 115 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the religious studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $4,150 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at Duke

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,452 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University Religious Studies Report

#3

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 115 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the #3 spot on the list. Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also took the #2 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $9,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Religious Studies at Dartmouth

#4

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $12,752 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 University of Pennsylvania

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 115 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 8 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, Columbia has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $5,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 Columbia

#6

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 3 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,086 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Vanderbilt Religious Studies Report

#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $7,934 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Chicago

#8

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

Wake Forest University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $12,004 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Wake Forest University Religious Studies Report

#9

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#6 in overall quality

Cornell University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,869 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cornell University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Cornell University

#10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,028 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#11

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#16 in overall quality

William & Mary landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, William & Mary has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,721 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend William & Mary.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 more about Religious Studies at William & Mary

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#13

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also took the #19 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $11,060 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Religious Studies Report

#14

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $8,528 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 full report on Religious Studies at UF

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $13,227 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison

California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#17

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
Top 25% in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $13,081 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Religious Studies at UCLA

#18

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Wake Forest, North Carolina
#21 in overall quality

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wake Forest, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SEBTS also took the #21 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full SEBTS Religious Studies Report

#19

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 13 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $6,894 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Hunter

Florida International University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s religion degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend FIU is $10,298 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 FIU

#21

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 18 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,583 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Florida State University

#22

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

Boston College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $17,113 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Boston College

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, UT Austin has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $15,757 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 97%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at UT Austin

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s religion students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,982 for bachelor’s degree religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Ohio State

#25

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Religion Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s religion degrees to qualified students.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Religious Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $14,671 for Bachelor’s Degree Religion students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at University of Virginia

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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