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2023 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

10 Ranked Colleges
580 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Religious Studies is the 90th most popular major in the country with 9,470 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Great Lakes region, there were 580 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,601 and $29,506 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 10 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Religious Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 34 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for great lakes region religion students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Religious Studies Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region religion students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for Great Lakes Region Religion students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Religious Studies Report

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,845 for great lakes region religion students with aid per year to attend Ohio State.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 94%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 6 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

UWM also made our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,486 for great lakes region religion students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Religious Studies Report

5
GVSU crest
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region religion students with aid list, GVSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $17,356 for Great Lakes Region Religion students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Grand Valley State University

6

With a ranking of #6, Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. TIU Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Deerfield, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

TIU Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity International University - Illinois is $21,200 for great lakes region religion students with aid.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Religious Studies at TIU Illinois

7
DePauw crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

DePauw University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greencastle, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

DePauw not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $25,587 for great lakes region religion students with aid per year to attend DePauw University.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 89%.

Read more about Religious Studies at DePauw University

8
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Notre Dame is $31,101 for Great Lakes Region Religion students with aid.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Notre Dame

9
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region religion students with aid list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $28,517 for Great Lakes Region Religion students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Religious Studies at University of Chicago

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Religion Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region religion students with aid list, DePaul has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Religious Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $31,174 for Great Lakes Region Religion students with aid per year to attend DePaul.

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 DePaul

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