2023 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 the Plains States region, there were 374 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,550 and $23,250 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in religious studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great religious studies programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 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 Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$12,911 Average Net Price

$50,445 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,911 for Plains States Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Religious Studies Report

2

University of St Thomas Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$28,771 Average Net Price

$56,351 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 45 degrees to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region religion students whose families make $48-$75k list, UST MN has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Thomas Minnesota is $28,771 for Plains States Region Religion students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UST MN Religious Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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.